Year Level

Year 3 (ages 8-9) — Small group of 5 students with additional needs, focusing on social skills

Subject

Health — Social and emotional learning

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Understand what the Wise Owl (prefrontal cortex) is and how it helps our brain grow.
• Learn how the Wise Owl helps us make good choices, solve problems, and stay calm.
• Practice strategies to use our Wise Owl when feeling big emotions.

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Success Criteria

• I can explain what the Wise Owl does in my brain.
• I can name at least one way the Wise Owl helps me in everyday life.
• I can practise a calming or thinking strategy to “grow my Wise Owl.”
• I can use the Wise Owl to make a better choice when I have a problem.

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Australian Curriculum Links

• Health and Physical Education / Personal, social and community health
• Content description: AC9HP4P02 — Plan, rehearse and reflect on strategies to cope with changes and transitions, including problem-solving and mindfulness to manage emotions.
• General capabilities: Personal and social capability, focusing on self-awareness and self-management through emotional regulation and problem-solving.
• Emphasis on empathy, respect, and understanding emotions aligns with managing social situations in a small group setting.

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Lesson Duration

20 minutes

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Lesson Overview & Timing

Time	Activity	Details & Purpose
0-3 min	Introduction: Meet the Wise Owl	Show a large colourful image or puppet of a Wise Owl representing the prefrontal cortex. Briefly explain what the Wise Owl is and where it lives in our brain. Use simple language and visuals to engage and pique curiosity. Remind that Wise Owl helps us think clearly, make good choices, solve problems, and stay calm.
3-7 min	Story Time: The Wise Owl Helps Me	Read or tell a short story about a child encountering a problem or big emotion, and how they use their Wise Owl to help them calm down and think before acting. Focus on concrete examples relevant to small group social skills. Ask questions: “What did the Wise Owl do?” “How did it help the child make a good choice?” Encourage discussion.
7-13 min	Interactive Brain Map Activity	Using a simple large brain diagram on the board or paper, ask students to ‘find’ where the Wise Owl lives (front part of the brain). Stick pictures or drawings representing emotions, problems, and calming tools around the Wise Owl area. Discuss how Wise Owl helps us “pause, breathe, and think.” Include Zones of Regulation colours linked to the brain part to reinforce previous learning.
13-18 min	Calming Strategy Practice: Grow Your Wise Owl	Guide students to practise at least one calming or thinking strategy that helps grow their Wise Owl, e.g., deep belly breathing, counting to five, or positive self-talk. Use short, guided, and multi-sensory techniques suited for students with additional needs. Provide visual cues and a rhythm (e.g., breathing in for 4 counts, out for 4). Repeat twice.
18-20 min	Wrap-Up and Reflect: Wise Owl in My Life	Circle time reflection: each student names one way their Wise Owl helped them this week or could help in the future. Link back to making better choices and solving problems. Praise their efforts to use their Wise Owl. Reinforce success criteria.

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Resources Needed

• Large picture or puppet of a Wise Owl
• Simple storybook or scripted story about Wise Owl
• Large laminated brain diagram or poster
• Pictures/icons for emotions and coping strategies (Zones of Regulation colours)
• Visual cue cards for calming strategies
• Comfortable seating for a circle/group

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Observe students’ participation in discussion and story comprehension (can they explain what Wise Owl does?).
• Performance: Watch for students practising calming strategies and able to describe one way Wise Owl helps them.
• Reflection: Students’ ability to verbally name a Wise Owl behaviour or strategy during wrap-up.

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Differentiation & Support

• Use clear, simple language with repetition and visual supports.
• Encourage one-on-one prompts or modelling during calming practices.
• Provide sensory tools (stress balls, visuals) to aid focus.
• Celebrate small successes and encourage peer support.

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Teacher Notes

• This small group setting is ideal to personalise pacing and response.
• Link new knowledge explicitly to familiar frameworks like Zones of Regulation and Grow Your Mind to increase retention.
• Use positive reinforcement to build confidence and a growth mindset about self-regulation.
• This lesson supports personal and social capability by fostering emotional awareness, impulse control, and problem-solving skills—foundations for lifelong wellbeing.

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Summary

This highly engaging and age-appropriate lesson plan equips Year 3 students with an understanding of their brain’s ‘Wise Owl’ and practical strategies to manage emotions and challenges. It is tightly aligned with the Australian Curriculum v9 for Health and Physical Education, focussing on personal and social capabilities to empower students, especially those with additional needs, to grow their self-regulation and problem-solving skills in everyday life.