Lesson 02: Celebrating My Strengths

Activity 1: (15 minutes) WHAT IS SELF-AWARENESS?

Watch the video, “What is Self-Awareness + 5 Reasons It’s Important,” by RocketKids. Ask students to pay attention to the word “self-awareness.”

Invite students to turn to a neighbor and provide a quick definition of “self-awareness” in their own words. Then have their neighbor do the same.

As a whole group, read the quotes about self-awareness:
“Self-awareness involves being aware of different aspects of the self, including traits, behaviors, and feelings.” – Kendra Cherry

“Sometimes, people can become overly self-aware and veer into what is known as self-consciousness. Have you ever felt like everyone was watching you, judging your actions, and waiting to see what you will do next? This heightened state of self-awareness can leave you feeling awkward and nervous in some instances.” – Kendra Cherry

“Self-awareness plays a critical role in how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others and the world. Being self-aware allows you to evaluate yourself in relation to others.” – Kendra Cherry

Have a discussion:

• Is self-awareness always a good thing? Explain.
• What are your top reasons for wanting to be more self-aware?

Activity 2: (20 minutes) PERSONAL STRENGTHS

As a class, list all of the strengths that students can think of on a poster or chart paper. You will be using this list for another activity. Start with about 20 words, then you can add to the list throughout the lesson.

Pass out 3 strips of colored construction paper to each student. They will be using these to make “strength chains.” Have students choose one character strength from the class list that fits them and write it on one of their paper strips. Students can build the chains a little later.

As a class, break down the definition of a personal strength:

Strength: “a strong attribute or inherent asset” (Merriam-Webster)

• Attribute = “characteristic”
• Inherent = “natural or engrained”
• Asset = “something valued”

With that knowledge in mind, ask students to turn to a neighbor and redefine the word “strength” in simpler language using the provided clues. (Possible Answer: “An engrained” “characteristic” that is “valuable”)

Hand out the Positive Traits handout with a list from Berkeley Well-Being Institute. Students will be categorizing some positive traits using colors. Students must first fill in the chart with colors that are available to them. Here’s an example:

Students will then work in small groups or partners to categorize some of the traits. Words in the same category should be circled with the same color. Provide digital or print dictionaries if students need to look up definitions; however, students will likely not have time to categorize every word. That’s okay!

Here are some examples that students might find. Focus less on “right” and “wrong” answers and more on student reasoning. Some words could be categorized in multiple ways.

After students have had a chance to categorize several words, have them share some examples that they found for each category. Then ask students to grab the second slip of paper and write one more personal strength on it. Again, the chains will be built later. Collect and store the positive traits paper until Lesson 4, where they will be used again. As a class, add some favorite strengths to the class poster or chart paper.

Activity 3: (20 minutes) TURNING WEAKNESSES INTO STRENGTHS

Look through the list “638 Primary Personality Traits” gathered by MIT. Note which list is the longest.

Read the quotes about weaknesses:

• “If you ask any person within a 100-mile radius, they can list off their weaknesses without a second thought. You probably can, too. And you can do it with conviction. You’re pretty sure you’re right. But if you ask people to share their strengths, what kind of responses do you expect? Silence, probably. Hesitation. Uncertainty. Self-consciousness. And when people finally come up with one strength to every ten weaknesses they listed, they say it like it’s a question: ‘Um…I’m a good listener? Maybe?’ Why are we so confident about weaknesses and so uncertain when it comes to our strengths? It’s because we tend to focus on the negative — when it comes to ourselves and when it comes to everybody else, too.” (Matt Mignona)
• “Having a weakness doesn’t mean that you have a complete lack of a particular strength. It just means you tend to have less of that strength. Or it means that one aspect of yourself isn’t as strong as your other strengths… We all have strengths and weaknesses and that’s okay. The goal is to understand our strengths so we can better use them and understand our weaknesses so we can improve them.” (Tchiki Davis, MA, PhD)

As a class, practice the following mental exercise to both acknowledge and improve on our personal weaknesses.

If I __________________(insert weakness), then I ____________________(insert result).
Example: If I tend to procrastinate, then I might experience more stress over things like homework.

Now, make it more positive by focusing on how you can improve the weakness.

If I __________________ (insert weakness), then I should ____________. (insert action)
Example: If I tend to procrastinate, then I should plan ahead and do my work early so I do not experience overwhelming stress.

Practice this mental exercise a few times as a class. Some other weaknesses to discuss may include someone being impatient, selfish, bossy, or a perfectionist.

Have students think of one individual weakness that they are aware of. They should reflect on that attribute as they watch the video, “How Our Weaknesses Can Become Our Strengths,” by David Rendall at TEDxZurich.

Have a discussion:

• How do negative patterns of thinking hold us back from our potential?
• What can happen when we start to view our weaknesses as strengths?
• What environments help you shine?

Activity 4: (30–45 minutes) MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE QUIZ

Pass out the Multiple Intelligence Quiz by Laura Candler. Start by folding the paper down the dotted line, then read the directions as a class. Students can either take the quiz independently or mark their score 0–5 as the teacher reads the statements aloud.

Once the quiz is done, have students unfold the paper and rewrite the numbers in the bolded boxes from the same row. Then ask students to add up the numbers from each column and write the results at the bottom. (See examples on page 4.) The highest score shows the intelligence or strength most strongly associated with your student as well as some areas for growth/development.

Read the background on multiple intelligences:
“The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.” They include:

1. Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”)
2. Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”)
3. Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”)
4. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”)
5. Musical intelligence (“music smart”)
6. Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”)
7. Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”)
8. Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)

Share different occupations categorized by each primary intelligence using these slides:

• Linguistic Intelligence: librarian, curator, speech pathologist, writer, radio or TV announcer, journalist, lawyer
• Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: auditor, accountant, mathematician, scientist, statistician, computer analyst, technician
• Spatial Intelligence: engineer, surveyor, architect, urban planner, graphic artist, interior decorator, photographer, pilot
• Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: physical therapist, dancer, actor, mechanic, carpenter, forest ranger, jeweler
• Musical Intelligence: musician, piano tuner, music therapist, choral director, conductor
• Interpersonal Intelligence: administrator, manager, personnel worker, psychologist, nurse, public relations person, social director, teacher
• Intrapersonal Intelligence: psychologist, therapist, counselor, theologian, program planner, entrepreneur
• Naturalist Intelligence: botanist, astronomer, wildlife illustrator, meteorologist, chef, geologist, landscape architect

Finish by having students fill out their last slip of paper with an additional strength. Set these slips aside until Lesson 4: “Celebrating the Strengths of Others.”

As a class, add some favorite strengths to the class poster or chart paper. Hold onto this chart until lesson 4.

Activity 5: (15 minutes) USING YOUR STRENGTHS FOR GOOD

Pass out the Using Our Strengths handout. Invite students to write down 3 personal strengths. Then have them describe ways that they can use those strengths for good within the areas of home, school, online, and in their community. Have a few volunteers share a few things that they wrote. Have a discussion:

• How can you find more ways to use your strengths in your home, at school, in the community, and even online?
• What is a purposeful or meaningful cause that you would like to support? How can your strengths help with that?