Year 1, Lesson 2.2: Values
Unit Learning Goal
Students will practice self-reflection and develop a purpose-driven mission.
Lesson Goal
Students will be able to identify the values that are most important to them.
Assessment
Observe students during the Value Sort activity to ensure each student is able to identify values of importance.
Monitor debrief conversation of the Value Sort for comprehension.
Analyze Exit Tickets for connections between identified values and life decisions.
CASEL Alignment
Self-Awareness, Identity
Portfolio Documentation
Value Sort Handout (Use this if completed on paper, or screen shot if completed electronically)
Value Sort Discussion Questions [Online Version]
Optional: Any written reflections from the enrichment suggestions
Resources
Value Sort Collating Activity (This is a helpful way to tally the values for your class on paper, in a way that students can participate and see the numbers themselves)
Prerequisites
None
Total Time
45 minutes
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Remind students that, in the previous lesson, the concept of self-reflection was discussed and a “Mirror Test” was completed in which students considered where they excelled, how they wanted to change, and people who might help with their goals.
Note that today will involve more self-reflection skills related to personal values.
Instructions
1. Opener: Present and model the value sort activity with a “talk aloud.” [10 minutes]
Explain to the class: “Values are Ideas or principles that we find to be important. They may guide decisions we make, such as how we spend our time in our work and in our personal lives, and are influenced by a variety of factors, such as our families and communities. Values influence how we react in situations where we aren’t sure what to do, like the dilemmas that we have been discussing in the previous lessons.”
Explain to the students that the value sort is a combination of elements: some “values” are things that we may value (rewarding and supportive relationships, wealth), other “values” are characteristics we aspire to (honesty and integrity, hard work and commitment).
Pull up the online value sort activity to share with the class. Learn more about how to use this tool by watching the video.
Show students how you could sort the values, hypothetically, talking aloud. For example, say, “If I felt that [example value] was very important in my life, I would place it in the ‘most important’ column.” Explain to students that the value sort activity is not about right or wrong answers but about individual judgment. View the following video to learn more about how to model talking about values.
“Dear colleagues, it was quite a challenge to decide how to do the value sort when students do not have available laptops, only phones. On their phones the values could not be dragged in the corresponding category. Also, it would have meant a lot of printing and cutting if I opted for paper. So I came up with 3 google forms … I am just trying them out these days with my students and they seem to work fine.”
- Briena Stoica at Colegiul National Al Papiu Ilarian, Romania
2. Allow students to individually complete their own value sort activity and follow up questions [20 minutes].
If completing the Value Sort on paper:
Distribute the Value Sort Handout.
Allow the students time to sit individually and complete the value sort activity using the Value Sort Handout. When they have completed the sorting activity, direct students to write out answers to the follow-up questions in the handout.
Collect the responses from the student handouts and collate the group’s answers to report back during the next class. If using paper hand-outs, you will need to tally the class’s responses yourself before returning the handouts during the next class. To do so, you may wish to engage students in the following activity:
Place the posters of all the values around your classroom;
Ask your students to come up to the posters and place a "Tally Mark" on any of the values that were in their top values and a "Star" on any of the values that were in their bottom four values;
You can then designate one or two students (or more) to go around the classroom to total the numbers for each of the values;
These students can then create the final graph of the top and bottom values for the class.
Keep the value sort handout for the Good Work Portfolio.
If completing the Value Sort online:
Distribute the value sort link to students as well as your individual classroom event key. Instruct your students to create a login profile and password so they will be able to access their value sort results in the future.
Allow the students time to sit individually and complete the value sort activity. When they have completed the online activity, be sure to ask students to save their completed value sorts.
Then, direct students to write out answers to the Value Sort Discussion Questions Handout.
By using the event key, the online tool will automatically collate the class’s answers for you by tallying responses from the class as a whole and allowing students to compare their responses to the group as a whole in the following lesson.
3. Bring the class back and have a discussion based on the following questions. [10 minutes]
How easy or difficult did you find this exercise was to complete?
What would you like to ask your classmates about their experiences?
Does anyone want to share how you answered the value sort? (If appropriate, call on a few students.)
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“There were some interesting conversations which happened as the students worked on the sorting activity…They were of the opinion that what they thought as "work" would naturally be one which they would "personally" be connected to.”
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“One of the students said "I haven't done so much soul searching in my entire life". This sums it up best!”
4. Closing and Exit Ticket. [5 minutes]
Present students with the Lesson 2.2 Exit Ticket.
Students can choose to respond to one of two questions:
“Provide an example of one of your values, and how it does or doesn’t support you in your efforts to do good work.”
“Think about one of the dilemmas we’ve discussed: how do your values impact your understanding of that dilemma?”
Keep the written reflection for the Good Work Portfolio.
Possible Enrichments
Ask students to choose a value that they’d like to spend more time considering. It can be one that is in their top four values, or not—this is up to them.
Ask them to find an example of an individual or a type of work that they believe exemplifies that value. It could be a story from the news, from fiction, from music or some other type of artwork.
Students should spend 15 minutes writing about why they believe this example helps to articulate their understanding of this particular value.
Keep any written reflection for the Good Work Portfolio.
Lesson Walkthrough
Watch this short video guide for lesson specific advice from The Good Project Research Team.