Stress Management - Stressors (RR Page 46)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12GKV0FgCbEBYWM5SxUqaHvc_oEn2lQhS/view?usp=sharing
Hook/Mini lesson:
Teacher explains that the focus of this activity will be on understanding the sorts of things that make people feel stressed, and the way in which different places or contexts provide different kinds of stressors.
Students work in pairs to write a definition of the word stress on mini whiteboards. Teacher collects and discusses their definitions and the class creates a final class definition on the board.
Teacher to ensure that students are aware that stress is what a person feels when they are worried or feeling uncomfortable about something challenging in their environment. Stress can be positive. People can be excited and engaged by challenging situations. But we more commonly use the word stress to refer to the negative feelings we have about the challenges we experience. Stress can be a response to one single challenging experience, or it can be the build up over time of lots of smaller or long lasting challenges.
Independent learning:
Divide students into groups of four and give them a location (home, classroom, playground, sports ground, neighbourhood).
In their group the students brainstorm the types of situations that could happen in that location to make a person feel stressed.
Class comes back to the floor and a volunteer representing each location shares five items from their group brainstorm. Teacher to write the stressors on the board.
Groups then go and brainstorm ways that they could manage or reduce these stressors.
Reflection:
Students collaboratively discuss and share their strategies to manage these stressors.
Stress Management - Lifting the mood (RR Page 49)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12GKV0FgCbEBYWM5SxUqaHvc_oEn2lQhS/view?usp=sharing
Hook/Mini lesson:
Students terms that relate to the word 'diversity'.
Teacher highlights that the aim of the lesson today is to build a sense of community amongst students and practise making connections with other people. Teacher explains to the class that they are going to practise a collaborative game
Called ‘Anyone who…’ for the purpose of mood lifting and support.
Independent/Collaborative learning:
To play the 'Anyone who... game', seat students on chairs arranged in a circle (remove any spare chairs). The teacher stands in the centre of the circle. S/he does not have a chair. The teacher calls out, ‘Anyone who....’ and adds some information (for example: ‘Anyone who likes ice cream’). When s/he calls the category, all players of that category must move to a different chair (all those who like ice cream must leave their chairs and find a different chair). At this time the teacher will rush to a chair and the last person left without a chair will make the next call in the game. The next person will then make a new call (for examples/he might say: ‘Anyone who came here on a bicycle’). Then all those who came on a bicycle must swap to new seats.
Play a few rounds of the game. By this time the class will be sitting in a mixed arrangement and some differences and similarities will have been noted. Ask students what key messages they see in this game that might be relevant to the lesson focus on personal strengths and dealing with differences in opinion.
Reflection:
Come together as a class to summarise what the purpose of the activity was. Teacher must highlight that diversity is a strength. Different people bring different ideas and strengths. We need to understand that people can prefer different ways to cope with stress, and what one person finds stressful another might enjoy.
Stress Management and Wellbeing in highschool: Coping strategies
Hook/Mini lesson:
Students are asked the question:
How will our wellbeing habits change in highschool? Class brainstorms together.
Teacher manages a discussion about the difference between how a student may use stress management strategies such as a brain break in primary school and how this may vary in highschool. Students are expected to become more resilient and self-initiate managing their emotional responses and stress levels.
Independent learning:
Students work in pairs on Canva to create a poster as a resource for students transitioning from Grade 6 to Year 7 that includes a variety of strategies that they could use to effectively manage stress. Students consider using age appropriate strategies and come up with original and creative ideas that may not have been previously discussed. This might include listening to music, journalling, outside of school activities/commitments,
Reflection:
Students share their poster with the class.
Cultural diversity
Hook/Mini lesson:
Teacher writes on the board: "What does ‘culture’ mean to you?".
Students write down their individual answers on their own mini whiteboard. Teacher then notes down student responses on the collaborative class whiteboard.
Introduce the term cultural diversity:
"Cultural diversity refers to the variety of cultural or ethnic groups in a society. These cultures include language, traditions, food, religion, and more."
The teacher highlights that, as highschools often have a larger amount of students, it is likely that you will encounter and be exposed to a wider variety of different people and cultures.
Ask students to share a tradition or food from their own family. Eg. Christmas, Ramadan, Sunday roast, weekly family dinner etc.
Independent learning:
Students get into groups of 3. Students use the random country picker wheel to select a country for their group. https://pickerwheel.com/tools/random-country-generator/
Students are to research their selected country and note down 3 different cultural practices or traditions of that country in their learning journal. No two groups may research the same country.
