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Self-Awareness

Activity 1: My Life Career

Foundational Objective: Awareness of life career concept.

Learning Objectives:

The student will:

C.E.L.s: COM, CCT, IL, PSVS

Materials:

Time: Two - four class periods.

Background Information:

A career means more than just an occupation. One should be thinking of a life career - a term which includes every part of students' development and growth from childhood, through to teenage years and into adult life. A career is made up of all the things students do and the roles students fulfil, such as: student, daughter, son, sister, brother, friend, babysitter, swimmer, captain of the track team, etc. In ten or fifteen years a student may also be a wife, husband, parent, welder, teacher, church member, dog owner. All of these roles make up a life career. They combine to make the student a special and unique person, a person with a personal life style, unlike anyone else's. (see Appendix A - Glossary of Terms)

Activity:

Session 1 -

  1. Introduce concept of career/life career ... show and discuss overhead "My Life Career."

  2. Have students share in the large group various areas of their life career.

  3. Discuss what is meant by interests, abilities (skills) and temperaments. Have students share their interests, abilities and temperaments and how these interests, abilities and temperaments might presently or in the future relate to a job.

  4. Divide students into small groups and have them develop a definition of career, interests, abilities (skills), and temperament.

  5. Have one member from each group share group definition. Come up with a large group consensus as to an appropriate definition for each term. Write the definition on the board and have students copy it into their notebooks.

Session 2 -

  1. Review meaning of life career concept, interests, and skills.

  2. Display and briefly discuss "My Life Career" overhead.

  3. Have students design on construction paper a diagram of their own life career. Encourage them to be as creative as possible.

  4. After students have completed their assignment, have them share their work. Display work on wall or bulletin board in the classroom.

  5. Wind up activity by asking students what they discovered about themselves, and others in the classroom, and also what is meant by life career, interests, skills, and temperaments.

Additional Activities:

Students can construct another life career diagram projecting what they would like it to look like 5, 10, or possibly 20 years in the future.

Evaluation:





Resources:















My Life Career


Adapted from Making career decisions by Collins, Studd and Wallace. Copyright 1984. Used by permission of Nelson Canada, A Division of Thomson Canada Limited.

Grade 6 Goal: Self-Awareness
Overhead No. 1 "My Life Career"

Activity 2: I'm Special

Foundational Objective: Awareness of self and knowledge of the value of a positive self-concept.

Learning Objectives:

The student will:

C.E.L.s COM, CCT, IL, PSVS

Materials:

Time: One class period.

Background Information:

The self is a complex and dynamic system of beliefs which an individual holds to be true about himself or herself. Each belief has a corresponding value. Theories of self assume that the maintenance and enhancement of the perceived self is the motive behind behaviour. In other words, each student is constantly striving to maintain, protect, and enhance his or her self. Research clearly indicates a persistent and significant relationship between self-concept and academic achievement. Through reinforcement and encouragement you can help build positive and realistic self-concepts in your students. One self-concept will have a tremendous impact on the job a person will choose.

Activity:

  1. Brainstorm different ways people are unique.

  2. Hand out the poem "I'm Special" and have students glue it in their notebook. Students read it silently as you read it aloud. Discuss what the author was trying to say in the poem.

  3. Discuss what is meant by "special purpose" in the poem.

  4. Turn off the lights and give the students an opportunity to think about what their purpose(s) might be in life. After a minute or so have students share what they believe their purpose(s) in life might be. (A variation of turning off the lights could be to have the students close their eyes and place their heads on their desks).

  5. Students should then make a list of 10 positive characteristics in their notebooks that will help them fulfil their possible purpose in life.

  6. After students have completed their list have them discuss how these positive characteristics are beneficial at school and at work.

  7. Emphasize once again that everyone is unique and has positive qualities.

  8. Hand out a paper plate and a thin marker to each student in the classroom and have students help each other tape it to their backs.

  9. Using the thin marker, students should rotate to each member in the classroom and write something positive on the plate about the wearer.

Have an initial discussion with the students. At the end of the activity students can read the positive things that the other students have written about them. Student plates can be taken home or displayed on the wall or bulletin board in the classroom.

Wind up the activity by asking the students what they liked about the activity and what positive characteristics they discovered about themselves. Have students discuss the benefits of having a positive self-concept.

