Lesson details
- Objective: Students name one strength they recognize in themselves, hear one a peer sees in them, and note where the two differ.
- Time: 20 minutes
- Grade band: 6–8
- CASEL competency: Self-awareness
Materials
- A strengths word bank of 25–30 words (patient, funny, organized, brave, fair, curious, steady, generous)
- Slips of paper for peer nominations
Steps
- Hand out the word bank. Students privately circle two words that fit them and one they wish fit them.
- Structured peer round: each student writes one strength word for an assigned classmate (assigned, not chosen) with one concrete example: "steady — you didn't panic when our project file got deleted."
- Deliver the slips. Students read silently.
- Private writing: did the peer's word match one of yours? Were you surprised?
- Close, volunteers only: who got a word they never would have picked for themselves?
Debrief questions
- Why do other people sometimes see a strength we can't see in ourselves?
- Is the word you wish fit you actually further away than the words that already do?
Variations
- Repeat at mid-year with new assigned partners; students keep both slips and compare.
- Extension for advisory: students pick one place this week to use their nominated strength deliberately.
What mastery looks like
- Picks two strength words for themselves and backs each with a concrete example
- Writes a peer nomination that names a deed, not just a trait
- Reflects in writing on a difference between their self-picked and peer-nominated strengths
What tends to go wrong
Assign nomination pairs yourself and check the slips before delivery — one sarcastic slip can undo the lesson for that student. The requirement of a concrete example is what keeps nominations honest.