1. Give each student 5 dried beans. Ask them to examine the beans and choose the “Best” bean. Don’t give them any other information.

2. After 5 minutes, have some or all of the students to explain how they chose their “Best” bean.

3. Relate the beans to people by asking the following questions:

    a. Are all of your beans the same on the inside?

    b. Are all people the same on the inside?

    c. When we eat the beans, so all the beans taste the same?

    d. Imagine you are hanging off a cliff and are desperately clinging to a few blades of grass that are pulling loose from the ground. Suddenly, a hand appears from above to rescue you. Would you wait to see what that person looked like before you reached for help?

    e. Is one bean better than another?

    f. Is one person better than another?

4. Have students fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise. On one side, ask them to list all the things they don’t like about themselves. On the opposite side, have them list the things they like about themselves. Ask the students to compare the two lists. Ask them why it was more difficult to list the things they liked about themselves.

5. Brainstorm what influences their feelings about themselves. (Parents, Family, TV, Magazines, etc.)

6. Define self-esteem.

7. Ask students to take the Barksdale Self-Esteem Evaluation No. 69 at

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8. Evaluate the scores at the end and discuss.

9. Ask the class to brainstorm causes for low self-esteem.

10. After they have made suggestions, ask them when self-esteem begins to form.

11. Have students write a paragraph explaining this statement. “You can’t love others until you love yourself.”

12. Explain how self-esteem affects relationships with others.

13. Discuss the self-esteem of Miss Piggy from Sesame Street.

    a. How does Miss Piggy feel about herself?

    b. What are some of her flaws?

    c. Why do we like Miss Piggy?

    d. How would Miss Piggy act if she didn’t have a high self-esteem?

    e. Would the Miss Piggy character be as interesting if she had a low self-esteem? Why?

14. Break students into groups and ask them to role play the following situations.

    a. a parent makes hurtful statements to a child which would cause low self-esteem

    b. the appearance of a person with low self-esteem

    c. the appearance of a person with high self-esteem

    d. friends encouraging a person who has low self-esteem

    e. a person with low self-esteem and a person with high self-esteem applying for the same job

    f. the appearance of a person with high self-esteem

15. Read the children’s book, The Little Engine That Could.

16. Have students write a paragraph on how they can raise the self-esteem of others. Read several aloud.

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Deena Harris

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