Additional Activities:

Students can construct a collage of pictures of people displaying positive and unique characteristics.

Students can make a banner (by cutting large paper diagonally) and writing down positive characteristics of classmates.

Students can interview adults to determine if they have accomplished their purposes in life.

Evaluation:

Observation of classroom participation.



Resources:















I'm Special

I'm special. In all the world there's nobody like me.

Since the beginning of time, there has never been another person like me.

Nobody has my smile. Nobody has my eyes, my nose, my hair, my voice. I'm special.

No one can be found who has my handwriting.

Nobody anywhere has my tastes - for food or music or art. No one sees things just as I do.

In all of time there's been no one who laughs like me, no one who cries like me.

And what makes me laugh and cry will never provoke identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever.

No one reacts to any situation just as I would react. I'm special.

I'm the only one in all of creation who has my set of abilities. Oh, there will always be somebody who is better at one of the things I'm good at, but no one in the universe can reach the quality of my combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony sound when all are played together. I'm a symphony.

Through all of eternity no one will ever look, talk, walk, think or do like me. I'm special. I'm rare.

And in rarity there is great value.

Because of my great rare value, I need not attempt to imitate others. I will accept -yes, celebrate - my differences.

I'm special. And I'm beginning to realize it's no accident that I'm special. I'm beginning to see that God made me special for a very special purpose. He must have a job for me that no one else can do as well as I. Out of all the billions of applicants only one is qualified, only one has the combination of what it takes.

That one is me. Because ... I'm special.

Resource: Self-esteem in the classroom by J. Canfield, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.

Grade 6 Module: Self-Awareness
Handout No. 1 "I'm Special"

Activity 3: Learning About Myself

Foundational Objectives:

Awareness of life career concept.
Awareness of self.

Learning Objectives:

The student will:

C.E.L.s: COM, CCT, IL, PSVS

Materials:

Time: Two class periods.

Activity:

Session 1 -

  1. With students' help through a brainstorming activity, list the sources of information about an individual. These include:
    significant events work
    places of residence leisure
    family health
    education values
    Give the students handout #2 and discuss it in detail.

  2. Discuss in detail the significant events that influence an individual's personal life (e.g., the birth of a brother or sister, the death of someone close, a trip, learning to walk/talk, getting glasses, an illness or injury, a special gift, joining the little league, graduating, getting a job).

  3. Ask students to recall events that influenced their lives and to try to recall the feelings that accompanied these events (the teacher could share his or her own personal event). Ask a few volunteers to share their important feelings. Ask students to recall whether the feelings were helpful to them at the time they occurred.

  4. Allow approximately 20 minutes for students to list their important events on paper. In the meantime, prepare a time line on the board as follows:

    Sample Time Line
    1981 Birth
    1983 Takes First steps;
    birth of sister (Jan. 4)
    1986 Started Nursery School (Aug. 28)
    1987 Began Grade 1 (Aug. 27)
    1988 Learned to ride bicycle;
    started Grade 2 (Aug. 29)
    1989 Started own garden
    1990 Looked after own garden
    1991 Trip to Alberta with parents at Christmas
    1992 Took exercise classes
    1993 Started Grade 6 (Aug. 29)
  5. After students have finished listing their important events, ask them to prepare a personal time line, using the one on the board as a model.

  6. Ask students whether they noted anything interesting or different about their time lines (any patterns that may have emerged).

  7. Allow them to discuss certain events in greater detail if they wish.

  8. For homework, ask students to write about some of the events that influenced how they feel about themselves in two of the areas listed on the outline and about their feelings at the time of the events.

Session 2 -

  1. Review previous day's lesson.

  2. Divide students into small groups and ask them to share their time lines and homework assignment.

  3. Presentation by guest speaker on his/her occupation. Guidelines for the guest speaker may be
    a) How did he/she select the occupation;
    b) describe the occupation including strengths, weaknesses, and benefits;
    c) What changes, if any, would he/she make?

  4. Wind up the class by asking the students to complete in writing the statements given below. Volunteers may share some of their responses with the class.

    I learned ...
    I remembered ...
    I was surprised ...

Additional Activities:

  1. What's Your Line? In small groups, have students review what they have learned and suggest broad career areas for each group member to consider. For example, a student with a strong interest in sports could consider a career in recreation or in professional sports.

