Respectful Beginnings

Unit: Building Respectful Relationships

Lesson 1 of 12
Year Level: Foundation to Year 2
Duration: 50 minutes
Class Size: 25 students

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

Understand what respectful relationships mean.

Success Criteria

• Students can define respectful relationships in simple terms.
• Students can identify examples of respectful behaviours and relationships.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment (Health and Physical Education, v9)

• Content Descriptor:
  • AC9HP2P02: Identify and explore skills and strategies to develop respectful relationships (Years 1 and 2)
  • AC9HPFP02: Practise personal and social skills to interact respectfully with others (Foundation Year)
• General Capabilities:
  • Personal and Social Capability: Recognising respectful behaviour and empathy
• Elaborations:
  • Identifying characters in texts demonstrating respect and cooperation
  • Identifying behaviours that cause harm or hurt and how to avoid them
  • Using appropriate verbal and non-verbal language
  • Discussing respect towards diverse families and cultural groups
• These are explicitly addressed in the lesson activities and assessments【3:AC9HP2P02.md】【11:AC9HPFP02.md】.

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Lesson Overview

Time	Activity	Description	Resources	Differentiation
0-5 min	Welcome & Introduction	Greet students and introduce lesson focus on respectful relationships. Set class norms about listening and sharing respectfully. Use simple language and visual cues.	Visual cue cards: “Respect”, “Friendship”, “Listen”	Visual aids for all; use clear, dyslexia-friendly fonts
5-15 min	Class Discussion: What Is Respect?	Facilitate whole-class conversation. Ask: "What does respect mean?" Write student responses on whiteboard. Use picture symbols next to words (e.g., shaking hands, helping).	Whiteboard, markers, pictorial icons related to respect	Use pictures for dyslexic learners and those who need additional support
15-25 min	Brainstorming Examples of Respectful Relationships	In small groups (3-4 students), brainstorm respectful behaviours they know or have seen. Each group shares 1-2 examples to add to class whiteboard listing respectful relationship examples.	Whiteboard or large paper, markers	Assign diverse groups to support peer learning; provide sentence starters for emerging writers
25-35 min	Video Viewing: Respectful Relationships in Action	Show 2 short (3-4 minute) videos illustrating respectful friendships and family relationships (animated or real children). After each, ask guided questions to check understanding and elicit examples. Use captioned videos with clear audio and friendly visuals.	Videos pre-selected showing respectful behaviour (no audio-only)	Captions and visual narratives help dyslexic and ESL learners
35-45 min	Reflection & Drawing Activity	Students draw a picture of a respectful relationship they admire (e.g., friends sharing, family helping). Support with visual prompts and storyboards. Optional sentence: “I see respect when…”	Paper, coloured pencils, visual scaffolds	Option to verbalise instead of writing for early writers; use large lined paper for handwriting support
45-50 min	Exit Task: Share Your Thought	Each student shares their drawing and says one way people can show respect. Teacher records key phrases on whiteboard as affirmation.	Whiteboard, markers	Allow oral sharing; provide sentence stems like “I show respect by...”

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Detailed Activity Breakdown

1. Welcome & Introduction (5 min)

• Begin with warm, inclusive greeting.
• Use simple definitions: "Respect means being kind and listening to others." Use a visual chart showing big smiley faces to cue positive behaviour.
• Briefly set expectations for respectful listening during the lesson.

2. Class Discussion: What Is Respect? (10 min)

• Encourage children to share what they think respect means. Affirm all contributions.
• Write their ideas on the board with matching pictures for understanding (handshake = friendly, sharing toys = kindness).
• Model respectful listening and turn-taking.

3. Brainstorming: Examples of Respectful Relationships (10 min)

• Split class into small mixed ability groups.
• Each group lists 2-3 respectful actions or relationships they know.
• Groups share examples with whole class.
• Teacher lists examples like “sharing”, “helping”, “listening”, “including everyone”.

4. Video Viewing (10 min)

• Show accessible videos depicting respectful interactions among children and families.
• After each video, ask: “What did you notice? How did people show respect?”
• Highlight key respectful behaviours seen.
• Use captions and pauses for processing.

5. Reflection and Drawing Activity (10 min)

• Children draw a respectful relationship they admire — could be from their family, friends or a story.
• Use sentence starters for those ready: “I see respect when...”.
• Provide visual sentence frames and scaffolds.

6. Exit Task — Sharing (5 min)

• Each child shares their drawing and one respectful action they remember.
• Teacher notes phrases on board to affirm understanding before class ends.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide visual aids, icons, picture cues, and videos with captions to support dyslexic and ESL learners.
• Offer sentence starters and visual sentence frames for children developing writing skills.
• Use paired or small group work to encourage peer support.
• Allow oral responses and drawing instead of writing for emerging writers or students with fine motor challenges.

Extension

• For advanced learners: Write a short paragraph about a respectful relationship they admire from home, a storybook, or cultural example.
• They can illustrate and share with class or digitally record their description with a tablet application.

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Digital Technology Integration

• Use a projector or interactive whiteboard for videos and displaying group ideas.
• If possible, use simple digital drawing tools or apps on tablets for the reflection drawing activity to engage tech-interested students and accommodate varied motor abilities.
• Record student oral reflections on a simple voice recording app as an alternative assessment format.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Observe student participation in discussions and group brainstorming for verbal demonstration of understanding.
• Collect drawings and written sentences to assess recognition of respectful behaviours.
• Use exit task responses to confirm success criteria: ability to define respect and identify examples.
• Provide positive, specific feedback, reinforcing respectful language and behaviour.

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This lesson plan integrates curriculum-aligned content directly from AC9HP2P02 and AC9HPFP02 emphasizing respectful relationships, social skills, and personal and social capabilities, all appropriate for Foundation to Year 2 students as outlined in the Australian Curriculum v9. The lesson scaffold supports engagement through varied, multi-sensory activities that include visual, oral, and written outputs, and includes differentiation for diverse learning needs including dyslexia-friendly strategies, peer collaboration, and digital technology use to inspire both teacher and student engagement.

If continued in the subsequent 11 lessons, this starting framework will build a deep understanding of respect in relationships across contexts and increasingly independent social skills for young learners.

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If you want, I can also provide suggested video topics (without links) or adapt lesson plans for years 3-4 or other health topics.