Choosing Kindness

Overview

This 60-minute lesson focuses on teaching Year 5 students about the importance of kindness in and outside of school, specifically through physical education (PE). It aligns with the "Personal, Social and Community Health" strand of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education for Year 5, focusing on fostering personal and social capability. Students will engage in activities to understand, demonstrate, and reflect on kindness in sports and everyday life.

Learning Objectives

• Understand what kindness means and looks like in various situations.
• Identify and practice examples of kindness in sports.
• Reflect on scenarios to determine kind actions and words.

Resources Needed

• Cones for marking boundaries
• A whiteboard and markers
• Printed scenario cards
• A soft ball for group activities
• Reflection worksheets

Lesson Structure

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Welcome and Warm-up

   • Begin with a simple warm-up: jogging around the gym, interspersed with stretches.
   • Gather students in a circle and introduce the topic: "Today, we're going to learn about choosing kindness in sports and daily life."

2. Discussion

   • Ask students: "What does kindness mean to you?" jot down their thoughts on the whiteboard.
   • Highlight the importance of kindness in creating a supportive and positive environment, citing examples from the Australian Curriculum’s emphasis on personal and social capabilities.

Main Activity (40 minutes)

3. Kindness in Action: Relay Activity (15 minutes)

   • Set up a relay course using cones.
   • Divide the class into teams of four.
   • Explain the rules: Each student must complete their leg of the relay by showing an act of kindness, such as cheering on teammates or high-fiving other teams.
   • Emphasise positive reinforcement and recognition of kind acts during the activity.

4. Scenario Role-play (15 minutes)

   • Distribute scenario cards depicting different sports situations (e.g., a teammate falls, another student is left out, etc.).
   • In groups of four, students role-play their scenarios, brainstorming and acting out kind responses.
   • Rotate roles to ensure all students experience different situations.

5. Class Discussion (10 minutes)

   • Facilitate a class-wide discussion about the role-plays.
   • Ask guiding questions, such as: "How did it feel to be kind?", "What did you learn from seeing others show kindness?"
   • Write down insightful observations and suggestions from students.

Reflection and Conclusion (10 minutes)

6. Personal Reflection

   • Hand out reflection worksheets where students list three kind acts they plan to practice this week.
   • Collect worksheets (or have students keep them) as a reminder of their kindness goals.

7. Closing Circle

   • Gather students for a final circle and summarise the day’s activities, reinforcing the key message that kindness enhances teamwork and sportsmanship.
   • Encourage students to practice kindness both on and off the field, every day.

Assessment

• Observe students’ participation and cooperation during activities.
• Evaluate reflection worksheets for understanding and commitment to practicing kindness.

Extension

• Suggest students create a "Kindness Calendar" to track daily acts of kindness.
• Propose a class project like a "Kindness Wall," where students post acts of kindness they observe in others.

This lesson plan strives to "wow" by blending physical activity with personal growth, using interactive and reflective methods to meet Australian education standards comprehensively.