N/A - First week of school 2025
Lesson One:
Learning Intention: We are learning to use the toilet safely at school.
Girl / Boy groups
Teacher to talk about the toilet and that it is different at big school. Talk about all the important things:
We must walk to the toilet with a friend, we must ask before we go, we must close the door, we must wipe, flush, and wash our hands.
Take groups into the toilet to see it, where to do, what to do, and how to use the door locks etc. Model how to wash hands with soap.
Come back out of the toilet into the classroom to talk about what we need to do. Write an anchor chart about using the toilet safely.
Resources:
Anchor Chart
Toilet visuals
Lesson Two:
Learning Intention: We are learning to tell where we played outside.
Teacher to lead a circle time with the question- where did you play outside? Model to students cutting out their face and glueing onto the Prep area sheet. Model cutting out friends and teachers who were on yard duty.
Resources:
Photo of treehouse, prep tower and sandpit on a page
Class photo page
INQUIRY
Lesson One:
Learning Intention: We are learning where and how to play safely.
Teacher to show pictures of the school and ask if this is the Prep area. Ask students to list where Preps are allowed to play at Lunch and Recess. Model drawing safely in the sandpit, treehouses or Prep tower.
Students create a drawing of playing safely in a chosen Prep area.
Resources:
Powerpoint of different areas of the school
Lesson Two:
We are learning what makes a “good friend” and how to make someone feel special.
Circle Time: What is a friend? What do they do? How do they make you feel?
Read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Explain how friends make you feel good and to be a good friend it’s about being kind to someone model drawing what fills your bucket.
Resources:
Bucket printout - students draw inside the bucket what they know about making friends
Have you filled a bucket today story book.
Wellbeing
Lesson Three:
Learning Intention: We are learning to stop and listen to ourselves and others (experience of regulation and recognising different states of regulation on others)
The Stop and Listen Game (R&R Intro activity 1)
1. Sit students in a circle on the mat.
2. Explain that in class you will use signs or actions to show that you want everyone to stop what they are doing and listen to you.
Demonstrate the clapping technique, where you clap and students repeat the sound by clapping the same rhythm as you. Start with a single clap and ask students to copy the
movement. Next, use a double clap and ask students to copy the movement.
3. Practise this a few times. Let them know that this is one way you will signal that it is time for everyone to give their attention to you.
4. Challenge students to see if they can manage
this while they are moving around. Ask students
to walk slowly around the space without
touching each other and without bumping
into each other.
Resources: Room to move
Lesson Three: Emotions (Emotional Literacy - R&R)
Learning Intention: We are learning to match sound with emotions.
What do emotions sound like? Sing if you are Happy and you know it.
Display emotions powerpoint (Resources Term 1 folder) and play each sound. Students will draw an emotion that reflects the sound heard.
• How does it make you feel when you hear people
being angry?
• When you hear people sounding happy?
• When you hear people sounding sad?
Lesson Four: Green Zone
Learning Intention: We are learning to identify what emotions I might feel in the green zone.
Introduce Zones of regulation - label the 4 zones and label colours. Discuss emotions: happy, sad, angry, excited.
Explain to students that there are no bad Zones! Everybody experiences a range of Zones every day. The Zones of Regulation help us to become aware of our emotions and gives us the tools we need to manage them. The Green Zone is the ultimate zone for learning because you are happy and calm.
Activity: Use playdough to make a face of them feeling happy and safe
Lesson Four: The Name Game (R&R Intro activity 2)
Learning Intention:
1. Ask students to sit in a circle. Explain that they will play a game where they practise each other’s names. Go around the circle and ask everyone to say their name, ‘I am [name].’ When each person says their name, everyone will respond by saying the name together with a greeting, ‘Hello, [name].’
If some students find it difficult to introduce themselves, you might assist by saying: ‘This is [name].’
2. Reinforce the importance of using friendly ways to greet each other, like saying hello and using someone’s name.
3. The following are optional extras to assist with learning names and practising welcoming routines:
• Use a soft toy to pass around the circle.
Students will say their name when they receive the toy. Everyone repeats this name together with a welcoming phrase like
‘Good morning, [name]’ or ‘Hello, [name].’ The person with the toy will then pass it to someone else in the class.
• Add a simple physical activity to the naming ritual – for example, students stand in the circle and lift their arms high as they say their name. Then everyone echoes their name while also raising their arms high as if in a big cheer.
Lesson Five: Blue Zone
Learning Intention: We are learning to identify what emotions I might feel in the blue zone.
Ask the following:
How might we feel in the Blue Zone?
What does the blue zone look like?
