Thursday 19th July: Celebrating Success Learning Intention: We are learning to identify how a particular character strength can contribute to a good life.
Intro The next activity requires you to think about how a particular strength can help someone become an admirable person. What does the word admirable mean? You are going to be given a strength, and you will need to think about what it could contribute to someone’s life, or how it could make someone’s life ‘good’.
Student Learning Task: Your task is to make an advertisement which promotes the advantages of the strength you are given, and what it can provide in someone’s life. You can choose to do this either independently or in pairs. You are going to choose a character strength from the lucky dip (one between two if you are working in pairs).
I will now give you time to design and create your advertisement and its key images and messages. Remember what we learned about successful advertising during our Persuasive Writing unit last term (logos, pathos, ethos etc).
Once you are finished, we are going to display the strengths advertisements on the class wall, before conducting a gallery walk during which each student or pair introduces their poster to the rest of the class.
Reflection Has this activity has helped you to identify how a particular character strength can contribute to a good life? How? What are some examples?
Thursday 19th July Learning Intention: We are choosing a character strength that we would like to possess, and what it would look like if we had this strength.
Intro: Let’s take some time to think about the various character strengths we have covered over the past week. Pair and Share with the person next to you about which strengths you think you absolutely nail, possess and display every day. Now I want you to look closely at the list and think about which character strengths you think you need to work on, or which ones your would like to possess. Remember, nobody is perfect, even adults have character strengths they need to work on using more often. Again, pair and share with the person next to you about the character strength you would like to possess or display more often.
Student Learning Task: Imagine what it would look like if you had the character strength that you just told your pair and share partner about. In your English book, you are going to either write or draw a picture depicting what it would look like if you had the strength you wish you possessed. How would it make your life better if you had this strength or displayed it more often? How would it effect those around you? Perhaps your family, or friends? If you are drawing a picture, you need to label it clearly and if you are writing, you need to give examples.
Reflection: You are going to share your work with a clock partner. Explain the strength that you chose for yourself, and either read your explanation or share the picture that you created. You might also like to take this time to share this with other classmates, the more people you share your goal with, the more people you will have keeping an eye out watching and listening to whether or not you are working on displaying this strength throughout the term. Remember, if you see or hear one of your classmates displaying their goal strength, or any of the character strengths, make sure you compliment them.
Wednesday 18th July: Role playing strengths
Learning Intention: • We are learning to demonstrate what character strengths might look like in action.
Intro: The focus on the next activity is to show what various character strengths might look like in action. This helps us understand how we might draw on these strengths in our daily lives.
You are going to be divided into groups of four and will be given a copy of the Character strengths handout. Each member of the group must select one strength from the list. Your job is to create a role play that shows a situation in which each member of your group gets to use their strength.
Here are some examples of what you COULD come up with if you are stuck, however your imagination will be much better :) • Friends working out which game to play in a situation in which they prefer different activities (TOLERANCE).
• Family members working out how to organise whose job it should be to wash the dishes (FAIRNESS).
Student Learning Task: You will now have time to organise who you are, where their scene takes place, what the scenario is, and how you will show use of the strengths. Do not tell other groups which strengths you will be representing, as the audience will be guessing which ones you chose after watching you role play.
Groups: Sarah, Matilda, Josh & James Owen, Logan, Tahlia, Emz & Erika Kya, Connor, Jarvis & Daniel Jade, Jess, Jack & Aiden Paddy
Reflection: You are now going to share your role plays with the class. The audience will guess which strength is being highlighted by each character. After each role play I will ask: • Where did you see the strength in action? • How was the strength useful to the person or the other characters? • In real life, is it different? How could this strength be useful in real life?
Tuesday 17th July: Strengths I Admire Learning Intention: • We are learning to identify character strengths that I admire in others. • We are learning to identify the kind of actions that demonstrate particular character strengths.
With a partner, discuss some fictional characters who you admire because of the things they do. Let's share with the class.
