• Nine item cards per group
• Diamond template or workspace
• Discussion recording sheet

Create 9 cards with items to rank (character traits, historical events, story elements, etc.). Design diamond template: 1 at top, 2 in second row, 3 in middle, 2 in fourth row, 1 at bottom. Form groups of 3-4.

1. Distribute diamond template and 9 trait cards: Honesty, Courage, Intelligence, Kindness, Creativity, Patience, Determination, Humor, Fairness.
2. Challenge: Rank these traits for an effective leader, most to least important.
3. Explain diamond structure: Top = most important (1), Bottom = least important (1), Middle rows show gradations.
4. Rules: Group must reach consensus. Everyone must be able to justify the final ranking.
5. Discussion time (15 min): Debate, negotiate, arrange and rearrange cards.
6. When a card is placed, state WHY: 'We put Honesty at the top because without trust, no one follows a leader.'
7. It's okay to disagree - work through differences.
8. Final positions must have group agreement.
9. Gallery walk: Groups explain their top and bottom choices to visitors.
10. Debrief: 'Where did groups agree? Disagree? Why might reasonable people rank differently?'

Reduce to 5 items in a smaller triangle for younger students. Provide definitions on cards for vocabulary support. For advanced groups, don't reveal items are for 'leadership' - let them develop their own criteria.

Listen to justification discussions. Evaluate reasoning quality. Compare rankings across groups. Note how well students articulate criteria for importance.