Doing the Right Thing (for years 7–8)

Doing the Right Thing aims to promote values that will assist students to become responsible New Zealanders who respect others and the law.

What students will learn

These year 7–8 resources will help students to learn:

  • about leadership and how to handle difficult situations
  • how to make good decision
  • about the consequences for victims when offenders break laws
  • to distinguish the difference between lies and the truth and how to handle temptations to lie
  • to take action to be a role model for others.

Five focus areas

Learning activities are arranged in five focus areas.

Focus area 1: Respect

Students role-play someone making a good choice.

Focus area 2: Right and wrong

Students suggest how to handle situations in which they might be tempted to tell a white lie and create messages about honesty to share with others.

Focus area 3: Rules, laws and consequences

Students list the consequences of breaking the law, identify common offences and prepare a diagram to show how victims of crime feel.

Focus area 4: Honesty

Students list the qualities that make a good leader, role-play ways of handling difficult situations and set and work towards a personal goal that will help protect the environment.

Focus area 5: Role models

Students carry out a pledge to become a better role model.

Doing the Right Thing (for years 4–6)

Doing the Right Thing aims to promote values that will assist students to become responsible New Zealanders who respect others and the law.

What students will learn

These year 4–6 resources will help students to learn:

  • to distinguish the difference between lies and the truth
  • the need for rules and how to developed rules and laws
  • the qualities of a role model.

Five focus areas

Learning activities are arranged in five focus areas.

Focus area 1: Respect

Students name people in the community whom they respect and explain how they show these people respect.

Focus area 2: Right and wrong 

Students distinguish right behaviour from wrong behaviour and explain how it feels when we do the right thing.

Focus area 3: Rules, laws and consequences 

Students come up with positive group rules and explore positive and negative statements about following rules.

Focus area: 4 Honesty

Students use masks to indicate they can distinguish lies from the truth and write slogans that show that cheating has negative consequences.

Focus area 5: Role models

Students write a job description for a role model that shows they understand the qualities and behaviours that make a good role model.

Doing the Right Thing (for years 0–3)

Doing the Right Thing aims to promote values that will assist students to become responsible New Zealanders who respect others and the law.

What students will learn

These year 0–3 resources will help students to learn:

  • the difference between right and wrong
  • the need for rules, and the consequences of breaking them for ourselves and others
  • the qualities of a role model.

Five focus areas

Learning activities are arranged in five focus areas.

Focus area 1: Respect

Students distinguish right from wrong and explain the benefits of doing the right thing.

Focus area 2: Right and wrong 

Students explain that lying and cheating are wrong and have consequences.

Focus area 3: Rules, laws and consequences 

Students explain why we need rules, what might happen if a class rule is broken, and how we feel when we, or our property, get hurt.

Focus area 4: Honesty 

Students explain the concept of respect in their own words, name one person they respect and say why they respect that person.

Focus area 5: Role models 

Students name and draw a person who they want to be like.

Doing the Right Thing: Information for the school and community

Objectives 

As a result of completing Doing the Right Thing, students will:

  • be able to distinguish right from wrong
  • understand that boundaries, rules and laws are set and enforced for the good of society
  • know that all actions have consequences
  • understand, identify and practise values such as honesty, respect, responsibility and consideration
  • understand the qualities of a good role model and use these qualities to modify their own behaviour
  • be able to identify and acknowledge the positive behaviour of themselves and others.

As a result of Doing the Right Thing, adult members of the school community will model, praise and reinforce positive behaviours.

Key messages

Doing the Right Thing aims to embed the following key messages into students’ thinking:

  • I can decide what is right and wrong.
  • I feel good when I do the right thing. 
  • It is wise to obey the rules and laws.
  • If I break the rules, I will pay the price.
  • I know that my actions have consequences.
  • I have rights and responsibilities.
  • I can change my behaviour.
  • I will remember to think before I speak and act.
  • I will lead by example.
  • I can help others to make good choices.
  • How would I feel if it that was me?
  • Will my actions harm others or myself?
  • Honesty is the best way.
  • I treat people with respect.
  • When I respect others, I earn respect.

Enlisting parent and caregiver support

Parents and caregivers have a very important role in modelling, praising and reinforcing positive pro-social behaviour for their children. Just as a child will experience important values at school, so they will absorb values that are practised at home.

The school can enlist parents and caregivers support by:

  • involving them is developing the schools vision statement
  • ensuring that newsletters sent home promote the vision statement – for example, suggesting ways of praising positive behaviours
  • regularly communicating what behaviour the school considers acceptable and unacceptable, and the consequences of unacceptable behaviour
  • encouraging them to ask for help if their children are displaying unacceptable behaviour and know that they will be listened
  • inviting them to discuss values and share what the school is doing to build a caring community
  • suggesting stories that reflect positive values, to be read at home.

