Cover of Teach Your Dragon To Understand Consequences
Teach Your Dragon To Understand Consequences
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Responsibility 1st & 2nd Grade
By Steve Herman

Book Guide

Teach Your Dragon To Understand Consequences

A story that explores responsibility and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families
Read the Guiding Questions Find this book →
♥ This book teaches: Responsibility. owning your choices and their consequences.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

  Definition: doing what needs to be done without complaining.    In short: Do what needs to be done.

Summary: Drew’s pet dragon needs to learn how to do what’s right. Drew tells the story of his efforts to train his dragon in a poem. Poor Diggory has a lot to learn. He doesn’t like waiting his turn, he steals candy, skips homework, fails to clean up his messes, and throws trash on the ground. Finally, Drew explains to Diggory what the word “consequences” means and how it applies to Diggory’s irresponsible actions. Diggory begins to learn that, “when you choose to do what’s right, then good things will come your way!”    Lesson Objectives: 
  1. Students practice pausing and asking themselves what the consequences could be for both good and irresponsible behaviors. This helps them make good choices. 
  Guiding Questions: 
  1. What excuse did Diggory give to Drew when he spilled milk on the floor and didn’t clean it up? 
  2. When Diggory threw a candy wrapper on the ground, he made an excuse, what did he say? 
  3. Diggory doesn’t like to wait his turn. Do you think he’s going to make friends that way? Why or why not? 
  4. When Diggory stole some candy, he didn’t think it was a big deal. What excuse did he give for stealing? 
  5. Why did Diggory skip his homework? 
  6. What does the word “consequence” mean? 
  7. Drew asks Diggory to pause before acting impulsively. The next time you are about to do something you know isn’t kind or right, pause, and ask yourself what the consequences could be. Try this for a whole day, or even a week. Do you feel good about yourself when you’re able to be responsible? 
  8. What does “making an excuse” mean to you? Can you give an example from the story? From your own experience? 
  9. The next time you’re thinking about not cleaning up after yourself, or littering, ask yourself, what if everyone did that? Stop and imagine what it would be like. 
  10. Ask a family member about an experience they had when they had to face the consequences of an irresponsible action. What happened, and how did they feel about it? 
🌿   Virtue Connection: Responsibility means owning what is yours, including your choices.

Hands-On Practice

Activities for This Story.

 

Activity: Students listen to the video (optional). They discuss and memorize the quote from the book: “when you choose to do what’s right, then good things will come your way!” The word “consequences” is discussed along with various examples of good and bad consequences. They make and decorate  signs with the words: Pause - Think - Choose - Good Consequences make you happy!    

Materials needed: materials for sign making and decorating; the video (optional); a list of actions that produce negative consequences (see below) - leave space for students’ ideas  Choices that cause trouble for you and others: 
  • Budging in line
  • Stealing candy or anything
  • Skipping homework
  • Not cleaning up messes
  • Throwing trash on the ground
 

Directions: Prepare materials for sign making. Introduce the activity’s theme - responsibility. Ask students to share about what they think the word “responsibility” means.  Show them the quote from the book: “when you choose to do what’s right, then good things will come your way!” Ask students if they can share about a time when they had a choice, did the right thing, and it made them feel good.  Give an example from your own experience. Introduce the word “consequence” and ask them to define it. Show them the chart of “Choices that cause trouble for you and others” and discuss what kind of consequences could result from making those choices. Ask them to add their own examples of bad choices to the list. Post the words for sign making: “Pause - Think - Choose - Good Consequences make you happy!” Guide students to use the provided materials to make and decorate their own sign. Conduct a show and tell when they finish.   

Wrap it up: Encourage students to remember the quote, post their signs if there’s space. Refresh their memories during the school year by having them say the quote frequently. Try to catch students making good choices and talk about it with the class!   

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

Read-aloud video · Best with headphones

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