Skill: Developing Your Values and Beliefs
What Are Your Values And Where Did They Come From?
Today, we'll talk about how the values and beliefs we develop affect the choices we make.
Grades: 4-5
Benchmark(s): 4-5.SM.1.5
“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same but you leave them all over everything you do.”
What do you notice or wonder about this quote? What does it make you think of?
Elvis Presley
Musician
What are “values”?
SHOW ANSWER
The ideas that motivate us and guide our decisions.
“Honesty” and “kindness” are two examples of values.
WHY DEVELOPING YOUR VALUES AND BELIEFS IS IMPORTANT: |
👍 It helps you feel more confident when you have to make difficult decisions. 👍 It helps you to make better choices that help yourself and others. 👍 It helps you to grow into a person you're proud to be. |
Do you know someone who has strong values and beliefs? What did they do that made you think so?
Step 1: Think about the values behind your important decisions.
Do you get bored unless you're trying new things and exploring new places?
Adventure might be one of your values.
Step 2: Think about people you look up to and identify values behind their important decisions.
Maybe your dad goes well out of his way to help others, and you admire that.
Generosity might be one of his values.
gratitude
Where did these values come from? How do you know they’re your values?
What are some of your values? Pick a few ⬇️ or think of your own.
leadership
sharing
truth
achievement
hard work
kindness
dependability
being helpful
creativity
humor
trust
adventure
responsibility
compassion
togetherness
family
loyalty
belonging
teamwork
determination
integrity
success
Step 3: When it's time to make choices, ask yourself, 'What would someone with my values do?'
If you have to choose between going to your friend's house or spending time with your grandparents, you might think, 'I'm a person who values family. I'm going to hang with my grandparents today.'
Ella notices that she looks up to a lot of professional athletes. They're the kind of people who spend big chunks of their lives practicing and working hard to achieve a goal.
What does this tell you about Ella’s values and beliefs?
How could knowing this about herself affect Ella’s choices?
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Ira notices that whenever his mom is dealing with a problem, she always seems to smile and point out something she's grateful for. Ira admires this.
What does this tell you about Ira’s values and beliefs?
How could knowing this about himself affect Ira’s choices?
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John looks up to his friend Ben because he's the class clown. It seems like teachers and students love to be around Ben because he's always making people smile and laugh.
What does this tell you about John’s values and beliefs?
How could knowing this about himself affect John’s choices?
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Izzy thinks it's so cool when characters in stories and movies stand up to the bad guys. They seem so brave, like nothing ever scares them. They never run away from a challenge.
What does this tell you about Izzy’s values and beliefs?
How could knowing this about herself affect Izzy’s choices?
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Mia reads about a celebrity who gave a huge amount of money to charity and didn't tell anybody about it. Mia thinks that's really cool, and she starts to think that she’d like to make a difference in people's lives like that celebrity did.
What does this tell you about Mia’s values and beliefs?
How could knowing this about herself affect Mia’s choices?
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