Lesson plan · First edition
Personality, with room for questions.
From three words on the board to a plan for two different collaborators. Students explore the Big Five and ask: What can a personality test tell us — and what can it not determine?
For the teacher
Get ready for the lesson
It began with the words we use to describe each other
“Outgoing”, “helpful”, “thorough” — language is full of descriptions of people. The lexical hypothesis suggests that important differences between people tend to acquire words of their own. In 1936, Allport and Odbert collected around 18,000 terms describing people from an English dictionary. Later researchers examined which descriptions tended to occur together when people rated themselves or others. Across several studies, five broad patterns emerged: the Big Five. Read the history and sources.
Look for these ideas in students’ answers
- They describe traits as degrees and explain how descriptive words contributed to the model.
- They give a specific example of how a situation can influence behaviour.
- They explain what a self-report test can and cannot tell us.
What you need
- A screen or projector and a board for students’ words.
- An internet-connected phone or computer for the test, and paper for reflection.
- The worksheet below, printed or displayed on screen.
Allow 10–15 minutes the first time: try the test, read the teacher notes and check the link on students’ devices. Arrange pairs or groups of three in advance.
Share the test link with the class
Paste the link into your learning platform. Students take the test individually; the lesson does not require collecting results.
The lesson, step by step
- 0–7 min
Let students discover the starting point
Collect descriptive words, tell the short history and show the five traits and the scale. Slides 1–2.
- 7–19 min
Explore and interpret a profile
Ten minutes for the test or example profiles, then two minutes to interpret the descriptions. Slides 3–4.
- 19–25 min
Find an example and a counterexample
Three short reflection questions. Brief notes are enough, and students keep their answers. Slide 5.
- 25–33 min
Make a plan for Alex and Kim
Pairs or groups of three suggest a division of tasks, a working agreement and one question they need answered. Slide 6.
- 33–40 min
Take a position and explain
Discuss three statements before the teacher reveals possible explanations. Slide 7.
- 40–45 min
Reply to a friend in two sentences
A brief closing task shows what students have understood. Connect back to the words from the opening. Slide 8.
If the test takes longer, let students finish later and use the example profiles for the discussion. Protect the time for the critical review.
If time, internet access or reading becomes a challenge
- At minute 17: Move on using the example profiles if anyone has not finished the test. Do not ask them to answer faster.
- Without internet: Use Alex and Kim throughout the lesson. Students work towards the same learning goals.
- For reading support: Read the example profiles and tasks aloud. Let students discuss the fictional examples orally in pairs.
- If you are running late: Choose one reflection question and one statement. Keep the final five minutes for the closing task.
- Finished early: Find two different explanations for the same action, such as someone being quiet in a group.
Display on screen
Eight slides for the lesson
Use Previous and Next, or Tab and Enter on the keyboard. Let students think before revealing the explanations on slides 1 and 7. Teacher notes include timings, follow-up questions and possible answers.
Show the connection to the Big Five
- The lexical hypothesis: Important differences between people tend to acquire words of their own in everyday language.
- In 1936, Allport and Odbert collected around 18,000 terms describing people from an English dictionary.
- Later researchers investigated which descriptions tended to occur together in ratings of people. Across several studies, five broad patterns emerged.
Teacher note for this slide
Allow 30 seconds individually, 30 seconds in pairs, one minute to collect 4–6 words on the board, and one minute for the history. Use the class’s words as a bridge to the Big Five. This activity illustrates the idea; researchers used statistical analyses of personality ratings, not just sorting synonyms. End with the lesson’s question: What can a personality test tell us, and what can it not determine?
Worksheet · Big Five · 45 minutes
What does a profile tell us?
Keep your answers to yourself. Do not write your name or test scores. You can use your own result or one of the fictional profiles below.
Only the worksheet and example profiles are printed. Choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog to share the worksheet digitally.
Fictional profiles for all the activities
Alex: Enjoys new ideas and thinking out loud. Gets started quickly but may forget to follow up on details. Wants everyone to have a chance to speak.
Kim: Likes planning and following through on agreements. Often thinks before speaking but enjoys presenting a topic they know well. Also wants everyone to be heard.
These are brief, fictional descriptions. They do not tell us everything about the people.
1. Think individually · 6 minutes
Write brief notes. Use either your own result or Alex and Kim for all three questions.
Choose one description from your result or an example profile. What specific action might fit it? Also give an example of a situation where the description might not fit.
Choose one trait. Describe one situation where it could be useful and one where it could be challenging. Explain why.
What would you need to know before trusting the description? Write two questions, for example about how the person answered or the situation involved.
2. Make a plan together · 8 minutes
Alex and Kim need to make a five-minute podcast on a topic of their choice. They have two days and disagree about how to start.
- Suggest an initial division of tasks. Use one specific detail about each person to explain your choice.
- Agree on one way of working together that helps them collaborate without locking them into fixed roles.
- Write one question you need to ask them before the plan is ready. What do you not know?
3. Take a position · 7 minutes
Agree, disagree or it depends? Discuss the statements and write a reason for your response to one of them. What could change your mind?
- “A reserved person should not give the presentation.”
- “A higher score means a better personality.”
- “If I answer differently next week, the test is useless.”
4. Reply to a friend · 5 minutes
A friend says: “Now I’ve taken the test, I know exactly what I’m like.” Complete two sentences:
The test can tell us something about …
But it cannot, on its own, determine …, because …
bigfive-test.com/educators/lesson · Test: bigfive-test.com/test
Background and further exploration
A result is based on self-report. Language, mood and interpretation of questions can influence answers. Traits describe tendencies; they do not tell the whole story about skills, values or how a person acts in a particular situation.
- The five personality traits explained
- The test’s questions, method and scoring
- Big Five and MBTI: models and differences
Want to extend the lesson? Ask students to compare how two models describe personality and consider what evidence is needed to trust a test.
Optional follow-up: compare the group
Would you like to explore a group comparison after the lesson? Agree separately on voluntary sharing. Only participants who choose to share add their result. The lesson can be completed without sharing results.
Create a group link on the educators page