Why should I be good?
Themes: Behaviour; making good choices; right and wrong; consequences; morality and ethics.
Summary: This assembly is appropriate for the beginning of the school year and to use during Lent, when children may be thinking about 'right' and 'wrong'. You may also choose to use this assembly to demonstrate a school rule of making good choices if the children are struggling to keep this rule.
Resources: an image posing the question (see 'Key links').
Key links
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Print out the assembly framework ready for use
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Display the image posing the question: 'Why should I be good?'
The video:
The video is an animated parable about a boy called Ben who finds an 'invisibility ring'. He wonders what to do with the ring and considers his options - to do good things and help people...or to use the ring for other purposes. During the short film Ben uses the invisibility ring to tease a friend, to avoid getting into trouble and to steal. A friend catches Ben using the ring to steal and encourages him to use it to do good things instead. Various questions are displayed on the screen during the animation and are perfect places to stop and talk to the children in your setting.
Duration: 3' 01"
End of speech: '...What other reasons are there for doing good things?'
Story questions
What is the first good thing Ben imagines doing with the ring?
He imagines using the invisibility ring to catch burglars.
How does Ben use the ring with Sophie?
He picks up one of her dolls at the picnic while invisible to frighten her.
What happens when Ben plays football with Karim?
Ben knocks the head of a statue off - but then uses the invisibility ring to avoid getting in to trouble.
What is Ben doing when Sophie catches him 'in the act'?
Ben is stealing an apple.
What does Sophie tell Ben to do?
Sophie tells Ben he should use the ring to do good things - because doing good things 'makes her feel happy'.
Suggested framework
| Content | Guidance |
|---|---|
| 1. Entry | Play your chosen music as the children enter and display the image posing the question 'Why should I be good?' |
| 2. Introduction | Begin by simply posing the question 'Why should I be good?' Gather responses from the children. You may choose some of the older children to record these answers to reflect on after watching the video. Tell the children that the video is about a boy called Ben who finds something that makes him think about the choices he can make in life. |
| 3. The video | Play the video. The duration is 3' 01". The following questions are posed during the video at these times - 1' 06": 'What would you do if you had a ring of invisibility?' and 'What would be the right thing to do?' 2' 03": 'Is it okay to do naughty things if you can’t get caught?' 2' 51": 'Does doing good things make you happy?' and 'What other reasons are there for doing good things?' You may choose to pause at these times for a short discussion or alternatively to watch the video through once and then stop at the questions the second time through. |
| 4. After the video | Depending on how the questions within the video clip were used you may choose to revisit some questions here. It may be an idea to have an image of a ring on the screen to aid some discussion with children. |
| 5. Time to talk | If you have posed the video questions during the clip you may feel that there is no need for additional discussion here. However, KS2 children may benefit from delving a little deeper and considering some of the following questions about the video: 1. How did Ben use the ring in the wrong way? 2. Do you think Ben would have stopped if Sophie hadn’t caught him? 3. What would the world be like if we all had an invisibility ring? 4. What does ‘being responsible for our own actions’ really mean? And you could also pose these more general questions: 1. Should we only be good if there is a reward or treat? 2. When is it difficult to make the right choice? 3. Who are we being good for? 4. How easy is it to face the consequences when we make the wrong choices? |
| 6. Opportunity to sing | If your assembly is to include a song this would be a good time for it. Suggestions from Â鶹ԼÅÄ collections below. |
| 7. Opportunity for reflection | Think about the person that you want to be. Do you always make the right choices? Is it ok to make the wrong choice every now and then as long as you learn from it? When have you made some great choices? Think about a time when you didn’t make a great choice. What happened? What could you do differently? |
| 8. Opportunity for prayer | The thoughts of the Reflection could be turned in to a prayer, using your standard form of address ('Dear God', 'Lord Jesus', etc and) 'We thank you for giving us the freedom to make choices. Sometimes it is hard to make the right choice and we need your help. Please help us to know what to do. Help us to remember that we should make great choices all of the time - not just when we think someone is watching us. Amen'. |
Suggested songs
| Song | Collection | Significant words |
|---|---|---|
| 'Being a friend' | All about our school, no 8 | 'Being a friend is the best thing you can do' |
| 'Keep the golden rules' | All about our school, no 5 | 'Every day's a good day / When we keep the golden rules' |