Watch: Toy Story 2: When she loved me
Read: The Blue Day Book
If I’m in the Blue zone I can: cuddle our pet, ask for some water, have a break, have some quiet time
Students complete The Blue Zone sheet - This is me when I was in the blue zone/here is a tool
The Blue Day Book
Toy Story 2: When she loved me
Lesson Six: Yellow Zone
We are learning to identify what emotions I might feel in the yellow zone.
Learning intention: We are learning about the emotions I might feel if I am in the Yellow Zone and to identify strategies
Ask the following:
How might we feel in the yellow Zone?
What does the yellow zone look like?
What does the yellow zone look like?
Watch: Finding Nemo: First day of school
If I’m in the yellow zone I can : go for a walk, take a timed break, take some deep breaths, have some quiet time
Finding Nemo: First day of school
Lesson Five: We help to keep our bodies safe (R&R)
We are learning to share how we keep our bodies safe at school.
Sit students in a circle. Explain that there are lots of things we can do to help everyone to feel safe in the classroom. Provide an example of an action, for example, saying hello. Invite students to add some suggestions. Acknowledge and reinforce students’ contributions and invite or provide examples of how the suggestion might work as an action.
2. Point out, ‘Because there are a lot of people in the one room, we need ways to make sure that we help to keep our bodies safe. To help us think about that, we are going to play a game.’
Say to students, ‘Imagine we are each sitting inside a bubble. Our own bubble is the little bit of space all around each of us. We are going to practise walking around, very carefully, so
we don’t bump into anyone and burst their bubble.’
3. Arrange for students to practise this. Ask students to stand up and walk slowly making sure they protect their bubble and other
students’ bubbles by looking carefully to avoid bumping. Consider asking students to start in slow motion if they are finding this challenging.
4. Once students are seated again, ask them what they did to make sure they did not burst anyone’s bubble. Provide positive feedback on the actions they took, for example, looking around, noticing other people, being careful about what they did with their own body, and not moving so fast that they could not manage this.
Lesson Seven: Red Zone
Learning intention: We are learning about the emotions I might feel if I am in the Red Zone
Discuss
How might we feel in the red zone?
What does the red zone look like?
When I’m in the red zone, I can: talk about your problem with someone, take a break, count to ten slowly
Lesson Two: I know all of the zones
Learning intention: We are learning to match emotions to a zone colour
Review powerpoint used over previous weeks. Complete a modelled activity of the emotions
Lesson Six: We help to make a safe and happy class (R&R)
Sit students in a circle. Explain that there are lots of things we can do to help everyone to feel happy in the classroom and help them to work well. Provide an example of an action you
have seen students take, for example, ‘I saw you taking turns with the paints today, and I heard you inviting someone to join in.’
2. Encourage students to name some actions that people can take to help make others feel happy to be in the class. Acknowledge their contributions and invite or provide examples of how the suggestion might work as an action. Examples include being kind, encouraging others to join in and taking turns.
3. Ask students to name some actions that help people to try their best and to learn well in class. An example action is ‘The class starts listening when I ask.’ Encourage students to name some actions they can take to help the class learn well together. Examples include waiting your turn, putting your hand up and
asking for help when you are not sure about something.
4. Aim to positively frame suggestions made in the negative. For example, illustrate that ‘not being mean on purpose’ could look and sound like being kind, taking turns or sharing.
Activity: Make “When in Prep C/F/P” Values poster
INQUIRY
Lesson Eight: Recognising when my zone has changed
Learning Intention: We are learning to recognise emotions when we are playing outside
Teacher talks about how it feels to play with friends, on towers, having lots of fun things to do (happy, excited, energetic) Ask students if they feel this too. Talk about how it feels when you don’t have someone to play with, when you don’t know where to go, or are alone (sad, lonely, unsure). When we are feeling these sad emotions we need to know where some friends are to play with, and if we need someone looking like this, we need to play with them! Talk about Where I am Playing chart, and how to use this to find friends each day.
Give students cut up pictures of the school. Ask them to become detectives and find the areas of the school on their picture. Discuss if this is a hat area or a non hat area.
WELLBEING
Review previous sequence and select a topic based on cohort needs.
(push in chairs, safely coming to line up, transition from specialist, social story for packing bags)
Lesson Nine: Pre expert lesson
Learning Intention: We are learning to be an expert in being safe at school.
Teacher to hold a circle time and ask students what they are good at, at school. Do you know where the library is? Do you know what to do if your friend gets hurt? Facilitate a discussion around what they are good at. Get students to draw something that they are good at (must be at school).
Lesson Ten: Recording
Learning Intention: We are learning to show us being an expert in being safe.
Record a video of each student being an expert in something safe at school. Eg. Washing hands, school tour, bringing a drink bottle, what the zones are etc. Students get to pick what they want to be an expert in.
Create a class video of all the experts.
Pick some students to speak at assembly to share what they were an expert with.
Resources: