Module 1: Self-Awareness

Chapter 1
LESSON 1 – DESCRIBING ME

Materials Needed: Poster with class rules, chart paper,

graphic organizers Describing Me and My Characteristics

Before you begin:

Explain the posted class rules.

Explain the topic of the lesson, why the lesson is important to

learn, and what the activities will be. (See Guide for
Conducting the Lesson.)

ACTIVITIES:

Step 1:

Brainstorm with the group the adjectives that a person might

use to describe someone. Tell students these are not physical
descriptions, such as hair color, tall, short, etc. Rather, the
students should find words that describe how a person acts or
treats others or affects them. All suggestions should be
accepted initially. Save these suggestions as Note: If students
they will be used again in later lessons. have difficulty
doing this, you
Step 2: may model by
providing a few
self-describing
Go through the list as a group and eliminate words. Students
those words that the group decides are should add to the
physical descriptions (see sidebar note). Put list. Facilitate this
the new list on chart paper. Keep the list as it process by
will be used in Lesson 7. questioning; do
not make decisions
for the group.

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Step 3:

Have each student fill in the graphic organizer Describing Me

by listing ten of the adjectives that describe himself or herself.

Step 4:
Note: You may
Have the students pair off and spend the next need to provide
10 minutes discussing their adjective lists and a model of this
receiving feedback on which two or three are sharing by
outloud
the best descriptors of each individual.
thinking about
Partners should tell each other which situations in
adjectives most accurately describe them using which you
specific examples of situations in which the demonstrated
partner observed the other student one of the
demonstrating these characteristics. adjectives you
used to describe
yourself.
Step 5:

Rotate partners and repeat the sharing described above. A

third rotation is optional, depending on the size of the group
and time available.
Note: If students
Step 6: are reluctant to
answer these
Return to the large group and debrief by questions, provide
asking students the following questions. For an outloud
the literal questions, the facilitator may use thinking model
such as “I learned
any of the group evaluation tools identified in
that I like knowing
the Facilitator’s Manual, “Tips for that others also
Facilitators.” For follow-up metacognitive think I am helpful.
(‘how’ and ‘why’) questions, call on students What did you learn
for individual responses: about yourself?”

 Did you and your partner easily agree on the words that
you initially thought describe you?
 Why or why not?
 What did you learn about yourself from this activity?

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Step 7:

The facilitator should allow 3-5 minutes for the students to

respond in their journals to the following questions:

 What have I learned in this lesson about myself?

 I intend to practice what I have learned by ….
 I need more practice on ….
 I have questions about ….

As they are writing their responses, you can also be jotting

notes about the lesson in the facilitator’s journal.

HOMEWORK

As a homework activity, ask students to complete the graphic

organizer My Characteristics and record when and how they
do things that demonstrate the descriptive adjectives they
have chosen. Students should keep an informal list of what
they observe about their behavior associated with those
descriptions. Explain that the graphic organizers Describing
Me and My Characteristics will be reviewed in Lesson 5 and
modified as the students learn more about themselves. Be
sure to give students an opportunity to share their
observations at the beginning of the next lesson.

Alert
The facilitator should be alert to students who have listed only
negative characteristics for this activity. Additional time may be
needed to work with these students to help them discover positive
attributes that they may not realize they possess.

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 DESCRIBING ME
Self-Awareness: Chapter 1 Lesson 1

From the list that you and your classmates have

made, choose ten words that best describe you.
Remember, you are not describing how you look
but rather how you act, feel, and treat others.

1. _____________________ 6. _____________________

2. _____________________ 7. _____________________

3. _____________________ 8. _____________________

4. _____________________ 9. _____________________

5. _____________________ 10. ____________________

As you and your partner discuss your lists, discuss the

following questions:

1. Why did you choose the words you selected to include on

the list above that describe you?

2. Why do you feel these words describe you? Give

examples.

3. Which of these descriptions do you feel proud of?

4. Which of these words describe things about yourself that

you would like to change? Why?

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 HOMEWORK
MY CHARACTERISTICS
Self-Awareness: Chapter 1 Lesson 1

Use this handout to write down situations when you notice

you are doing something that shows that one of the adjectives
on your list describes you. Notice how you demonstrate each
characteristic and how often. Keep an ongoing list of what you
observe. We will look back at the list in Lesson 5. We will also
take a few minutes at the beginning of our next lesson for you
to share your observations.

