Practicing Inclusion

Year Level

Year 2

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

25 students

Curriculum Context

This lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum v9, specifically the Personal and Social Capability for Year 2, developing students' understanding of inclusion, empathy, and respectful relationships, which are foundational for positive social interactions and respectful behaviours.

Relevant curriculum content description:

ACPPS021: Practise skills to work collaboratively, including sharing, recognising contributions of others, and responding to ideas
ACPPS022: Identify and practise ways to include others to strengthen relationships
ACPPS023: Recognise and understand emotional responses in themselves and others and use this to develop empathy
ACPPS024: Explore how empathy and ethical decision-making contribute to respectful relationships

These support learning to build inclusive communities and interpersonal skills through role-play, discussion, and cooperative tasks.

Lesson Title

Practicing Inclusion

Lesson Description

Building on the previous lesson on kindness, students will explore and practise inclusion through interactive role-playing activities where they demonstrate inclusive behaviours. They will discuss strategies to invite others to join games and activities, reflecting on how these actions build a supportive, welcoming classroom community. The lesson concludes with a collaborative creative project — designing a 'Friendship Circle' poster to visually represent ways to include everyone.

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Understand what inclusion means and why it is important in our classroom community.
Practise ways to include others in games and activities.
Create a visual representation ('Friendship Circle') that shows ways we can celebrate kindness and inclusion.

Success Criteria

Students will be successful when they can:

Explain what it means to include others in activities.
Actively demonstrate inclusive behaviours through role-plays.
Collaborate with peers to design a 'Friendship Circle' that highlights inclusive actions.
Show respect and empathy towards classmates’ feelings during sharing and discussions.

Lesson Breakdown

Time	Activity	Description	Resources	Differentiation	Extension
0-10 min	Warm-up discussion: What is Inclusion?	Teacher-led discussion and brainstorming: What does inclusion mean? Why do we want to include others? Share simple scenarios about inviting others to play. Use pictorial prompts to support understanding.	Posters with smiley faces, welcoming scenarios images	Use simple language, visual cues and real-life examples to support EAL/D and emerging learners.	Encourage advanced learners to provide examples from previous experiences or community.
10-25 min	Role-playing Inclusive Behaviours	In groups of 4-5, students role-play scenarios where someone is left out of a game. They practise inviting others, sharing, and welcoming behaviours. Teacher models first.	Role-play cards with simple scenario scripts, open space in classroom	Provide sentence starters on cards for students with language or social-emotional needs. Use peer buddies.	Higher level students can write their own role-play scripts or lead their groups.
25-40 min	Group Discussion and Reflection	Groups share what they learnt from role-play. Facilitate guided questions: How did you feel when included or excluded? What can we do to make everyone feel welcome?	Whiteboard/flipchart for notes	Use talking tokens, or provide picture cards for students who find verbal expression challenging.	Invite students to share how inclusion works in their families or communities for deeper reflection.
40-55 min	Collaborative Project: Creating the 'Friendship Circle'	Whole class works together to create a 'Friendship Circle' poster. Students draw or write ways to include others (e.g., inviting to play, sharing toys, listening). Discuss as they create, reinforcing the importance of inclusion.	Large poster board, coloured markers, stickers, pre-cut shapes	Allow alternative recording options (drawing, stickers) for fine motor challenges. Provide dyslexia-friendly fonts if writing.	Advanced learners can write sentences or help design the layout using digital tools if available.
55-60 min	Closure and Affirmation	Review WALT and Success Criteria. Each student shares one way they will include others tomorrow. Positive reinforcement and display poster in the classroom.	Friendship Circle poster displayed	Support expression by allowing drawing or sentence completion.	Challenge advanced learners to suggest inclusive actions for other settings, e.g., playground or lunch.

Differentiation Strategies

Visual Supports: Use picture cards, posters and role-play scenarios with clear images and simple text to support understanding.
Language Support: Provide sentence starters and key vocabulary (e.g., include, invite, share, listen) on cards for students needing assistance with verbal expression.
Peer Support: Pair or group students heterogeneously to support social and language learning.
Multi-modal Expression: Allow students to express ideas through drawing, acting, talking, or writing depending on readiness and preference.

Extension Activities

Have advanced learners script and act out their own ‘inclusion stories’ for teaching younger students.
Invite students to map inclusivity actions around the school (library, playground) and report findings.
Create a digital version of the ‘Friendship Circle’ poster using photos, drawings, and words for a school newsletter or website.

Dyslexia-friendly Considerations

Use dyslexia-friendly fonts and high contrast colours on posters and handouts.
Present information visually and verbally.
Keep sentences short and clear.
Offer oral instructions and check understanding frequently.
Avoid clutter on printed resources to reduce distraction.

Assessment for Learning

Observation of participation and cooperation during role-play activities.
Anecdotal notes on students’ use of inclusive language and behaviours.
Evaluation of the ‘Friendship Circle’ contributions for understanding of inclusion concepts.
Student verbal reflections on the importance and ways of practicing inclusion.

This lesson builds essential social skills aligned with the Personal and Social Capability of the Australian Curriculum v9, fostering empathy, respect, and teamwork among Year 2 students, through engaging, age-appropriate activities that emphasise kindness and inclusion in the school community. The collaborative and reflective approach equips students with practical strategies that support an inclusive classroom culture every day.

Teaching Instructions