Reflection:
Student groups come together as a class to share the findings of their cultural research from their selected country. Class identifies similarities and differences between different cultures and discusses how to be respectful and open to learning about these varying cultural traditions and/or practices.
Co-existing in highschool
Hook/Mini lesson:
Teacher begins a discussion with students surrounding the topic of co-existing with our peers in highschool. Teacher comments on the fact that the highschool experience includes attending a variety of classes throughout the day and coming into contact with a range of different people.
Class brainstorms and discusses the following key questions.
What does it mean to be polite?
What are some synonyms for the word ‘polite’?
What does it mean to be impolite?
What are some synonyms for the word ‘impolite’?
Independent learning:
Students are to partner up with another person that is attending the same school as them next year and answer the following questions utilising their highschool’s website.
How many Grade 6’s are there at Knox Park Primary School this year?
How many Year 7’s attend your high school this year?
How many students are there at your high school in total this year?
What are the values of your high school?
What is your high school’s mission statement?
Reflection:
Students find another group that has researched the same school as them and pair up. They compare and discuss their answers with the other group. Teacher instigates a discussion with the class about the resilience that will be required to communicate and co-exist with all other students at the school and how this aligns with the value of each school.
Creating diverse friendship in highschool
Hook/Mini lesson:
Students are posed with the following question:
What are the main challenges of transitioning to high school?
Teacher instigates leading the class to the idea that this transition process revolves a lot around building new and diverse friendships and highlights that this will be the focus of the lesson.
Class brainstorms terminology on the board that relates to a successful friendship. Class then adds terminology that relates to first impressions. Teacher discusses how first impressions and interactions with someone do not completely reflect how a friendship may turn out, however it is important to ensure that you are attempting to have a positive interaction with someone upon first meeting them.
Independent learning:
In a small group, students create a 1 minute skit about how one might spark a friendship with someone new. After a few minutes, each group will be secretly told that they are either presenting a ‘successful’ way to create a friendship. Students are reminded that they must keep the skits appropriate.
Reflection:
Students share their skits with the class and the audience is to guess whether their skit demonstrated a ‘successful’ friendship starter or an ‘unsuccessful’ friendship starter. Why? Why not? How?
What does a day in Year 7 look like?
Hook/Mini lesson:
Teacher instigates a conversation amongst the class about what they believe Year 7 looks like surrounding the following key questions.
What time do you think that school starts?
What are learning sessions called?
Do you stay with your home group class for the entire day?
Do you think that Year 7 is similar to Year 12? Why/why not?
Independent learning:
Students write a text about what they predict it might be to live a day in the life of Year 7. They may choose to write in any style they like. This may include poetry, a diary entry, a song, an email, a letter etc.
Reflection:
Students share their writing with at least one peer and writing is sighted by the teacher at the end of the lesson.
Practice Year 7 Day
Refer to timetable document https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FbwGskDhPEYyoyyTSPR9H2kBcr3crpfS/edit
Reflections on Practice Year 7 Day
Hook/Mini lesson:
Students sit in a circle and the teacher initiates a discussion about the Year 7 practice day - sharing how they believed it went. Teacher shares what they predicted it may look like and then discusses how it actually turned out. Rather than students sharing their experiences in a discussion, they are prompted to go on with the independent activity and reminded that the class will come together at the end to discuss.
Independent learning:
Reread your text about what you predicted a day in the life of Year 7 to look like. Answer the following questions in full sentences.
What were some similarities between the practice day and your prediction text?
What were some differences between the practice day and your prediction text?
What did you enjoy about the practice day?
What was challenging about the practice day?
Do you think this was a realistic practice day? Why/why not?
Include any other thoughts that you may have about the day.
Reflection:
Class comes together in a circle on the floor to discuss the different kinds of answers that were given during independent learning time. Comparisons are made and conclusions are drawn. Teacher supports any student concerns and clarifies any misconceptions.
Year 6 Reflections
Hook/Mini lesson:
Teacher initiates a class discussion about the success of this year. Students collaboratively create a brainstorm on the whiteboard, noting down words that relate to this year. Eg. Production, Winter Sports, Blackout, Swimming Week, Electives etc.
Independent learning:
Students are to create a Google Slides or Canva presentation about your Year 6 experience. Include the following information:
3 challenges from this year
3 highlights from this year
3 things you have learnt about yourself this year
3 things you have learnt about your peers this year
Reflection:
Students are given a longer reflection time in this session where they are given the opportunity to share their reflection presentation with their peers either to the whole class or peer-to-peer.
Year 6 celebrations
Grade 6 Big Day Out
Students enjoy an excursion to the movies in the second last week of school.