Characteristic:
_____________________________________________________________
Situation: __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Characteristic:
_____________________________________________________________
Situation: __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Characteristic:
_____________________________________________________________
Situation: __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Characteristic:
_____________________________________________________________
Situation: __________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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 Guide for Conducting the Lesson
Chapter 1, Lesson 1

The following is not intended to be an actual script, but

rather a guide for conducting the lesson. The facilitator
should endeavor to create an atmosphere of acceptance
and trust by modeling and outloud thinking to
demonstrate how to openly share information about
oneself in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. Through
questioning, the facilitator can help students learn
how to self-monitor and self-evaluate so that self-
correction of misperceptions and resulting
inappropriate behaviors is possible. Students are
then able to self-direct social behaviors competently.
Throughout the discussions, ask questions that direct the student
toward self-evaluation without controlling the outcomes of the self-
evaluation.

Before you begin:

Facilitator: “In the next few months, we are going to learn as much about
ourselves as we can because the more we know about ourselves the more
power we have to decide how to behave and how to become the people we
want to be.

“Before we begin, let’s review the classroom rules for these lessons.
(Facilitator should create a poster for ongoing use listing these rules
prior to the first class session.) “Rule 1: What is said here, remains
here. This rule is important because we must develop a sense of trust with
one another so that we can feel comfortable sharing. Rule 2: Only
constructive disagreement is acceptable. This means that if you
disagree with the discussion or a response to a question, you must do so
in a positive manner. For example, if I disagreed with a statement that you
made, I might say ‘Can you explain why you said (believe) that?’ or ‘I’m
not sure I understand what you mean, can you tell me more?’ rather than
‘That’s stupid.’ Rule 3: Only positive comments about others are
acceptable. Think about how you feel when someone says something
negative about you. We want these classes to be a positive experience for
everyone so that everyone feels good about sharing.”

While, as a class, you may decide to add additional rules, no more than 5
rules are recommended.

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Step 1:

Facilitator: “Now let’s begin by trying to think of some words that

describe people in general. These words should not be words that tell us
what a person looks like such as hair color, tall, short, etc. They should be
words that tell us how a person feels about himself or herself and behaves
toward others. Let’s make a list. Does anyone have some words to put on
our list?”

All suggestions should be accepted initially. If no one volunteers to begin

or the group seems to be stalled after a few contributions, provide some
descriptions of yourself using outloud thinking.

Facilitator’s example: “Let me see. I have some words to put on the list
too. I notice that I am often shy when I meet new people, so I want to put
‘shy’ on the list, because I think that describes many people. I think I am
shy because in new situations with people I don’t know, I get very quiet. I
also like to help people, so I would like to add ‘helpful’ to the list. I think I
am helpful because when I see someone struggling to do something, I try to
make it easier by doing something to make it easier to do. (Student’s
name), give me another word to put on the list.”

Student response:

Continue asking students by name to add words to the list until no one
else can add a word. Keep the list of adjectives on chart paper as they
will be used again in Lesson 7.

Step 2: (Use this step if words are included that are physical
descriptions or otherwise inappropriate):

Facilitator: “Let’s look at our list again. Remember that we are trying to
include only words that describe a person’s feelings or behavior, not how
they look. Does this word describe a feeling or behavior?”

Remain a facilitator even if the group chooses to leave a word that you
believe is not appropriate. However, you may use questioning to help
students evaluate a word more carefully.

Facilitator’s example: “Please explain for the group how this word
describes a feeling or behavior, (student’s name). How do you know that it
describes a feeling or behavior rather than a physical attribute?”

If a student uses physical descriptors, ask metacognitive questions

similar to those above that will help the student evaluate the word more
closely. If students still have trouble differentiating feelings and

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behaviors from physical attributes, use outloud thinking to demonstrate
this self-evaluation of word choices.

Facilitator’s example: “When I added the word ‘shy’ to our list, I knew
that this was a feeling or behavior and not a physical attribute because it
did not describe how I look, like the color of my hair or eyes or the shape of
my face. A person would not know that I am shy just by those things. They
would have to watch how I act in new situations with people who are new
to me to know that I am shy. Feelings can sometimes be even harder to see
than behaviors, because sometimes people who are shy don’t act like they
are uncomfortable in new situations, but they tell you that is how they are
feeling inside.”

