Responsibility is being accountable for your own actions.

Assembly Read Aloud: What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick

Additional Suggested Titles:

I Just Forgot by Mercer Mayer	The Way I Act by Steve Metzger	Lucy Goosey Takes Responsibility by Katherine Ciriello Clark
The Worst Day of my Life Ever! by Julia Cook and Kelsey De Weerd	But It’s Not My Fault by Julia Cook	I Tell the Truth! by David Parker

Pigsty by Mark Teague

An amiable fantasy on a common theme. When Wendell’s mother takes a look at his messy room, throws up her hands in resignation, and tells him he can live in a pigsty if he wants to, he is delighted. What only he knows is that two pigs have found his room so agreeable that they have moved in. He enjoys playing with them, even though he has to give them his bed and they hog his pillows and blankets. But even Wendell has his limit, and when they chew his baseball cards, he reaches it. His mother hands her son a broom, and in a flash of inspiration he organizes the porkers into a cleaning crew.

The Paperboy by Dave Pilky

Early one cold morning a boy and his dog rise to deliver newspapers. In almost reverential silence they eat breakfast, prepare the newspapers, then step out into the chill, leaving sleeping parents and sister inside.

Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin

Ruthie loves little things–the smaller, the better. When she finds a teeny tiny toy on the school playground, she can hardly believe her luck. There’s just one problem: it belongs to somebody else! Ruthie insists the toy is hers, but deep down, she knows better. How could one little toy turn into such a great big problem?

The Emperors Egg by Martin Jenkins

Can you imagine spending the winter outdoors in Antarctica without anything to eat? That’s just what the male Emperor penguin does. While his mate is off swimming and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch.

Activities:
Help students make the link between what they do and what happens by pointing out real-life examples. For instance, you could say, “Because you studied hard, you did well on your spelling test” or “Since you jumped in a puddle at recess time, your shoes are soggy” or “Since you got right to work on your writing, your story is done”. You can ask him/her to think of a cause or an effect for certain situations.