Friendship Foundations Discussion

Discussion Guidelines

• Listen respectfully and wait your turn to speak.
• Use “I” statements to share your thoughts (e.g., “I feel…”).
• Build on classmates’ ideas by saying, “I agree and…” or “That’s interesting because…”
• Stay on topic and encourage quieter classmates to share.

1. Warm-Up: What Makes a Good Friend? (3 minutes)

1. Display Slide 1 from the Friendship Foundations Slide Deck.
2. Ask: “What qualities do you value most in a friend?”
3. Record responses on the whiteboard under student-generated categories.

Possible Follow-Up:

• Why is trust so important in a friendship?
• Can you think of a time when kindness changed how you felt about someone?
  
  
  

2. Exploring Core Qualities (5 minutes)

1. Show Slide 2 listing core qualities (Trust, Respect, Kindness, Empathy, Honesty, Support).
2. Distribute the Friendship Qualities Chart Handout.
3. In pairs, choose two qualities and discuss:
   • What does this quality look like in a friendship?
   • Share a quick real-life example.
4. Invite two pairs to share one example each.

Potential Follow-Up Questions:

• Which quality do you think is hardest to practice? Why?
• How might you show empathy if a friend is upset but doesn’t want to talk?
  
  
  
  
  
  

3. Applying to Real-Life Scenarios (5 minutes)

1. Divide into small groups and hand out the Friendship Scenarios Cards.
2. Each group reads its scenario and answers:
   • What qualities from the chart would you use to respond?
   • How would you handle the situation step by step?
3. Groups take turns role-playing or describing their response.

Suggested Follow-Ups:

• What challenges might come up if the friend reacts differently than expected?
• How could you use honesty and support together in this scenario?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

4. Personal Commitment & Closure (2 minutes)

• Ask each student: “Which one friendship quality will you practice this week?”
• Students write their name and chosen quality on the board or a sticky note.
• Reinforce: “By practicing these qualities daily, we build stronger, more supportive friendships.”
  
  
  

Friendship Foundations Activity

Objective: Practice applying core friendship qualities to real-life situations through a brief role-play.

Materials (per group):

• Friendship Scenarios Cards
• Friendship Qualities Chart Handout
• Optional: pencil and scrap paper

Time: 5 minutes

Steps

1. Form Groups (30 seconds)
   • Organize students into groups of 3–4.
   • Distribute one set of Friendship Scenarios Cards and one copy of the Friendship Qualities Chart Handout to each group.
2. Read & Assign Roles (1 minute)
   • Each group draws one scenario card at random.
   • Assign roles: one student is the ‘Friend A’, one is ‘Friend B’, and any extra students observe and take notes on which qualities are used.
3. Plan Your Response (2 minutes)
   • As a group, read your scenario together.
   • Use the Friendship Qualities Chart to decide:
     • Which two qualities will guide your response?
     • What steps will you take to show those qualities?
   • Jot down key phrases or actions on your handout.
4. Role-Play or Describe (1 minute)
   • Perform a quick role-play for the class (30 seconds), OR
   • Describe aloud how you would handle the situation, highlighting your chosen qualities.
5. Debrief & Reflection (30 seconds)
   • Observers share one quality they noticed in the role-play.
   • Groups briefly note (on handout) one takeaway about using friendship qualities in real life.

Teacher Tips:

• Circulate to support groups, prompting with questions like:
  • “How can you show respect in this scenario?”
  • “What might empathy look like if Friend B is upset?”
• Encourage students to refer back to the chart when they’re unsure.
• Keep each role-play under one minute to stay on time.

Follow-Up:

• After all groups share, ask: “Which quality was easiest to use? Which was hardest? Why?”
• Collect handouts to review students’ reflections on applying these qualities.