What I Value and How I Show It
Students learn to name two class values and give a classroom example of each, identify one personal value and describe a small behavior that shows it, make a simple commitment and follow through without reminders, and do the right thing even when no one is watching.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to name two class values with specific examples of each in action, identify one personal value and describe a small classroom behavior that shows it, make a simple commitment and follow through without a reminder, and do the right thing in a routine situation even when no one is watching.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What We Value — as a Class and as Individuals | SA-VAL-2-1 · SA-VAL-2-2 |
| 2 | Making a Commitment and Keeping It | SA-VAL-2-4 |
| 3 | Doing the Right Thing — Even When No One Is Looking | SA-VAL-2-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| SoA-FAR-2-1 | Class rules reflect shared values — naming class values connects to fairness as a social expectation |
| RDM-CHO-2-4 | Thinking about how choices affect others is a values-guided move — this connection surfaces naturally in Segment 3 |
| RDM-ETH-2-3 | Fairness as a value students can name and show is reinforced in Segment 1’s class-values work |
Key Vocabulary
- Value — Something that matters to you — a principle or quality you care about and try to show in how you act
- Class value — A value the whole class has agreed to try to live by together — things like respect, kindness, fairness, or responsibility
- Personal value — A value you care about for your own reasons — not just because the class says so, but because it matters to you personally
- Commitment — A promise you make to yourself or others — an “I will” statement with a specific action and a specific time
- Integrity — Doing the right thing because it’s the right thing — not because someone is watching or because you’ll get in trouble
Materials
- Whiteboard space or chart paper + marker for I Do modeling
- Before the week begins: Post your unit anchor chart and I Can Statement where students can see them — you’ll reference both throughout the week.
- The class values list or anchor chart, if one exists in your room (common class values: respect, kindness, fairness, responsibility, safety, perseverance)
How this lesson is structured: Each skill segment below has an I Do (teacher models the skill with a realistic scenario) and a We Do (class practices together with your guidance). Independent practice — the You Do — lives in the practice resources that go alongside this lesson.
What Students Need Before This Lesson
- What’s inside
- What students should already be able to do
- Helpful to have in place
- 4 quick set-ups before the I DoValues vs. rules — not the same thing · A personal value is genuinely yours — not just the expected answer · A commitment is specific — “I will try harder” doesn’t count · Integrity isn’t about being watched — it’s about who you are when no one is
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Introducing the Skill
- What’s inside
- Opening hook
- What we’re learning
- Why it matters
- Core sentence frameThe frame students use all week
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
What We Value — as a Class and as Individuals
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: naming a class value with a specific classroom behavior · Second class value: genuinely distinct from the first · Personal value: genuinely mine, not just the poster answer · Wrong version → fix: a value with no behavior, or a behavior without the value
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Making a Commitment and Keeping It
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: a commitment with a specific action and a specific time · Wrong version → fix: a wish instead of a commitment · Following through: what “keeping it” looks like · Non-task example: a commitment in a social situation
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Doing the Right Thing — Even When No One Is Looking
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: the right thing in a routine situation, with values-based reasoning · Wrong version → fix: compliance vs. integrity · A positive integrity moment: doing the right thing in a comfortable situation · When the right thing is harder: some situations cost something
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Closing prompt
- Land the key idea
- Connect to daily life
- Optional — Quick check-in
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Practice for every skill segment
Each lesson comes with independent practice — the “you do” — for each of its 3 skill segments, in print and digital.
Printable practice
Ready-to-copy practice pages for each segment.
- View and print in your browser
- Answer keys for quick checking
Digital activities
Share one link — students open it on any device, and you see their answers.
- Works on Chromebooks, tablets and phones
- Students just type their name to start
While you wait: from the SEL Resource Library
Self-Awareness resources for Grade 2, ready to use today.
