7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Unit
This unit is a guidance unit designed around Sean Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. It can be used at any point in a year, but is well suited to the beginning and may be done in conjunction with the listening unit. It has seven distinct elements based on the seven habits, but other elements can be added.
1. Be Proactive
· The quote of the day for this lesson is “We first make our habits, then our habits make us” – English poet. Introduce the concept of the Circle of Control. Imagine two circles. The inner circle is the circle of control. It includes things we have control over, our attitudes, our choices, our responses, ourselves. The outer circle is the things we cannot control, such as our skin colour, our past, our parents, the weather, etc. In this lesson, the students are asked to make a list of the things they can control in their life. What are their individual responsibilities? A master list should be created on the board as students share their ideas. Once this is complete, they should make a list of times when they have fulfilled those responsibilities. What happens when they are able to fulfill their responsibilities? How do they feel? What are the consequences? For the second part of the lesson, introduce the defective version of this habit. (attached). How many have ever felt like this? Is this a mature attitude? Is this the mark of a growing individual or a child? Have students pick three of the areas in which they have control and brainstorm ways in which they could improve their habit of being proactive. A one page answer is due on the next Day 1.
· The second part of this lesson is to discuss the concept of self-control, that is to say, taking control of your own reactions to your circumstances. Have students discuss comments on the attached overhead that deal with control. Read page 56 from the book (the story of W. Mitchell). Ask for comments on the story.
· Discuss the “Personal Toolkit”. Have class copy list from the board. Present situations to illustrate the use of each piece in the kit and discuss whether any part is most important, or if they are interconnected. Assignment is to have them pick one tool and explain why they think it is important. When would they use it? Why? Explanation can be written, drawn or done as a collage. Read story from book about the individual who stopped himself from killing someone.
· Hand out One Step A Time sheet to class. Discuss and assign for next class. This is intended to be a self-evaluation, not a graded assignment. Students should complete themselves and the only accountability is to themselves. They should be prepared to discuss it in the next class.
2. Begin With the End in Mind - Defining your mission and goal in life. Opening quote is “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes. Review the concept of control and discuss how we feel when someone else has control of our lives.
· The key concept at this stage is control your own destiny, or someone else will. That does not mean running your life and discounting everyone else. Rather, it means taking an active role in determining the direction your life will take. The following should be copied by the students. “The teenage years are vital in two aspects. This is a critical time because – the path you take will affect you forever, and if you don’t make decisions now, someone else will make them for you”. Use rope metaphor to talk about their life. Discuss the teenage years as a time of responsibility and direction.
· Have class imagine themselves one year from now. What will they be like? What will they be doing? What path will they be on? Discuss responses highlighting positive changes students see in their future.
· Quote “The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
–Lao Tzu. Have class brainstorm meanings associated with this quote. Encourage development of the idea of personal responsibility and individual progress. Introduce “Circles of Success” from Graham book. Each person can positively impact three areas of their life. These three areas can be represented by three circles. The three areas are: personal development, relationships and school (career). Have each student fill in five things they can do in each circle to increase their success in that area.
· Ask students to define confident, competent and capable. Once they have done this as a group, as them to complete the sentence, “I am confident in (when) . . . five times. Do the same with the other two words.
· Introduce the idea of a blueprint or a plan for building or creating something. Move to an introduction of mission statements. Hand out samples and discuss the elements of a statement. Focus on the positive aspects of a personal mission statement. Notes from the book from pages 81 and 83 should be copied. Assignment is to have the students create a mission statement of their own. Point out that a mission statement is a changing thing, not a static piece of work. Once complete, mission statement can be illustrated or not but should be put on a piece of paper in good copy and kept in their binder reminder. Allow students to share their statements, if they wish, during the next class.