Values for a Better Tomorrow
Learning Sequence 2
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Introduction With Gavin
Watch the video with your class and discuss the ideas explained. Talk about this week’s value and ask the children if they know what it means?
Ask questions around why it is important and how it can make our lives better.
The idea behind watching this video is to set the foundations of the weekly value and get the children talking and thinking about it as the week progresses.
This week we will read R.U.O.K and learn all about the power of Compassion.
What is Compassion?
Compassion is when you feel really bad for someone who is having a tough time. It’s like when your friend is really sad and you just want to give them a hug and make them feel better. That’s compassion.
It’s important to remember that everyone has different feelings and experiences, and sometimes people need a little extra love and understanding. If you show compassion to someone who is struggling, it can really help them feel better and not so alone.
Being compassionate is a really kind and caring thing to do, and it can make a big difference in the lives of others.
Quote of the week - Read and Discuss
Each week we will start by reading a quote, talking about what it means to further understand how we can use these words as lessons to learn from.
Read the following quote and discuss it with your class. You may even want to print it out and collate the quotes over the weeks to create a wall of discussion for future research projects.
Read this week’s quote and think about what it means and what we can learn from it to make the world a better place!
You may want to note it down in your notebook and draw a nice picture next to it!
Reading Activity
Read the book alongside your class and discuss the various lessons that we can learn from each of the pages and events within the text.
The text was curated by a primary-aged child, so there may be mistakes and this is expected, but the essence of the activity is to explain to your students that these books are about the message inside. The children who wrote these books did so with the intention to teach others about important values.
Have a discussion with your class about the values they spotted inside this book!
Read the book opposite and have a conversation about each of the pages and discuss what values you think are being taught during the story.
Remember that this book was created by a child and they are hoping that, by reading it, you are going to learn something about living your life to help others feel safe, happy and accepted.
Let’s see what you learn!
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Weekly Comprehension Activity
Read through the task card instructions with your students and make sure that they are aware of all the 4 activities expected of them during this activity.
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Fill in the missing words
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Answer the comprehension questions (in full sentences)
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Define the Keywords in their books
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Plan how they will complete the follow-up activity.
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After reading the book you will now be feeling more inspired and ready to learn more about the values mentioned in this book.
Take a look at the task card opposite and read the instructions carefully. Answer the questions, fill in the missing words and define the keywords before moving on to this week’s activity below.
Create a Buddy Stop (Younger Students)
Allow the children to truly understand how to spot and understand what compassion looks like by creating their very own buddy stop.
The buddy stops allow your children to use executive functions such as time management, persuasive devices and emotive language to develop a system in your playground, where looking out for those who are struggling is just something that we do.
Read through the steps with your class this week and get your buddy Stop established as soon as possible.
Allow your students to get into groups or pairs and discuss the foundations of friendship. From these discussions, the children can use the template provided to design their very own poster on friendship which can be presented to the rest of the class and displayed to teach others about this particular value.
Creating a Buddy Stop
As you know, there are always people on the playground who have nobody to play with. They walk around looking lonely and searching for a friend.
Your job this week is to make a place for them to visit. It’s called ‘A Buddy Stop’ and it is a place on your playground that anyone who is lonely can visit to find a friend (buddy)
Follow the instructions on the task card opposite to create your school buddy stop and put an end to loneliness on your playground today!
Get together with a friend or a group of friends and use the template to help you design a poster on the 8 ways in which other people can be good friends.
Once your poster is complete, you may wish to display this in the classroom so that other people can learn about friendship and how to be a good friend. You may even want to stand in front of the class and present the poster to the rest of the class so that we can all learn from each other.
As a follow-up activity, you may want to make a card for a special friend who has always been there for you. Colour in the card, write some nice words and give it to them to let them know how much you appreciate their friendship.
Kindness is the greatest gift on earth!
Plan a Trip to a Retirement Village (Older Students)
This week your children will start an exciting research project where they will plan a visit to a retirement village (old people’s home).
This will allow them to meet with a group of strangers who will truly appreciate the visit. This week, your children will learn through experience, what compassion looks like and how it feels to help somebody who can never repay you!
Allow your students to take charge in organising the entire trip from the research all the way through to the excursion.
Once they have completed their infographic, these can be used to inform other groups around the community about how to be a GREAT friend. Ask the children where they would like to use their design and within reason, it is important to approve as many of these ideas as you can.
Our students need to feel that their voice is able to spread as far as possible.
Organise a Visit to a Retirement Home
When older people are no longer able to stay at home alone, they sometimes move into a retirement village where they can be cared for and safe.
These villages can be quite lonely places as the routine is always the same and the people inside are too.
A visit from a group of children just like you can be the perfect remedy for a cold and lonely winter’s day. While there, you may be able to learn something from our oldest and wisest citizens.
Follow the actions on the task card opposite and plan a visit to a retirement village and make somebody’s day a lot brighter.
Once you have decided, we would like you to design your very own infographic which helps other people understand how they can give the gift of friendship to others.
Use the task card opposite as an example, but please use the template link to help you get started on your design. Remember to make it original, make it unique and challenge yourself with the design.
Once complete, your infographic can be used around the school to teach other children (and even adults) about the importance of being a good friend.
As a follow-up activity, you may wish to send a letter to somebody who has shown amazing friendship to you. By doing this, you will make someone feel appreciated whilst also modelling the behaviour you wish to see in those around you. Words can be extremely powerful.
Your Book of Values (Pages 6-8) - Compassion is…
Over the next weeks, your children will be creating a simple but very powerful book on values.
Each week your children will revisit this task and add three pages to their book until it is complete.
Please allow your children to use the template provided to assist them with their design. The children will need to use this template as the dimensions are very specific.
Once complete your children will add their book to the Upschool library for the world to see.
This week we are going to start our very own book on values. Each week we will ask you to add three more pages to the book. This week we will be adding the next 3 pages on compassion.
Use the example to help you continue to create your very own book. Remember to keep it simple and keep your text away from the edges of the page!
Each week we will add three more pages to your book until your book on values is complete.
Good luck!
Closing Video - Watch and Think
Use this video as a plenary session to help the children consolidate their knowledge and walk away with the feeling that when we look out for others and act with the intention of helping them with no reward, we feel good inside and that is what matters.
Watch the video opposite and discuss what is happening?
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Why are the children flashing the torches at each other?
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Why does the lady do the kind things each day?
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How do you think that she feels when she shows kindness?
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What happens at the end of the cartoon and why?
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What did you learn from this video?
Watch the video and think about what it teaches us.