You are each going to receive a ‘Strengths I admire’ handout. In the FICTIONAL CHARACTER section (left side of the sheet), write down what some of these ‘admirable actions’ are. Make sure you refer to the strengths list that we looked at in the last lesson, and find which character strengths are shown in these actions or generally by your character. Make sure you provide examples of how your character shows these strengths to share with your classmates.
In a small group you are going to share what you have written about your character. As a group, decide which character you will share about with the whole class.
You are now going to work independently again, and this time you are to choose one person you know from your everyday life who you admire. You are going to repeat the exercise about this person on the RIGHT side of the sheet.
In a new small group, you are going to share the things you admire about your real person. As a group, decide which real person you will share about with the whole class.
Reflection: The people we admire are influential in our lives. We call them ‘role models’.
You can also be role models for others. Part of the responsibility of reaching higher year levels of the school is realising that you will have this influence. Think carefully about how you might show your character strengths when around your classmates and younger students.Let’s have a look at the Learning Intentions for this lesson. Have we been successful in achieving the learning intentions? How? Why not? Remember to always be conscious of the strengths you demonstrate in your own everyday actions.
Tuesday 17th July: Using our strengths in everyday life Learning Intention: We are learning to identify the strengths required to deal with everyday challenges.
Today we will be thinking about how people use their character strengths to help them deal with the challenges of everyday life.
You are going to be working in pairs, and each pair is going to receive two scenarios. Make sure you refer to the Character strengths list as a reference tool for this activity.
Pairs/Groups: Jack & Daniel Connor & Kya & Logan Erika & Jess Emz, Jade & Nakita Matilda & Sarah Tahlia & Jayda Aiden & James Josh & Owen Jarvis, Cam & Paddy
Student Learning Task: In your pair/group, you are going to discuss which strengths you think would best help the character in their scenarios as they work at solving their problem. Make sure you discuss this in detail and take notes to explain why you made this choice when reporting back to the class when we are finished.
Next, you should prepare some advice about what the character can do in their scenario, or about how they could use the recommended strength(s) in their actions.
We are now going to listen as some of the pairs share the feedback they have recorded for the character in the scenario. What strengths were chosen? Were different strengths selected by different people? What was your rationale? What advice did you come up with?
Reflection: Have you been able to identify some strengths that are required to deal with everyday challenges? What are some examples?
The list of character strengths we have been working with does not include all character strengths! Have a look at this list - which ones are different? Are there new strengths mentioned here that you might have, or that you might admire and value in others?
Monday 16th July: Learning Intention: • We are learning about the difference between talents and character strengths. • We are learning to identify the character strengths we admire or value in others.
Introduction: In today’s lesson we will have a focus on will focus on the positive personal qualities we value in ourselves and others.
To start, I would like you to draw a rough sketch which shows you (or a fictional character) doing something positive for, or with, someone else. This sketch will show something you think is a ‘good’ thing - an action that makes the world a better place for someone. Once drawn, you should label your sketch to ensure we know what's going on.
We will now share our labelled picture with the class, and I will record the key ‘kindness’ actions on the board.
Now, take some time to reflect on the examples. What does it take for people to do the actions that you presented?
The characters in the pictures have been displaying qualities which we can also call character strengths. Your character is what makes you who you are. Character strengths are different to talents, skills and knowledge. They are attributes like courage, kindness, humour and persistence which help you make the most of your experiences and deal with your challenges.
Let’s have a look at the character strengths on this list. You will get your own copy of this list, and we will be referring back to this, so make sure you stick it in your Discovery book and don't lose it!!!
Which of the strengths were captured or indicated in the picture you drew?
Are there any strengths that your picture may be missing? What actions and pictures could be added to your own drawing to represent that strength?
You are now going to take your original picture, and add to it to show character strengths that you may have missed the first time. (You may start your picture again if you prefer, but still include the character strengths shown in your original!)
Reflection How would you summarise what a character strength is? What are some examples of the strengths that you admire in our classmates or others?
I encourage you to be on the look-out for the strengths displayed by your family and friends, and to compliment them on these strengths when you recognise them.