  2. Autobiography - Students write their autobiographies. These may be handed in or shared with the class by volunteers.

  3. Construct a mobile - students can construct a mobile about themselves by cutting out pictures and words from magazines that represent them.

Evaluation:

Assessment of written homework assignment and wind up written statements.



Resources:

Guest Speaker - A retired member of the community should be invited to spend approximately 30 minutes in Session 2 of this activity discussing his/her career.

















Outline of Sources of Information About the Individual

Place(s) of Residence
Canada or foreign countries
urban or rural
inner city or suburbs
apartment or house

Family
relationship with parent(s)
relations with sibling(s)
education and occupation(s) of parent(s)

Education
academic strengths and weaknesses
study skills and weaknesses
best subject, worst subject
most interesting subject

Leisure
hobbies
leisure-time activities such as sports

Health
childhood illnesses
injuries

Values
strong beliefs
things that are important

Work
part-time jobs
household chores
ways of earning money

Source: Junior high school career guidance, New Brunswick Department of Education, 1988.

Grade 6 Module: Self-Awareness
Handout No. 2 "Outline of Sources of Information About the Individual"

Activity 4: Learning About Myself in Relationship to Others

Foundational Objectives:

Awareness of life career concept.
Awareness of self and knowledge of the values of a positive self-concept.
Awareness of value of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to interact successfully with others.

Learning Objectives:

The student will:

C.E.L.s: COM, CCT, IL, PSVS

Materials:

Time: Two - three class periods.

Background Information:

If students have done a similar activity in another subject area, draw on their previous knowledge or go to Activity #5.

Activity:

Session 1 -

  1. Have students discuss the concept of the different roles that we all have in life.

  2. Ask students to construct a mobile which describes the different roles in their life, such as:
    (a) student
    (b) son/daughter
    (c) brother/sister
    (d) community member/4-H/ Boy Scout, Girl Guides/etc.
    (e) leisure time activities (hockey player, bicycle rider, etc.)
    A variation to this activity could be the construction of a class mural or group collages.

  3. Distribute magazines to students and ask them to cut out pictures to create a mobile of the roles in their lives.

  4. Have students explain their mobiles to the rest of the class and display them in the classroom.

  5. After students have explained their mobiles, have students discuss some of their activities. Do boys and girls predominantly participate in traditional gender related activities or do both boys and girls participate equally in a variety of activities?

  6. Discuss different abilities found in others and the value of these differences.

  7. As an introduction to the next session, have students write on a sheet of paper those jobs that they think they could do for their family, teacher, community member or friend. Then ask them to take this paper home and have their parent, guardian, teacher, community member or friend indicate whether they agree that the student could do those jobs (to be returned for next session).

Session 2 -

  1. Review previous session ... roles of self and others; have students discuss interests, abilities, strengths and weaknesses of self and others.

  2. Have students discuss their findings on the job sheets that they took home the previous session.
    (a)What kind of jobs did their parents most often think they could do?
    (b)What kind of jobs did the students check that the parents did not check?
    (c)Why did the parents choose the ones they did?
    (d)Did anyone's parents check all the same ones that the student checked?

  3. Have students choose a task that they believe and their parents also believe they could do without much supervision. Let each student develop a contract which includes what they will do and for what length of time. They may also want to use the handout contract to inform the parent about a job they would like to do.

  4. Wind up the activity by having the students reflect on their roles and characteristics, and the roles and characteristics of others. How will these differences be reflected in the job market?

Additional Activities:

In small groups, have students review what they have learned and suggest careers that might relate to various strengths, weaknesses, interests, and abilities.

Evaluation:





Resources:














For printing and copying this template Requires Acrobat Reader (click on the table title)

Contract for Tasks

Source: Developmental guidance classroom activities, Vocational Studies Centre, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1991. Reprinted with permission.

Grade 6 Module: Self-Awareness
Handout No. 3 "Contract for Tasks"

Activity 5: Working Cooperatively

Foundational Objectives:

Awareness of the value of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to interact successfully with others.
Awareness of self.
Awareness and knowledge of the interrelationship of life roles.

Learning Objectives:

The student will:

C.E.L.s: COM, CCT, IL PSVS

Materials:

Time: One - two class periods.

