-What makes me special?

This cluster provides students with the opportunity to identify the things which make each of them a special person - their interests. their friends, their family, the hassles they have, their leisure activities, places that are important to them, the problems they have to solve.The process of affirmation, or acknowledgement of the special things about a person, will help students to identify special things about themselves.

They will realise that they don't have to try to be the same as other people. Some students may have difficulty affirming themselves at first and may feel that there is no one they trust to complete their Affirmation Chart. The teacher or police education officer could complete the chart in this case.

Note:It is very important that compliments are given and received genuinely and spontaneously, otherwise this process can be more damaging than helpful to a person's self-esteem.

1-Students can identify positive things about themselves and others.

2-Students can give and receive compliments.

-Copysheet 2 Hand

-Copysheet 3 Affirmation Chart

-Soft toy, such as Spot or DARENZ

-Unfolding Story prepared by teacher and police education officer

-Materials for unfolding stories. such as paper and art materials

Note: The class could write items they need for their unfolding stories on a class list. Other class members could bring these items others and place them in a sharing box.

-developing good relationships with others

-working in co-operative ways to achieve class goals

-giving and receiving compliments

-appraising their own performance developing self-esteem and personal integrity working effectively independently

1-Talk to the class about how everyone is special - there is no-one else in the world who is exactly like us. We are unique. The teacher and the police education officer share something about themselves that is special and then something they think is special about the other person. Model saying and receiving this in a genuine and spontaneous way.

Either:

Attach one of the hands made from Copysheet 1 on to everyone's back, including the teacher and police education officer. Invite class members to write something they think is special on to three people's 'hands'. No-one should have more than three things written on their hand.

Remind them about the safety guidelines first. Completed hands are then displayed on the wall, with a summary statement about the special nature of the class.

Note: Nobody should have more than three comments. The adults present should ensure that they write on the 'hands' of children who may get left out.

Or: Seat students in an Affirmation Circle. Place a chair in the middle of the circle. with a soft toy such as Spot or DARENZ sitting on it. When a student feels ready, they move to the chair, hold the toy and wait for someone to pay them a compliment. Emphasis behavioural rather than physical features. They then accept the compliment graciously. Another child moves to the middle chair and so the process is repeated.There should be no pressure for everyone to have a turn, particularly at this early stage. If the Affirmation Circle is used at intervals, even the reluctant members of class will get the confidence to sit in the middle chair.

Give each student Copysheet 3 Affirmation Chart to take to be completed by an adult they trust. This could be an adult family member, a teacher, a coach, a minister...

2-Explain to students that they are going to make a Unfolding Story about the things that make them special. They will decide what things they want to go in their story, such as things I enjoy doing, special things about my culture, my friends or family. favorite foods. places I like going, my favorite people and problems I have.

The Affirmation Chart, when it is completed, can be included in the unfolding story. Students can write, draw pictures, use magazine pictures, include computer sketches, include objects or items, such as a recipe, a food label or a pressed flower. The photo that was taken in Cluster 1 can be included here, with a summary statement The thing I like best about this photo is.

The teacher and police education officer can show students their own unfolding stories as an example.

The unfolding story can be completed over the next week, perhaps some of it for homework. Completed stories can be taken home to share with family, and/or displayed in the classroom or rover.

-observing the way students give and receive compliments

-using a checklist to assess unfolding stories.

1-Students can identify what they give to their family and friends.

2-Students identify what their family and friends give to them.

-Video The Swimming Hole

-Choice Activity Book page 3 My Family, My Friends

-sharing information using mime

-acknowledging individual difference

-gathering information from a video

-sharing points of view

1- Invite students to find a partner to work with, preferably someone they don't know so well. Each partner in turn mimes the people ( and animals) they live with. Bring the group together. Each partner shares who they think the other person lives with. This can often cause laughter as this information is corrected. The process could be repeated with the place where 1 live, or things I like doing with my family.

Affirm the different types of family groups in the class, explaining that this is one of the things that makes the class special.

2-Talk about how, when people belong to groups, such as families, there are some things the group does for them and some things they give to the group. Give some examples from your family or from the way the class or school works.

-What are some things you get from your family?

( love. food, shelter, warmth, fun, doing things together...)

Why is it important that we get these things?

-What do we give to our family in return?

-What happens if we don't give these things to our families?

Note: This activity will need to be handled with care if there are children with dysfunctional families in the class.

3- Explain to students that they are going to see a video about a group of friends. Show the video The Swimming Hole. Stop at the pause.

-What are the good things about belonging to this group of friends?

-What sort of things do you think they enjoy, doing together?

-Who do you think is the leader? Why?

-What examples are there to show that Ray is a bit of a rebel?

( doesn't wear his cycle helmet, tries to get William to jump, wants to light a fire..)

-How do the group deal with this?

-What do you think the group should do about Ray and the fire?

-Show the rest of the video.

-Who takes control of the situation?

-What do they do to make sure Ray still feels part of the group?

-In pairs, ask students to discuss: Do you think these would be good friends to have? Why or why not?

-Either: Make a diary entry about their family and friends, emphasising what they give to both groups, and what family or friends give to them.

Or: Complete Activity Book page 3.

Have students complete number 2 on Copysheet 1 or page 2 of their Choice Activitv Book

Suggested assessment activities

-assess students' Diary entries or completed Choice Activity Book summaries.