# Handout 2.2: Strengths Inventory and Notice Cards

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Table: ______

**Directions:** Today you find out what you do well, from two sources: you, and the three people at your table. Part 1 is your own inventory. Part 2 is what other people noticed. Be honest in both. "Not yet" is not an insult; it is a to-do list.

## The three words

| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Trait | How you usually are | quiet, outgoing, patient, stubborn |
| Strength | Something you do well | calms down a crying kid, fixes bikes, remembers everyone's birthday |
| Interest | Something you want to do more of | drawing, basketball, cooking, taking things apart |

A trait can turn into a strength. "Patient" is a trait. "Sits with my little cousin until she gets the math" is a strength.

### Word bank in other languages

[Check with a native speaker before printing.]

| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| trait | kişilik özelliği | traço (característica) | rasgo |
| strength | güçlü yön | ponto forte | fortaleza (punto fuerte) |
| interest | ilgi alanı | interesse | interés |
| career | kariyer (meslek) | carreira | carrera (profesión) |
| evidence | kanıt | evidência (prova) | evidencia (prueba) |

## Part 1: My strengths inventory

For each strength, check one box. Then go back and star your top three.

**Thinking**

| Strength | Yes, often | Sometimes | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| I figure out how things work | | | |
| I remember details other people forget | | | |
| I learn new things fast | | | |
| I solve problems without being told how | | | |
| I can focus on one thing for a long time | | | |
| I check my work and catch my own mistakes | | | |

**Doing**

| Strength | Yes, often | Sometimes | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| I build or fix things with my hands | | | |
| I am good at a sport or a physical skill | | | |
| I keep my things organized | | | |
| I can cook or bake something without help | | | |
| I make things: art, music, videos, crafts | | | |
| I follow directions exactly when it counts | | | |

**People**

| Strength | Yes, often | Sometimes | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| I make people laugh | | | |
| I listen without interrupting | | | |
| I include people who are left out | | | |
| I can explain something so another person gets it | | | |
| I stay calm when other people panic | | | |
| I can get a group to agree and get moving | | | |

**Character**

| Strength | Yes, often | Sometimes | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| I tell the truth even when it costs me | | | |
| I keep going when something is hard | | | |
| I do what I said I would do | | | |
| I try the scary thing | | | |
| I wait my turn and do not rush people | | | |
| I finish what I start | | | |

### My top three, with evidence

Evidence is a time it happened, not a feeling. "I fixed the chain on my brother's bike without a video" is evidence. "I am good at fixing things" is not.

| My strength | Evidence: one time it happened |
|---|---|
| 1. | |
| 2. | |
| 3. | |

## Part 2: What other people noticed

You will get three notice cards from the people at your table. Read them. Then answer.

The card that surprised me most said I am good at: ______________________________________________________

Was this strength already in my top three? Circle: Yes / No

If no, do I agree with them? Circle: Yes / No / Not sure. One sentence why: ______________________________________________________

## Exit line

A strength I put in my top three: _______________________

A strength someone else saw in me: _______________________

Are they the same? Circle: Yes / No

Grade 8 stretch: write a fourth notice card for someone at another table you have worked with in a lab, and deliver it.

Keep this sheet and your three notice cards in your FACS folder. You need them on day 39 for the All About Me one-pager.

* * *

## Notice cards (cut into strips; three per student)

The rule: a notice card names something the person **did**, not something they **are**. "You are nice" does not count. "I noticed you are good at explaining because you re-explained the recipe to me on lab day" counts. Sign your name so the person can ask you about it.

| |
|---|
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |
| **Notice card.** To: _______________ I noticed you are good at _________________________ because I saw you _________________________________________________. From: _______________ |

* * *

# Teacher key

There are no right answers on the inventory. Check for two things.

**Evidence is an event.** A "got it" line has a verb in the past tense and a place or a person in it. Compare:
- Feeling (needs more): "I am a good listener." "I am creative."
- Event (got it): "My friend told me about her parents fighting and I did not say anything until she was done." "I made the poster for the bake sale and people stopped to read it."

**Notice cards name a did, not an is.** Read a sample from each table before they are handed over. Send back any card that says only "you are nice," "you are smart," or "you are funny" with the question, "What did you see them do?"

**Grade 6 inventory (16 strengths).** Drop these eight for grade 6: "I check my work and catch my own mistakes," "I can focus on one thing for a long time," "I follow directions exactly when it counts," "I can get a group to agree and get moving," "I stay calm when other people panic," "I wait my turn and do not rush people," "I try the scary thing," "I finish what I start." Ask for a top two.

**The twelve-statement sort on slide 4** (for the finger vote at the start of Day 1), with answers:

| Statement | Answer |
|---|---|
| I am usually quiet in a new group | Trait |
| I can take apart a bike and put it back together | Strength |
| I want to learn to make sushi | Interest |
| I am stubborn | Trait |
| I remember everyone's birthday | Strength |
| I like drawing on everything | Interest |
| I am patient | Trait |
| I calmed my little brother down when he got lost at the mall | Strength |
| I want to run my own business | Interest |
| I talk a lot | Trait |
| I get a group to agree on a plan | Strength |
| I like taking care of animals | Interest (accept Strength with a reason, if the student has done it well) |

**Scoring for daily work.** Complete: all 24 marked, top three starred with event evidence, Part 2 answered, exit line done. Partial: top three with feeling evidence, or Part 2 blank. Missing: fewer than three strengths chosen.