Free educator resourceReal Talk: Friendships • Grades 8-12
What Counts as Evidence?
A 10-15 minute friendship decision-making warm-up that helps students separate what someone says from what repeated behavior supports.
No email signup required. The complete resource downloads free through the Growth Mindset Studio TPT store.
The teaching idea
Words can offer a clue. Patterns provide stronger evidence.
Students compare four kinds of information—claims, single moments, patterns, and missing context—then decide which statement provides the strongest evidence in a fictional friendship situation.
Because the examples remain fictional, students can practice careful judgment without being required to discuss their own friendships publicly.
Inside the free download
Ready to use in one short session
- 6-slide editable PowerPointIntroduces the categories and guides the class through one evidence check.
- 2-page student activityStudents classify information and explain one judgment privately.
- Facilitator quick guideIncludes setup, timing, privacy guidance, and suggested responses.
Flexible by design
One activity, several useful settings
Classroom or advisoryUse it as a bell ringer, discussion starter, or short SEL lesson.
School counselingPractice evidence-based thinking without inviting forced disclosure.
HomeschoolOpen a focused conversation about trust, patterns, and missing information.
Youth programsGive teens shared language for evaluating behavior more carefully.
Start with the free mini lesson.
Give students a practical way to tell the difference between a statement, a moment, and a dependable pattern.
Get What Counts as Evidence? Free