What Makes a Friend?

Overview

In this first lesson of the Friendship and Feelings unit, students explore the qualities that help friendships feel safe, fair and enjoyable. They co-create expectations for respectful discussion, sort friendship qualities, build a “friendship tree” and practise responding to helpful and unhelpful behaviours through role-play.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify qualities of a good friend.
• WALT explain why friendship qualities matter.
• WALT use respectful words, listening and turn-taking when discussing relationships.
• WALT recognise helpful and unhelpful friendship behaviours.

Success criteria

• I can name at least three positive friendship qualities.
• I can give an example of what each quality looks or sounds like.
• I can explain why a friendship quality matters.
• I can take turns and use respectful language during group activities.

Curriculum links

• Relationships — developing strategies through critical thinking, respectful discussion and empathy to build inclusive, respectful relationships.
• Relationships — adapting verbal and non-verbal communication to suit different contexts, cultures and personal experiences.
• Key Competencies — relating to others; participating and contributing; managing self.
• Health and PE — understanding how choices and behaviours influence relationships and wellbeing.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and hook. Teacher displays the question “What helps a friendship grow?” using the opening question slide, explains that students may pass if they do not wish to share a personal example, and gathers quick responses. Students think quietly, then share one idea with a partner.

2. 5–10 min · Group agreements. Teacher uses the respectful discussion slide to introduce listening, taking turns, using names respectfully and disagreeing with ideas rather than people. With the six students, co-create three or four agreements and record them where everyone can see; the teacher aide models sentence starters such as “I agree because…” and “I have another idea…”. Students suggest, discuss and agree to the class expectations.

3. 10–19 min · Friendship-quality sort. Teacher introduces the picture and word cards in the Friendship Skills Picture Cards and reads each caption aloud. Students work as a group to sort cards into “helps a friendship”, “sometimes depends” and “does not help a friendship”, explaining their choices; teacher prompts with “What might this look like?” and “How could it make someone feel?” Use the friendship qualities sorting prompt to keep the categories visible. Clarify qualities such as kindness, listening, taking turns, including others, honesty and saying sorry.

4. 19–29 min · Friendship tree. Teacher pairs students thoughtfully and distributes the Friendship Tree worksheet. Model one example: a quality on a branch, an observable action on a leaf and a reason the quality matters as the roots. Students add at least three qualities, an example for each and a reason, using partner talk before writing. Invite pairs to share one branch with the group and connect ideas to empathy and inclusion.

5. 29–40 min · Role-play helpful choices. Teacher selects age-appropriate situations from the Friendship Skills Scenario Cards and uses the role-play instructions slide to model a short scenario without naming real classmates. In pairs or groups of three, students act out one unhelpful behaviour, pause, then replay it with a helpful response. Possible behaviours include leaving someone out, interrupting, refusing to take turns or responding when someone says sorry. Students identify the friendship quality shown and explain how the changed behaviour could affect each person. The teacher aide supports turn-taking and models language such as “Would you like to join us?”, “Can I have a turn next?” and “I’m sorry. How can I fix it?”

6. 40–45 min · Review and exit check. Teacher returns to the review and exit-question slide and asks students to complete the sentence, “A good friend is ___ because ___.” Each student names one quality and gives an example orally or on the bottom of the Friendship Tree worksheet. Students self-check against the success criteria and identify one friendship skill they will practise.

Resources

• the Friendship and Feelings lesson deck
• the Friendship Tree worksheet
• the Friendship Skills Picture Cards
• the Friendship Skills Scenario Cards
• Board or large paper for group agreements
• Pens, pencils and coloured pencils
• Large-print copies, uncluttered text and coloured overlays if helpful
• Timer

Assessment

• Listen during the card sort for students who can name a quality and explain its effect on another person; record brief notes for each student.
• Check friendship trees for at least three positive qualities, a concrete example of each and an explanation of why each matters.
• During role-play and the exit check, assess whether students can distinguish helpful from unhelpful behaviour and suggest respectful language or action.

Differentiation

• Support understanding with picture/word cards, read-aloud instructions, teacher modelling, partner talk and sentence starters: “A good friend…”, “This matters because…” and “A helpful response is…”.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly large print, a clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, uncluttered text and coloured overlays where helpful; accept oral responses or scribing instead of requiring extensive writing.
• Pair students strategically and allow rehearsal before sharing. The teacher aide facilitates turn-taking, quietly prompts participation and models respectful language.
• For extension, students rank their three friendship qualities from most to least important, then justify the order using an example and explain whether the ranking might change in a different context.