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INTEGRITY

Overview For Teachers

INTEGRITY: The ability to demonstrate moral, ethical, loyal, trustworthy, and honest behavior; to be accountable and dependable; play fair; maintain confidentiality; do the right thing even when no one is looking; the ability to produce quality work; work to fulfill the mission of the organization; the ability to define personal values versus what is valued.

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PURPOSE: Upon completion of this module, the student will understand the importance of having integrity in the classroom as well as the workplace. In addition, the objectives listed below should be met.

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OBJECTIVES:

ï‚· Ability to define integrity and explain what it is

ï‚· Ability to realize how integrity plays a part in future success

ï‚· Ability to demonstrate integrity at home, at school, and at work

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OVERVIEW:

This module focuses on teaching students the importance of having integrity and how it plays a part in everyday life. Students will come to realize how integrity can affect their success in the future at school and at work. In addition, students will have an opportunity to gain an understanding of what integrity is by participating in various activities designed to stimulate thought and discussion.

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TEACHERS: WHAT ARE YOU OBSERVING?

What does integrity look like in the classroom or in school in general? A great way to answer this and get things going is through engagement with the students. Ask your students these questions:

1. What does integrity look like in class?

2. How does your integrity affect other students? Example: Group projects, homework, collaboration in class, etc. 3. What does having integrity look like within your

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RELEVANCY OF INTEGRITY

Employers have stated that an individual’s integrity is the foundation of their success or failure in the workplace, especially long-term success. The Georgia Department of Labor statistics show that soft skills, like the lack of integrity, are what costs people their jobs, not their technical skills.

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LESSON:

The True Meaning of Integrity
Time Allocation: 20  minutes
Materials/Resources: computers/ tablets/ smartphones with internet access (students – optional), pens/ pencils, paper, printer, True Meaning of Integrity, computer/ projector (teacher) , tape

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WATCH THE VIDEO:

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ANTICIPATORY SET IDEA:

ï‚· Share the following quote with the class:

     o “Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain.” - Unknown


DIRECT INSTRUCTION:

ï‚· Tell students: as you get older and finish high school, go to college, start your career – there are going to be many skills and characteristics that you must master to be successful. One of the most important ones will be integrity. 87% of employers ranked integrity as one of the most important qualities when looking to hire new employees.

ï‚· So what exactly is integrity? How would you define integrity? Often times it’s hard to figure out exactly what this term means so we are going to work together as a class to define integrity and make sure we understand why it’s such an important characteristic to have.


GUIDED ACTIVITY:

ï‚· Give each student a printed copy of the article titled: True Meaning of Integrity or have them access the article online.

ï‚· Have students read through the article individually and as they read, have them write down words/ phrases that are used to describe and define integrity.

ï‚· When they are finished reading, have students find a partner and pair share their thoughts on the article as well as what they wrote down on their piece of paper.

ï‚· Come back together as a class to discuss the article. Ask the following questions for a class discussion:

     o What is the true meaning of integrity – according to the article?

     o Why is integrity important?

     o Why would you want to work for someone who has integrity or why is integrity an important trait for leaders to have?

     o The article mentioned six things that great leaders choose to do on their path to integrity – what do you think about these?

ï‚· Lastly, have students share the words/ phrases they wrote down on their piece of paper to describe integrity. Type these into a Wordle (www.wor dle.net ) to create a class Wordle to post in the classroom. This can be a daily reminder to students on the importance of integrity.


CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING:

ï‚· Technology Use: You could create a Kahoot ( Kahoot.com) which is an interactive game that students can log into from their computers or phones and it will give you instant feedback.

ï‚· Non-Technology: “Take and Pass” – Students will get in groups and will have one piece of paper per group. Pose the following question: “How does showing integrity affect others around you as well as yourself?” One student will start and will write their response on the piece of paper. When they finish, they will pass it to the person on their right and they will then write down their response. Students will continue to write down their responses and pass the piece of paper until time is up. When time is up, students will debrief and will then share their responses with the class.

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ETHICAL SCENARIO--Optional (if not using, skip  to "review and closing")

The Ethical Choice Scenarios have been developed to provide teachers with the ability to make the material applicable to real-life and relevant to the students. Within this guide, directions and prompts for the teacher will be in BLUE for ease of facilitation.

 

READ THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO OUT LOUD TO THE STUDENTS: 

FAIR MONEY

You have always been very competitive. Your teacher has just announced a challenging assignment consisting of both an exam and a presentation. Your good friend has worked as a teacher’s assistant for most of the school year and has told you the y can get you a copy of the exam. However, this particular assignment has more than just a grade riding on it. The top scoring student will earn a $500 scholarship. You could really use that money. Having a copy of the exam early will give you the competitive advantage you need to win it. However, you also hear this voice in your head saying that is not playing fair… but when there is something on the line like this, should you play fair or do what you have to do to get ahead?


ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (display them to the class if necessary)

1. How many of you have already been faced with a scenario like this in real life?

2. What are possible positive or negative consequences for you, depending on your decision?

3. What are possible consequences to your good friend?


GUIDED DISCUSSION: ASK STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION AND HOW THEY
ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS.

NOTE 1: To help facilitate discussion, share any personal experiences you may have encountered with this same sort of issue.

NOTE 2: Another option to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students, “ If you were one of the other students trying for the scholarship, how would you react if you discovered that a classmate had cheated ?”

NOTE 3: Another opt ion to foster further critical thinking is to then ask students , “ What values do you think are in tension here, why is it an ethical dilemma?”


CLOSING DISCUSSION: ASK THE STUDENTS, “ WHY IS YOUR INTEGRITY IMPORTANT ?”


REVIEW AND CLOSING:

ï‚· Share the following quote with the class to end the lesson:

     o “To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and

          integrity.” – Douglas Adams

 

CORRELATION TO OBSERVATION TOOL: The Frequency Observation Tool (FOT) has a category where students will be observed and rated on their integrity. This lesson will give students the opportunity to figure out different ways that they can show integrity to others on a daily basis.


DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IDEAS
-Visual: Visual learners will benefit from having the Wordles displayed in the classroom for a daily reminder of integrity.

-Auditory: Auditory learners will benefit from the activity by hearing the directions and also from the class discussion.

-Kinesthetic: Kinesthetic learners will benefit from writing down important information.

-ESL: To benefit ESL students, you could provide them with a word bank of values (and definitions) for them to choose from..

-At-risk: At -risk students will benefit from the constant interaction with the class to keep them engaged and focused.

-Advanced: Advanced learners could benefit by assisting students who rated their level of understanding on a low level.

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