Unit Plan 12 (Grade 5 Counselor): Strengths, Values, and Growth Areas

Focus: Help students identify personal strengths, interests, values, leadership qualities, and growth areas. Students reflect on who they are becoming, name one strength they can use to help others, and choose one growth area they want to keep developing through perseverance, strategy switching, feedback, self-talk, or support.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: School Counseling (Self-Awareness • Growth Mindset • Personal Development)

Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This Grade 5 counseling lesson helps students think about who they are now and who they are becoming. Students identify personal strengths, interests, values, leadership qualities, and areas where they still want to grow. The lesson emphasizes that students do not need to be “good at everything” to be successful; they can use strengths to help themselves and others while continuing to build skills that are still developing.

Students may complete a strengths inventory, values card sort, or reflection activity. They practice naming a strength they can use in school or relationships, such as helping others stay calm, being creative, listening carefully, staying organized, or including others. They also identify one growth area and choose a strategy—such as asking for feedback, using positive self-talk, breaking a task into steps, or getting support—to keep improving.

Essential Questions

• What are my strengths, interests, values, and leadership qualities?
• How can I use my strengths to help myself, classmates, and the school community?
• Why is it important to recognize both strengths and growth areas?
• How can perseverance, feedback, self-talk, strategy switching, and support help me keep growing?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify personal strengths, interests, values, and leadership qualities using a reflection tool or card sort.
2. Explain how one personal strength can be used to help themselves, classmates, or the school community.
3. Identify one personal growth area connected to learning, friendships, responsibilities, self-advocacy, leadership, or personal goals.
4. Describe how perseverance, growth mindset, feedback, self-talk, support, or strategy switching can help with a growth area.
5. Create a simple strength-and-growth reflection statement naming one strength, one value, and one growth goal.
6. (Optional Session) Develop a short action plan for practicing one growth area over time.

Standards Alignment — Grade 5 (ASCA-based Custom)

• C:S5.5b — Use Perseverance, Growth Mindset, and Strategy Switching
  • Keep trying when learning, friendships, responsibilities, or personal goals feel difficult and use strategies, feedback, self-talk, or support to improve.
  • Example: A student says, “This project is hard, so I will break it into steps and ask for feedback before I quit.”
• C:S1.5b — Recognize Strengths, Interests, Values, and Growth Areas
  • Identify personal strengths, interests, values, leadership qualities, and areas for continued growth.
  • Example: A student says, “I am good at helping others stay calm, but I am working on speaking up when I need help.”

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name personal strengths, interests, and values that describe me.
• I can identify one strength I can use to help others.
• I can name one growth area I want to keep developing.
• I can choose a strategy that helps me keep trying when something feels difficult.
• I can explain how strengths and growth areas are both part of who I am becoming.