Doing the Right Thing: Information for teachers

This page covers:

  • links with The New Zealand Curriculum
  • values
  • key competencies
  • how to establish a supportive learning environment
  • a checklist for teachers.

Doing the Right Thing

Doing the Right Thing aims to assist students to become responsible citizens who respect others and the law. Learning activities are structured around five focus areas: Honesty; Respect; Rules, laws and consequences; Right and wrong; Role models.

Resources

The Doing the Right Thing resources include:

School-wide interventions

To address issues of social responsibility more deeply, schools could implement a school-wide intervention in partnership with Police.

Narratives (or case-studies) of completed social responsibility interventions:

Partner resources

Bryan and Bobby - this well-loved duo have a number of online videos that could be used with our Doing the Right Thing resources. 

Burglary Free: Acknowledgments

New Zealand Police would like to acknowledge the following people who played an important role in the development of Burglary Free.

Constable Rob Barton Wellington Police
Emma Buckingham Tairangi School
Inspector Morris Cheer Police National Headquarters
Carolyn Currington Dyer Street School
Constable Kerry Fenton Upper Hutt Police
Kristine Mercep Raroa Intermediate
Constable Julie Orr Petone Police
Paul Romano St Brendan’s School
Maureen Sedgwick Newtown School
Rana Te Maro Fergusson Intermediate
Gill Palmer New Zealand Police
Justine O’Reilly Crime Prevention Unit
Superintendent Gary Smith  Police National Headquarters
Inspector Rob Veale Police National Headquarters
Jo Maxwell Illustrator
Diana Noonan Story writer Zoo Talk and Holiday Job
Jane Ough Design

 

Burglary Free (for years 7–8)

Burglary Free aims to create burglary-free zones around schools and their communities.

What students will learn

These year 7–8 resources will help students to learn:

  • about burglary trends
  • how to take action to inform other people about burglary
  • how to protect other people's property when they are away or on holiday.

Three focus areas

Learning activities are arranged in three focus areas.

Focus area 1: Burglary in our community

Students define the term ‘burglary’, identify burglary trends for their local area and produce material on burglary to share with families and the community.

Focus area 2: Partnerships

Students learn that in order to prevent burglaries all sections of the community need to work together. They take part in a role play to explore community partners working to prevent burglary.

Focus area 3: Kids’ Watch

Students learn how to keep property safe when the owners are away. They produce Kids’ Watch flyers to distribute to families. 

Burglary Free (for years 4–6)

Burglary Free aims to create burglary-free zones around schools and their communities.

What students will learn

These year 4–6 resources will help students to learn:

  • about burglary and how they feel about burglary
  • about the consequences of burglary
  • assist their family/whānau to have a safer home.

Three focus areas

Learning activities are arranged in three focus areas.

Focus area 1: Burglary – the facts

Students define burglary and have questions about burglary answered by a police officer. They make posters and notices about the correct things to do if they have been burgled or are being burgled.

Focus area 2: Burglary – a crime against people

Students discuss feelings about burglary and how burglary is a crime and is hurtful. They discover some of the consequences of burglary.

Focus area 3: Safe homes

Students consider safe and unsafe home security practices and work with their parents to check their own home security and to record details of valuable property. 

Burglary Free (for years 1–3)

Burglary Free aims to create burglary-free zones around schools and their communities.

What students will learn

These year 1–3 resources will help students to learn:

  • to look after their possessions
  • to respect other peoples possessions
  • who can help them and how to use the 111 system.

Three focus areas

Learning activities are arranged in three focus areas

Focus area 1: Mine! 

Students learn not to touch, use, or take other people’s possessions and why. Students learn to label and describe their possessions.

Focus area 2: Looking after my stuff 

Students learn to put their things, and the classroom things, away. They explore why people borrow things and why it is important to give things back. 

Focus area 3: Getting help

Students talk about times when they felt scared and needed help. They identify who can help them at home, at school and in the community. They meet a police officer and learn how to use the 111 system. 

Burglary Free: Information for school and community

Prior to running Burglary Free learning activities, schools are encouraged to explore strategies that can be followed to create burglary-free zones around schools and their communities.

Background to Burglary Free

This page:

  • discusses the objectives
  • gives the legal definition of burglary
  • discusses the partnership approach
  • explains the role of Police in this programme.

Strategies for the school

This page covers:

  • school security
  • visitors to the school
  • an environment safety check
  • communicating with your school community
  • keeping school property safe
  • keeping students occupied
  • supporting victims.

Strategies for the community

This page contains:

  • burglary prevention tips for the community
  • suggestions for a parent/community meeting.

Information for teachers

This page covers:

  • links with The New Zealand Curriculum
  • values
  • key competencies
  • how to establish a supportive learning environment
  • a checklist for teachers.

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)

CPTED is a method to analyse and modify the physical environment of a school to reduce opportunities for crime. For information about this method in a school context read ­police-school partnerships.