Time
5-15 minutes
Level
Primary / Junior / Intermediate
Material
Paper, writing tools, glue, old magazines
Purpose
To help students learn about themselves and that they matter by describing their positive traits with help from their peers
- Brainstorm examples of positive adjectives with the class.
- Ask students which positive adjectives best describe them (e.g. kind, smart, creative, curious, energetic, positive, athletic, multilingual…)
- Hand out pieces of paper and ask students to write “About me…” at the top of their page.
- Have students creatively display their adjectives on their piece of paper.
- Invite students to display their “About me…” posters in the classroom or post them on a bulletin board.
- Each student draws a name and, on a Post-it Note, writes one positive attribute about that student. When the educator says go, they place the note on the person’s desk.
- Students could put their name in the middle of the page and write the adjectives around their name.
- Primary students, can share verbally or draw a picture of their attribute.
Students benefit from knowing that they matter to an adult as well as their peers. Encouraging students to develop relationships with both staff and students will set them on the path of increased connectedness at school and create opportunities for increased learning, skill development and the overall benefits from healthy relationships (Bergin & Bergin, 2009; Roorda, et. al., 2011; McNeely & Falci, 2004).
Bergin, C., & Bergin, D. (2009). Attachment in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 21(2), 141-170.
McNeely, C., & Falci, C. (2004). School connectedness and the transition into and out of health-risk behavior among adolescents: A comparison of social belonging and teacher support. The Journal of School Health, 74(7), 284-92.
Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher–student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Review of educational research, 81(4), 493-529.
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