Student response:

Facilitator: “(Different student’s name), do you agree? Why or why not?”

Student response:

Step 3:

When the list has been thoroughly examined and agreed on, ask
students to look at their graphic organizer Describing Me.

Facilitator: “Look at your graphic organizer. You have ten spaces on your
sheet. Choose ten of the words from our list that best describes how you
feel and behave. If there are other words not on the list that you feel would
better describe you, use them but be sure they are not words that just
describe how you look.”

Walk around the room to answer questions and help students who use
words not listed on the board. When the students have finished their
lists, give the following instructions.

Step 4:

Facilitator: “Now that we have all finished our lists, let’s spend some
time discussing our lists with partners to help us decide how accurate we
have been. Look at the bottom of your graphic organizer. There are some
questions listed there that we want to think about as we look at our lists.”

Read the list for the group if some members are poor readers.

Facilitator: “Now divide into pairs and decide which two or three words
on your list best describes each of you. When you tell your partner that one
of the words on his or her list is a good one, try to give specific examples.

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But remember to be positive. We want to help each other appreciate
ourselves and not feel bad about ourselves.”

If needed, provide a model of how to give specific examples. Choose a

word from one student who is self-confident or use a description from
your own first outloud thinking modeling.

Facilitator’s example: “For example, I put the word ‘helpful’ on our list. A
specific example might be that yesterday a lady dropped her packages so I
stopped to help her pick them up. (Student’s name), if you had the word
‘helpful’ on your list, I would say I agreed with that one because just now I
saw you help someone find the right place on the graphic organizer.”

In some instances you many need to assign partners. When possible,

students should be allowed to pick someone they trust and with whom
they feel comfortable, especially in the initial pairing. Allow up to 10
minutes for the first pairs to discuss their lists and to decide on two or
three best words from each partner’s list.

Step 5:

Facilitator: “Let’s choose new partners and do the same thing. See
whether your second partner agrees with your first partner on the two or
three words from your list that best describe you. If all agree, circle those
words on your list.”

Allow up to seven minutes for the second pair to discuss the lists. If time
permits, a third rotation can be allowed. However, be certain to leave
time for debriefing.

Step 6:

When all rotations are complete, call the group together and ask the
following debriefing questions.

Facilitator: “(Student’s name), was this a hard activity to do? Why?”

Student response:

Facilitator: “(Student’s name), did you and your partners easily agree on
the words that you initially thought describe you? Why or why not?”

Student response:

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Facilitator: “(Student’s name), what did you like about the activity?
Why?”

Student response:

Facilitator: “Was there anyone who did not like the activity? Why?”

Student response:

Facilitator: “What did you learn about yourself today, (student’s name)?”

If students are reluctant to answer this last question, provide an outloud

thinking model.

Facilitator’s example: “I learned that I like knowing that others also

think I am helpful. I noticed that when I said I thought I was helpful, other
people thought so too, and I felt good that they agreed. (Student’s name),
did you learn something about yourself?”

Allow time for additional student responses.

Step 7:

Facilitator: “O.K., this has been a good lesson. We are almost finished,
but before we break, I would like you to take a few minutes to jot down
your thoughts about this lesson in your student journal. We will be doing
this journaling at the end of each lesson. This gives you the opportunity to
think about what we have discussed in the lesson and pinpoint some
ideas that you are discovering about yourself.”

Allow 3-5 minutes for the students to respond in their journals to the
debriefing questions. As they are writing their responses, you can also
be jotting notes about the lesson in the facilitator’s journal.

HOMEWORK

Facilitator: “For homework, I want you to notice when and how you do
things that demonstrate the adjectives that you have chosen. Using your
graphic organizer My Characteristics, keep an ongoing list of what you
observe. We will look back at the graphic organizers Describing Me and
My Characteristics in Lesson 5 and modify them as you learn more
about yourself. We will also take a few minutes at the beginning of our
next lesson for you to share your observations. Any questions?”

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 Alert
The facilitator should be alert to students who have only negative
characteristics selected for this activity. Additional time may be needed
to work with these students to help them discover positive attributes
that they may not realize they possess.

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