Know Your Strengths

Overview

Students establish a respectful Health classroom community, learn how the year-long question box will work, and begin exploring personal identity through a Pokémon-inspired identity card. The lesson introduces self-awareness as a foundation for healthy relationships and gives students a private, strengths-based way to represent themselves.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Explain why class agreements support healthy relationships.
• Identify personal strengths, interests, values, and a coping strategy.
• Describe one way self-awareness can support healthy relationships.
• Use respectful language when discussing identity and personal information.

Success criteria

• I can help create an agreement that makes our classroom emotionally and physically safe.
• I can identify at least two strengths or interests that are part of my identity.
• I can name one challenge and one healthy strategy that may help me manage it.
• I can respect classmates’ privacy and differences.

Curriculum links

• North Carolina Healthful Living: personal health, self-awareness, interpersonal communication, and healthy relationships.
• North Carolina Healthful Living: applying communication and decision-making skills to promote respectful relationships.
• Writing to inform: introduce a topic clearly and organize information into categories with useful formatting.
• Gathering information and conducting a short inquiry using relevant sources and focused questions.
• Speaking and listening: use visual displays or multimedia to clarify information.

Lesson structure (20 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Welcome and purpose. Teacher opens the opening question and lesson purpose and says, “A healthy relationship begins with how we treat ourselves and others.” Students silently consider: “What helps people feel safe, respected, and included in a class?”

2. 3–6 min · Class agreements. Teacher explains that the class will create agreements for discussion, privacy, and respectful behavior, then records three or four student suggestions such as listen without interrupting, use names and language respectfully, allow people to pass, and keep personal sharing private unless someone may be unsafe. Students turn and talk, then offer one agreement that supports healthy relationships inside and outside Health class.

3. 6–8 min · Question box and boundaries. Teacher introduces a physical or digital question box that will remain available throughout the year, including during the “Our Whole Lives” portion of the course. Explain that students may submit named or anonymous questions; the teacher will answer age-appropriate questions, correct misinformation, and privately follow up on safety concerns. Students submit a practice question or write “I understand” on the identity card and reflection page.

4. 8–10 min · Identity brainstorm. Teacher displays the Personal Strengths Reference Poster and models choosing a strength without ranking students—for example, “I am creative because I find different ways to solve problems.” Students privately list two strengths, one interest or value, one source of support, and one everyday challenge they may choose to include. Remind students not to disclose medical, family, or other private information.

5. 10–17 min · Create a Pokémon identity card. Teacher demonstrates the card sections on the card example and step-by-step instructions and distributes the identity card and reflection page. Students create an avatar or superhero version of themselves, choose a respectful character name, select a symbolic type such as Water for calm or Fire for energy, and assign HP to represent current inner energy—not worth or popularity. They add two “moves” based on real strengths or coping strategies, one challenge they are comfortable naming, and one “resistance,” or healthy strategy that helps. Students may use words, symbols, or simple sketches.

6. 17–20 min · Share, reflect, and close. Teacher invites students to share one nonprivate section with a partner or simply keep the card private, then returns to the reflection and closing prompt. Students complete the reflection: “One part of my identity that can help me build healthy relationships is ___ because ___.” Collect cards only if students are comfortable; otherwise students keep them in their Health folders.

Resources

• the opening, agreements, question box, card instructions, and closing prompts
• the identity card and reflection page
• the Personal Strengths Reference Poster
• Pencils, colored pencils, or markers
• Classroom question box or secure digital form
• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Student Health folders
• Timer

Assessment

• Listen during partner and whole-class discussion for respectful communication and students’ understanding of class agreements.
• Review identity cards or circulate during work time to check for two strengths or interests, two strengths-based moves, and one healthy coping strategy. Students may keep sensitive information private.
• Use the written reflection as an exit check for understanding of the connection between self-awareness and healthy relationships.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “I am proud that I…,” “A strategy that helps me is…,” and “I can show respect by….” Students may dictate responses, use a word bank, or draw instead of writing extended explanations.
• Offer an identity-card example with fictional information and clarify that students never need to reveal trauma, diagnoses, family details, gender identity, or other private information.
• For students with anxiety, communication needs, or sensory needs, allow quiet completion, a digital version, an alternative avatar, or a private teacher conference instead of peer sharing.
• Challenge ready students to add a short explanation of how one strength could help them handle a disagreement or support a classmate, without giving unsolicited advice.
• For multilingual learners, preview terms such as identity, strength, challenge, coping strategy, respect, and privacy with visuals and partner rehearsal.