My Special Place

Overview

Lesson 6 of 16 – "Exploring Our Special Places"
Year Level: Foundation (Prep)
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 20 students
Curriculum Area: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
Version: Australian Curriculum V9

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Australian Curriculum Links

History – Foundation
Strand: Knowledge and Understanding
Sub-strand: My personal world – Families, communities and places

• ACHASSK017: The places people live in and belong to, their familiar features and why they are important to people.

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Lesson Focus

Students consolidate learning from previous lessons by sharing their personal understanding of ‘special places’ through a simple, manageable homework activity. This lesson encourages oral language development, empathy, identity and connections to home, while addressing familiar places in a way that's engaging and age-appropriate.

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Learning Intentions

• I can describe a place that is special to me at home.
• I can explain why this place is special.
• I can listen respectfully while others share.

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Success Criteria

• I drew or wrote about a special place at home.
• I shared my picture or writing with the class.
• I listened carefully to my classmates' ideas.

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Preparation & Resources

Minimal preparation required.

Teacher needs:

• Visual schedule (optional)
• Carpet space for a group circle
• Display sheets or one large classroom display: “Our Special Places at Home”
• ‘Magic microphone’ (real or imaginary) to support turn-taking

Students need (to complete prior to class):

• A simple homework task to:
  ➤ Draw a picture of their special place at home
  ➤ Write (or dictate to a parent) one sentence about why it’s special
  ➤ Bring it to school for sharing

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Differentiation Support

• Provide sentence starters or symbols for EAL/D and lower-literacy students
• Class buddy or teacher aide can assist with scribing in-session if needed
• Limit sharing time per student to allow focused, lower-pressure contributions
• Allow expressive alternatives: the option for students to act out or show using body or toys if shy

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Teaching and Learning Sequence

1. Welcome & Connection Circle (10 mins)

Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and foster community.

• Gather students in a circle on the floor
• Gently remind them of what we’ve been learning – what a special place is and how different families live in different kinds of homes
• Use a plush toy or ‘magic microphone’ to pass around
• Prompt: “Can you share ONE thing that makes being at home special for you?”

Tip: Encourage listening skills by playing a simple body cue game e.g. “Hands in your lap, eyes on the speaker”

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2. Sharing Our Homework (25 mins)

Purpose: Develop communication, oral language and connections with peers

Instructions:

• Invite each child to bring their picture to the front
• Offer them a choice:
  • Share alone
  • Share with the teacher’s help
  • Let a peer share for them

Prompt questions:

• “What is your special place?”
• “Why do you love it?”
• “What do you do there?”

Group management tip:

• Divide into two groups of 10 if helpful, using a puppet and teacher aide, or alternate sitting and standing to keep engagement high
• Encourage clapping politely after each child shares

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3. Reflection and Classroom Display (10 mins)

Purpose: Promote community pride and reinforce key concepts

• As students finish sharing, attach their drawings to a community poster or “Our Special Places at Home” display
• Invite students to look at the display and make comments:
  ➤ “What do you notice?”
  ➤ “What’s the same or different compared to your special place?”
• Use praise that celebrates diversity and affirms individual experiences
  ➤ “Isn’t it lovely that we all have such different special places?”

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Optional Extensions (No Prep Needed)

• Students can act out an activity they do in their special place
• Use puppets or soft toys to 'visit' or role-play being in different student places
• Add student drawings to your prayer table or create a prayer that celebrates our homes

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Assessment Opportunities

Formative – Observe:

• Can students verbally describe a place and explain its significance?
• Are they beginning to see sameness and difference in peer experiences?

Record anecdotal notes or quick codes during sharing for:

• Oral language confidence
• Contribution willingness
• Understanding of “special place”

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Catholic School Links

• This activity strengthens identity, belonging and gratitude—a foundation for recognising God’s presence in our everyday lives.
• Consider linking to a children's Bible story such as the 'Lost Sheep' or 'Jesus Visits Mary and Martha' to support the idea of home and belonging.

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Notes for Next Lesson

Use this work as a springboard for mapping special places at home and in our local community. In the next lesson, students can group ideas into 'inside' and 'outside' places or look for similarities.

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Time-Saving Tip

Collect and store completed drawings the day before the lesson so you can quickly display them for use during the reflection phase!

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Wrap-Up Script (Optional)

"Thank you, everyone, for sharing such wonderful stories today! Doesn’t it feel special to know we each have a place that helps us feel safe, calm, or happy? Just like God made each of us different and special, we all have special places that help us feel loved. Let’s whisper a big thank you to those places in our hearts." 🙏

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This lesson encourages empathy, communication and connection, while remaining low-prep and developmentally appropriate.