The Power of Smiles

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Overview

Year Level: Year 2
Subject: Health and Physical Education
Duration: 50 minutes
Class Size: 22 students
Curriculum Focus:
Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (Version 9.0)
Strand: Personal, Social and Community Health
Content Description (ACPPS020):
Recognise situations and opportunities to promote health, safety and wellbeing.

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand how a positive attitude and smiling can influence others’ feelings.
• Reflect on how they can use smiling and kind words to support others in social situations.
• Engage in a classroom discussion about empathy, kindness, and emotional wellbeing.
• Create a visual reminder (smiley face sticker) of how they can brighten someone’s day.
• Record a personal reflection on how they can use their smile in real life.

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Success Criteria

Students will:

✅ Contribute to class discussion about the story
✅ Identify moments when smiling can support others
✅ Create their own “Positive Smile” sticker
✅ Record a meaningful reflection in their journals

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Resources

• Little Miss Sunshine by Roger Hargreaves – 1 copy (big book format if possible)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Butcher’s paper and coloured markers
• Yellow circle cut-outs (approx. 10cm diameter) — enough for each student
• Black markers and sticker dots
• Student reflection journals or A5 paper
• Pencils and colouring pencils

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Lesson Structure

⏱ Introduction – 10 minutes

Welcome circle:

Gather students on the classroom mat. Use a calm, friendly tone and say:

“Today, we’re going to learn about how something as simple as a smile can help ourselves and others feel better. Smiles are powerful – they don’t only show people how we feel, they can also help someone else who might not be feeling good.”

Ask:

• “Can anyone think of a time when someone smiled at you and it cheered you up?”

Transition: Let students know you'll be reading a story to explore this idea further.

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📚 Story Time – 10 minutes

Read the book: Little Miss Sunshine by Roger Hargreaves

Before reading:

“This story is set in a place where nobody is allowed to smile or laugh. Let’s listen carefully and think about how one character, Little Miss Sunshine, might change that.”

Tips for engagement:

• Use expressive voice and facial expressions when reading
• Pause to look at student reactions when key moments happen (e.g. when everyone in Miseryland starts smiling)

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💬 Guided Discussion – 10 minutes

Facilitated discussion on the mat using open-ended questions and visual prompts (e.g. storybook illustrations).

Discussion Questions:

1. How did Little Miss Sunshine change the people of Miseryland?
   • Encourage answers about laughter spreading, positive energy, and being brave by being positive.
2. How do you feel when someone smiles at you?
   • Ask students to close their eyes and remember a time someone smiled at them.
3. How can we use our smiles to brighten other people's days?
   • Link to peers, school staff, family, and even strangers.

Activity: “Smile Moments” Brainstorm

On the whiteboard or butcher’s paper, draw a giant smiley face and write around it:

When can a smile help?

Students brainstorm real-life examples. Prompt with scenarios:

• Meeting someone for the first time
• Helping someone who’s shy or new
• Saying something hard
• Comforting someone feeling sad
• Showing love or care

Optional: Use role-play or freeze-frames with 4–5 volunteers to act out these examples quickly, inviting the rest to guess what’s happening in each scenario.

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🎨 Activity – 10 minutes

Smiley Face Sticker Creation

Give each student a yellow circle cut-out.

Students:

• Draw their happiest smiley face using a black marker
• Add a positive word or phrase to it (e.g. “You’re special”, “I care”, "Smile today!")
• Place a sticker dot on the back to make it a motivational “pass-it-on” smiley

Optional: Stick them on students’ shirts or classroom "Positivity Wall"

Teacher note: While they draw, play gentle background music (e.g. birds chirping or water sounds) to create a calm, happy environment.

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📝 Reflection Journal – 10 minutes

In their journals, students complete the following prompt:

Today I learnt that a smile can...

I will try to use my smile to help others when...

Early finishers can draw a picture of them smiling/helping in the moment they described.

Teacher tip: Prompt students who need help by writing sentence starters on the board.

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Differentiation

• Support:

  • Pair EAL/D or lower ability students with peers for the brainstorm
  • Provide visuals during discussion
  • Use sentence stems during journal writing

• Extension:

  • Encourage complex sentence structures in their reflection (e.g., “Although I felt nervous, I smiled and said hello because...”)
  • Students write a short letter or card with a smiley and make a “positivity postbox” in class

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation: Students’ engagement during discussion and participation in brainstorming
• Work Samples: Smiley sticker and journal entry
• Anecdotal Notes: Record students who show empathetic understanding or strong oral contributions

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Cross-Curriculum Priorities & General Capabilities

• General Capability: Personal and Social Capability
• Literacy: Listening and comprehension during story time
• Critical and Creative Thinking: Planning how to use smiles positively
• Ethical Understanding: Understanding impact of words and actions on others

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Conclusion

Wrap-Up Circle: Gather students on the mat to share smiley stickers with peers or show them to the group. Ask:

“Who will you use your smile to help today?”

Celebrate the idea: "You never know how much your smile can mean to someone else!"

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Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• Did students connect emotionally with the story?
• Did they engage in meaningful discussion and reflection?
• How might the concept of emotional wellbeing through positive behaviours (like smiling) be extended in future lessons?

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How to extend next time: Introduce gratitude journals, peer compliments sessions, or kindness chains in future well-being units.

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Let’s keep the sunshine going! ☀️