Background Information:

The world keeps getting more complex. It seems to demand more of its young people. If students really want to succeed, it is not enough just to have some schooling. Students also need a wide variety of special skills. The ability to communicate ideas and opinions is essential. Students need to be able to work well with others, because today more than ever before new ideas come from dynamic and varied teams of individuals. At the same time, students must be willing to assume a leadership role. These roles require a lot of trust and confidence in oneself and others.

Cooperatives have been developed locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally to encourage people to work together in a cooperative spirit. The "Rainbow Flag" is the emblem of cooperatives everywhere. It was adopted by the World Co-op Leaders at the International Cooperative Congress held in Basil, Switzerland in 1921. It symbolizes the fading of political divisions and the union of peoples. Composed of the primary shades of the rainbow, the Rainbow Flag contains all the colours of the flags of the world. All peoples merged under this colourful pennant are unified into one international community. Each of the seven colours in the flag has a special meaning (see overhead "Cooperatives: The Rainbow Flag").

Examples of cooperatives in Saskatchewan are: Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Local Credit Union, Co-op store, Co-op lumber yard, The Cooperators, Dairy Producers Cooperative Limited, Cooperative Trust Company of Canada

Source: Cooperative Entrepreneurship, Cooperative Outlook Series: A Case of Worker Ownership, Canadian Cooperative Association, 1991.

Activity:

  1. Read background information on cooperatives and discuss the value of cooperatives within the region, province, country and world.

  2. Display overhead "Cooperatives: The Rainbow Flag". Discuss what each colour of the flag represents.

  3. Divide students into small groups. Have each group work together to design a mural, bulletin board and/or poster symbolizing the meaning of cooperatives as represented in the "Rainbow Flag".

  4. Share projects with the entire class and display in the classroom or school.

Additional Activities:

Have students interview workers in local cooperatives.

Have students write letters to various cooperatives in the province, asking them for information about their cooperative.

Invite someone from a local coop or credit union to speak to the students.

Evaluation:





Resources:

Saskatchewan Cooperative Youth Program
501 - 333 Third Avenue North
Saskatoon, SK S7K 2H9
Telephone: (306) 244-3702

Canadian Cooperative Association
Saskatchewan Region
501 - 333 Third Avenue North
Saskatoon, SK S7K 2H9
Telephone: (306) 244-3702

Centre for Study of Cooperatives
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W0
Telephone: (306) 996-8509
Fax: (306) 996-8151









Cooperatives: The Rainbow Flag

RED stands for courage

ORANGE offers the vision of possibilities

YELLOW represents the challenge that green kindles

GREEN represents growth, a challenge to cooperators to strive for growth of membership and of understanding of the aims and values of cooperation.

SKY BLUE suggests far horizons, the need to provide education and assistance to disadvantaged people and to unite in good with all peoples of the world.

DARK BLUE suggest gloom. It reminds us of the disadvantaged peoples of the world who, with appropriate resources, may be shown how to help themselves through cooperation.

VIOLET a colour of warmth and beauty and friendship.

Source: Tales of the Rainbow, Canadian Cooperative Association, 1991.

Grade 6 Module: Self-Awareness
Overhead "Cooperatives: The Rainbow Flag"

Activity 6: Choosing An Occupation I'll Enjoy

Foundational Objectives:

Awareness of self and knowledge of the value of a positive self-concept.
Awareness and understanding of life career concept.

Learning Objectives:

The student will:

C.E.L.s: COM, CCT, IL, PSVS

Materials:

Time: One class period.

Activity:

  1. Have students list and discuss abilities (physical, creative, academic, social, mechanical) and interests.

  2. Have students answer the following questions on a sheet of paper.
    (a) Am I a good student?
    (b) What are my best subjects?
    (c) What one thing am I able to do better than anything else?
    (d) What things do I find difficult to do?
    (e) What things interest me?
    (f) What things bore me?
    (g) Do I get along well with people?
    (h) Am I good in sports?

  3. From these questions, have students list five occupations that interest them. Have them list their personal characteristics that would help them to do well in the occupations they listed.

  4. Have students discuss their choices and why they chose them in small, then with large, group.

  5. Have students do "Strength Bombardment Activity" in a small group.

Adapted from Developmental guidance classroom activities, Vocational Studies Centre, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1991.

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