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What Makes You, You?

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Lesson Plan

Discovering Your Qualities Blueprint

Students will identify their personal strengths and recognize a range of emotions through collaborative and individual activities, then articulate one key quality that makes them unique.

Developing self-awareness fosters emotional intelligence, boosts confidence, and aligns with CASEL competencies by helping students understand and value their own strengths and feelings.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Interactive matching, exploration, and reflection exercises.

Materials

What Makes You, You? Slides, Emotion Emoji Match Cards, Strengths Scavenger Hunt List, My One Word Reflection Sheet, and Pencils or markers

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Emotion Emoji Match

5 minutes

  • Distribute one emoji card to each student and place matching definition cards face-down in the center.
  • Students take turns flipping two definition cards to find the match for their emoji.
  • When a pair is found, discuss as a class: “How might you feel this emotion?” and “What situations bring this emotion out?”.

Step 2

Main Activity: Strengths Scavenger Hunt

10 minutes

  • Give each student the Strengths Scavenger Hunt List.
  • Students walk around the room, asking peers to name one example of each strength (e.g., kindness, creativity) found on their list.
  • Peers sign or initial next to the strength they’ve demonstrated.
  • After 5 minutes, reconvene and invite volunteers to share interesting strengths they discovered about classmates.

Step 3

Cool-Down: My One Word Reflection

5 minutes

  • Hand out the My One Word Reflection Sheet.
  • Ask students to think of one word that best describes a unique quality or strength they uncovered today.
  • Students write their word in the center and illustrate or decorate around it.
  • Invite a few students to share their word and why they chose it.
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Slide Deck

What Makes You, You?

Exploring Our Unique Strengths & Emotions

Welcome students! Use this vibrant title slide with our pink gradient and fun icons to set an inviting tone. Say: “Today, we’re going to explore what makes each of you unique and special!”

Lesson Objectives

  • Identify personal strengths
  • Recognize and describe different emotions
  • Choose and share one quality that makes you unique

Read the objectives aloud and point to each bullet. Emphasize that we’ll have fun activities and get to know ourselves better.

Warm-Up: Emotion Emoji Match

  1. Hand out one emoji card to each student and place definition cards face-down in the center.
  2. Students take turns flipping two definition cards to find their matching emoji.
  3. Discuss as a class: “How might you feel this emotion?” and “What situations bring this emotion out?”

Introduce the warm-up. Distribute emoji and definition cards now. Encourage excitement as students flip cards and discuss with the class.

Main Activity: Strengths Scavenger Hunt

  1. Distribute the Strengths Scavenger Hunt list to each student.
  2. Students walk around, asking peers to name an example of each strength (kindness, creativity, etc.).
  3. Peers sign or initial next to the strength they demonstrated.
  4. After 5 minutes, regroup and invite volunteers to share interesting strengths they discovered.

Explain the scavenger hunt rules. Remind students to ask politely and sign next to strengths they see in classmates.

Cool-Down: My One Word Reflection

  • Think of one word that best describes a unique quality or strength you uncovered today.
  • Write your word in the center of the sheet.
  • Illustrate or decorate around your word to show its meaning.
  • Be ready to share why you chose this word.

Set up the reflection. Pass out the one-word sheet and remind students to be creative with drawing around their word.

Share Your Word

  • Volunteers share their one word and explain why they chose it.
  • Classmates give a thumbs-up or clap for each share.
  • Celebrate the variety of unique qualities in our class!

Invite sharing. Encourage supportive listening and applaud each student’s word.

Great Job, Everyone!

Remember, your unique qualities and emotions help you shine. Keep thinking about what makes you, you, every day!

Wrap up with positive reinforcement. Remind students that they carry these strengths and emotions with them every day.

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Warm Up

Emotion Emoji Match Cards

Use the following emoji and definition cards for the warm-up matching game.

Instructions for Teacher:

  • Print and cut apart these cards so each student receives one emoji card and the matching definition cards are shuffled face-down in the center of the table.
  • Students hold their emoji card and take turns flipping two definition cards at a time to find their match.
  • When a student finds the matching definition, have them read it aloud and briefly discuss a time they’ve felt that emotion.

Emoji Cards

😊
😢
😡
😲
😱
😌

Definition Cards

  1. Feeling happiness or joy.
  2. Feeling sadness or sorrow.
  3. Feeling anger or frustration.
  4. Feeling surprise or amazement.
  5. Feeling fear or being startled.
  6. Feeling calm or contentment.
     
     



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Activity

Strengths Scavenger Hunt List

Instructions:

  • Walk around the room and find classmates who demonstrate each strength below.
  • When you find someone, ask them to sign or initial on the line next to that strength.
  • Try to find a different person for each strength!
  1. Kindness: ________________________________

  2. Creativity: ______________________________

  3. Persistence: _____________________________

  4. Teamwork: _______________________________

  5. Empathy: ________________________________

  6. Problem-Solving: _________________________

  7. Courage: ________________________________

  8. Active Listening: ________________________




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Cool Down

My One Word Reflection

Instructions:

  • Think of one word that best describes a unique quality or strength you discovered about yourself today.
  • Write your word in the center of the page.
  • Illustrate or decorate around your word to show its meaning and why it represents you.












Name: ________________________ Date: ____________

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