The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Covey emphasizes that principles rather than people should be at the center of our lives.

• What benefit comes from emphasizing principles over people, according to Covey? (topic sentence)
• What are some examples Covey offers up that demonstrate how living one’s life according to principles ensures a higher morality? Name at least 3 examples from the text.
• In your conclusion, discuss how Making Personal Responsibility the Driving Force in Our Lives can help bolster and support our principles.

2. In Chapter 8, Covey lays out four different mentalities for how most people approach life: win-lose, lose-win, lose-lose, and win-win.

• Imagine two people in a relationship, where one is trying to think win-win, but the other person is invested in win-lose. What might be problematic about the resulting relationship? (topic sentence)
• What are the defining features of each of the different mentalities? In defining them, draw from direct textual evidence to support your definitions.
• In your conclusion, advise the two people on how to proceed, based on the advice from Covey in the text.

3. Consider the action of listening, as Covey describes it in Chapter 9 regarding Habit 5: “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.”

• Why is listening so important, according to Covey? (topic sentence)
• Unpack Covey’s saying that “You have two ears and one mouth,” and how that saying encapsulates his feelings. How does practicing genuine listening transform your relationships with others?
• In your conclusion, discuss how Habit 5 builds upon the others described in the book, particularly how it helps Strengthen Relationships.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider all seven of the habits laid out in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Which habit do you find the most difficult to follow? Why? Which habit seems to be easiest for you? Why? Write out two anecdotes for the habit you find most difficult to practice, as well as the easiest one. Use citations from the text that will help to illustrate how the habit functions in your stories.

2. It is clear from Covey’s “Thank Yous” at the end of the book that The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is the result of a group effort, including not just Covey’s staff but also teenagers who were interviewed for the book. In addition, Covey includes resources from other companies which he credits throughout the book and at the end. He is also indebted to his father, Stephen Covey, who wrote the original The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. How does the creation of this book symbolize Habit 6: “Synergize”? Discuss how synergy relates to not only the theme of Strengthening Our Relationships but also The Importance of Renewal.

3. In Habit 1: “Be Proactive,” Covey explains the importance of Making Personal Responsibility the Driving Force in Our Lives. How can a reactive person become a proactive person? Perform a close reading on Chapters 4 and 5 of the text and provide no less than four examples of reactive behavior alongside its proactive antidote. In your conclusion, provide a step-by-step roadmap for how individuals can be more proactive, according to Covey.