Belonging and Difference

Overview

In this fourth lesson of What Makes Me, Me?, pupils use characters and situations from The Day You Begin to explore belonging, similarities, difference and exclusion. They identify behaviours that help everyone feel respected, then work collaboratively to create a class “Everyone Belongs” agreement.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• recognise that people may have different cultures, families, beliefs, abilities and interests;
• explain how inclusive and excluding behaviours can affect feelings and wellbeing;
• identify respectful ways to respond when someone feels left out;
• contribute ideas to a shared agreement about belonging and respect.

Success criteria

• I can describe ways people may be similar and different.
• I can identify behaviour that includes or excludes others.
• I can explain how exclusion might make someone feel.
• I can suggest a respectful action that helps everyone belong.

Curriculum links

• Relationships Education (Primary) — Being Safe: understanding that each person’s body and identity belong to them, and recognising appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
• Primary health and wellbeing — Developing bodies: recognising and respecting personal boundaries and differences.
• Health and wellbeing: understanding links between physical and mental health and seeking support when something is not right.
• Sex Education (Primary): recognising and respecting diversity as part of healthy relationships and personal development.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and safe space. Teacher opens with the hook and learning intention slides, reminds pupils that nobody has to share personal experiences, and establishes discussion rules: listen, do not interrupt, use respectful language and discuss characters rather than classmates. Students complete a silent think: “What helps a person feel that they belong?”

2. 5–13 min · Story connection. Teacher revisits selected moments from The Day You Begin using the story discussion slides, focusing on characters who feel different or left out and the ways shared experiences create connection. Ask: “What might the character be thinking or feeling?”, “What is similar or different about the characters?” and “What could another person do to help?” Students discuss with a partner, using “I noticed…” and “I think… because…” to support explanations.

3. 13–23 min · Inclusive or excluding? Teacher introduces the terms inclusive (welcoming and making space for others) and excluding (leaving someone out or making them feel unwelcome). Display the situations on the behaviour sorting slides one at a time: a child is invited to join a game; someone laughs at another person’s accent; a group changes rules so a pupil using a wheelchair can take part; a child says, “You cannot join us because your family is different”; a pupil asks respectfully about a celebration or belief. Students show an agreed signal for inclusive, excluding or “it depends”, then justify their choice. Emphasise that curiosity should be respectful and that nobody must explain private information.

4. 23–33 min · Create an agreement. Teacher places pupils in six groups of five and distributes the belonging and difference planning sheet. Each group completes three sections: “Everyone should…”, “We must not…”, and “If someone is left out, we can…”. Encourage ideas covering cultures, families, beliefs, abilities and interests. Students choose their strongest two or three statements and ensure they are specific, positive and possible to follow. Circulate, checking that wording describes behaviour rather than labelling people.

5. 33–41 min · Share and combine. Teacher uses the agreement-building slides to display a shared question: “What would make this agreement fair and useful for everyone?” Groups read their statements aloud. The class identifies repeated ideas, discusses any unclear wording and combines suggestions into five or six class commitments, such as “We invite others to join in”, “We listen without laughing” and “We ask before helping”. Students suggest respectful revisions and copy the final commitments onto the bottom of their planning sheet.

6. 41–45 min · Reflect and close. Teacher displays the reflection and exit prompt slides and asks pupils to complete: “One inclusive action I can take is…” and “If I notice someone being left out, I can…”. Students write independently, then share with a partner if comfortable. Teacher collects responses and briefly reminds pupils that a trusted adult can help if they feel unsafe, repeatedly excluded or worried about someone else.

Resources

• The Day You Begin and selected pages or remembered story moments
• Belonging and Difference slide deck
• Belonging and Difference planning sheet
• Board or large paper for the final “Everyone Belongs” agreement
• Pens, pencils and highlighters
• Sticky notes or small pieces of paper
• School safeguarding and pastoral support procedures

Assessment

• Listen during partner and whole-class discussion for accurate use of inclusive, excluding, similar and different, and for explanations linked to feelings.
• Review group planning sheets for respectful, specific actions that include different cultures, families, beliefs, abilities and interests.
• Use the final written reflection to assess whether each pupil can suggest an inclusive action and identify how to seek help when exclusion is harmful or persistent.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “This could make someone feel…”, “This is inclusive because…”, and “We can help by…”.
• Offer pupils who need support a choice of emotion words and read the situations aloud; allow drawing or dictation before writing.
• Use mixed-attainment groups with defined roles such as reader, scribe, discussion leader, checker and reporter.
• Challenge pupils to explain why an action might feel different to different people and to improve a vague statement, such as changing “Be kind” to “We invite people to join and listen to their ideas.”
• For EAL pupils, pre-teach key words with simple visuals and accept oral contributions; avoid asking pupils to disclose personal cultural, family or belief information.
• If a pupil discloses bullying, discrimination or feeling unsafe, acknowledge the disclosure calmly, do not investigate publicly, and follow the school’s safeguarding and pastoral procedures.