Personal Strengths Discovery

Year Level

Years 1-2

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

20 students

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

Identify our personal strengths and understand how these strengths help us in different situations.

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Success Criteria

• I can name at least two personal strengths I have.
• I can describe how my strengths help me in my daily life or learning.
• I can appreciate that making mistakes helps me learn and grow.
• I can show respect when listening to other people’s strengths and ideas.

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Curriculum Links

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 – Personal & Social Capability

• VC2PSC01 – Identify personal strengths and describe how they help in different situations
• Respectful Relationships – Encouraging empathy, listening, and valuing others' contributions

Australian Curriculum (v9)

• Personal and Social Capability: Recognise strengths and use them to face challenges and achieve goals.
• Interpersonal Skills: Practise respectful communication and collaboration.

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction: Bee a Learner Story (10 minutes)

• Begin by reading a short, dyslexia-friendly story about a little bee who learns and grows by trying new things and making mistakes.
• Use large, clear font with supportive visuals to assist dyslexic learners.
• Discuss briefly: What does it mean to be a learner? Why is it okay to make mistakes?

2. Identifying Strengths Activity (15 minutes)

• Give each student a “My Strengths” worksheet with pictures and words (dyslexia-friendly font and colours).
• Ask children to think about things they are good at (e.g., drawing, listening, sharing, running).
• Support students with sentence starters on the worksheet: "I am good at...", "This helps me when I..."
• Circulate and assist students who need support, offering one-on-one help as needed.

3. Sharing and Respectful Listening Circle (10 minutes)

• Gather students in a circle.
• Invite each child to share one strength and explain how it helps them.
• Teach and model respectful listening (e.g., looking at the speaker, clapping, quiet hands).
• Emphasise that everyone’s strengths are valued and mistakes help us learn.

4. Reflective Drawing and Writing (8 minutes)

• Invite students to draw a picture of themselves using one of their strengths.
• For students who are more advanced, encourage them to write a sentence about how their strength helps in a specific situation.
• Provide writing frames for those needing support: "I am good at ____. This helps me ____."

5. Conclusion and Positive Affirmation (2 minutes)

• Recap by highlighting that everyone has personal strengths and that learning includes making mistakes.
• Close the lesson by creating a class “Strengths Bee” poster with the words “We Are Learners” and some key strengths shared by the children.

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Differentiation Strategies

For Diverse Learners

• Use visual supports, clear labelling, and picture prompts.
• Pair stronger readers with emerging readers for support.
• Provide sentence starters and writing frames.
• Use repetition and simple language.
• Offer verbal responses instead of writing if needed.

Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

• Encourage these students to create a short story or a comic strip about a time they used one of their strengths to help themselves or someone else.
• Facilitate a peer interview where they ask others about strengths and present findings to the class.

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Assessment

• Observation during sharing and discussions to ensure participation and understanding.
• Review worksheets and drawings for evidence of identifying strengths.
• Check for respectful interaction and listening skills demonstrated during circle time.

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This lesson fosters an early appreciation of personal strengths and resilience through respectful relationships, underpinning the overarching idea that making mistakes is a normal and valuable part of learning.