Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Starting again can feel…

30 minutes

Find Out: Skills that build connection

15 minutes

Take Action: The friend I choose to be

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand that building new friendships requires initiative, openness and consistent inclusive behaviour
learn strategies for starting conversations, joining groups and helping others feel safe and included.

Success criteria

Students can:

identify and practise behaviours that make others feel safe and welcome, and build connections
explain the type of friend they want to be.

Tune In: Starting again can feel…

Step 1

Introduce the lesson by explaining that students will explore what it means to build friendships in new or changing environments, such as starting high school, joining a new class, or meeting new people.

Point out that these experiences are often described as entering a ‘new season,’ where things may feel unfamiliar or different.

Read aloud the following scenario to the class: ‘A student walks into a new school on the first day. They look around and see groups of people already talking and laughing together. They are not sure where to go or who to talk to. They take a deep breath and try to decide what to do next.’

Pause after reading and allow students a moment to visualise the situation.

Then, ask students to reflect on this situation, using the following prompts as a guide to elicit responses:

How might this person be feeling in this moment?
What thoughts might be going through their mind?

Invite students to share words or phrases, and record responses on the board. Common responses may include: nervous, unsure, awkward, excited, hopeful or overwhelmed.

Step 2

Explain that students will now reflect on their own experiences of entering a new environment or a ‘new season’.

Ask students to open their workbooks or journals, then write the following prompt on the board: ‘How do I feel when I walk into a new group or new environment?’

Instruct students to complete a short, silent, quick write for 30–60 seconds, writing 2–3 words or short phrases.

Remind students that this is a private reflection and they do not need to share anything they are not comfortable sharing.

Ask students to turn to a partner and share 1 idea from their reflection that they are comfortable with, then invite them to discuss the following prompts:

Why can starting new friendships feel hard?
What can make it easier?

Allow 2–3 minutes for discussion before bringing the class back together. Then, encourage students to share their reflections.

Step 3

Explain that feeling unsure, nervous or awkward in new situations is a normal human experience and these feelings often mean a person is stepping outside their comfort zone.

Introduce the idea that starting new friendships requires

initiative (taking the first step)
openness (being willing to connect with others)
consistency (continuing to show up in a positive way).

Emphasise that feeling awkward does not mean a person is doing something wrong; it often means they are being brave. Remind students that new beginnings, such as starting high school, can create opportunities to shape the kind of friendships students want to build.

Find Out: Skills that build connection

Step 1

Highlight to students that while being in a new environment can feel uncertain, there are practical ways to build connections and help others feel safe and included. Building new friendships is not just about finding the right people, but also about how someone shows up and interacts with others.

Divide the class into small groups of 3–4, then ask groups to discuss the following questions:

What behaviours make someone feel safe or easy to approach?
What behaviours might make it harder for someone to approach them?

Provide 3–4 minutes for discussion.

Bring the class back together and record the groups’ ideas on the board under 2 headings:

Approachable behaviours
Less approachable behaviours

Guide students to identify behaviours listed on the board, such as:

eye contact
smiling
open body posture
kind tone of voice
active listening.

Point out that even small behaviours can have a big impact on how others feel.

Step 2

Explain that body language and tone play an important role in whether someone feels welcomed or included.

Model or invite 2 students at a time to act out a short scenario twice:

Once using closed body language (e.g. turned away, minimal eye contact, flat tone).
Once using open body language (e.g. facing the person, eye contact, friendly tone).

Choose from the following scenarios:

A student walks over to a group playing a game at recess and asks to join.
A new student arrives and says hello to someone in the class.
A student joins a group for a class activity and tries to contribute an idea.
A student sits next to someone they don’t know well in class and tries to start a conversation.

After each example, ask students:

What differences did you notice between the closed and open body language?
How might each version make someone feel?

Reinforce that approachability is communicated through both words and non-verbal behaviour, and that it is important to be aware of both intentional and unintentional messages.

Step 3

Build on the previous activity by explaining that while starting conversations can feel challenging, there are simple and practical ways to develop connections.

List the following strategies on the board:

asking open questions
commenting on shared experiences
introducing oneself
respectfully joining a group.

Then, display example sentence starters on the board:

‘Hi, can I join in?’
‘What are you working on?’
‘That looks interesting – what are you playing?’
‘Mind if I sit here?’

Briefly model 1–2 examples, drawing attention to tone, body language and clarity.

Step 4

Provide each student with a Chatterbox Template (or guide them to quickly create one).

Outline that the chatterbox will help generate different conversation scenarios and responses. Explain to students how to set up their chatterbox with

outside flaps: numbers or colours
inside flaps: different contexts (e.g. joining a game, sitting next to someone new, starting a conversation)
underneath flaps: sentence starters or actions (e.g. ‘Ask a question’, ‘Introduce yourself’, ‘Give a compliment’).

Organise students into pairs to create their chatterbox, taking turns to generate scenario and response prompts.

Ask students to then practise responding using the selected strategy, while their partner listens.

After each turn, encourage the partner to provide brief feedback using prompts such as:

Was the approach clear?
Did it sound friendly and respectful?
What could make it feel more welcoming?

Step 5

Connect the chatterbox activity to the idea that while joining in takes courage, helping others feel included builds strong, lasting friendships. Explain that small, intentional actions can help others feel safe, valued and part of a group.

Place students into small groups of 3–4, then provide each group with an Including Others Scenario Card.

Outline that each group will take part in an ‘Including Others’ mini-challenge, where the goal is to create the most welcoming and inclusive response.

Ask each group to

identify what the person in the scenario might be feeling
generate 3 practical actions to include them
develop 1 sentence they could say to help the person feel welcomed.

Allow several minutes for group discussions, then bring the class back together and invite groups to share their responses.

As each group shares, invite students to identify

which response felt most welcoming
which actions were most realistic.

Highlight that small, intentional actions can help others feel included and valued. At the same time, taking these steps can feel challenging, especially when there is a fear of rejection or uncertainty about how others might respond.

Learning extension: Show students the following video and invite them to reflect on the key messages about friendship. Encourage students to consider what stood out to them and how the ideas in the video connect to the kind of friend they want to be: How some friendships last – and others don’t (youtube.com/watch?v=kOVdiDUlNsg).

Step 6

Build on the previous activity about including others by facilitating a short class discussion using prompts such as:

Why might people feel worried about being rejected?
What might stop someone from reaching out to others?

Record key ideas on the board (e.g. fear of embarrassment, wanting to fit in, uncertainty about others’ reactions).

Introduce the idea that rejection does not define a person’s worth, and that building connections often takes time and consistency. Explain that sometimes the way people think about a situation can make it feel harder than it needs to be.

Outline to students that they will now practise reframing unhelpful thoughts into more helpful and realistic ones.

Display or read aloud 1 unhelpful thought at a time, using examples such as:

I can’t make friends; nobody likes me.
That didn’t work, so I should stop trying.
Everyone already has their friends; there’s no space for me.
If I say something wrong, people will think I’m weird.
They didn’t talk to me, so they must not like me.
It’s too awkward to go up to someone new.
I’m not good at making friends.
If I get rejected, it will be embarrassing.

After each thought statement, ask students to work with the person sitting next to them to come up with a positive reframe of each thought. Model examples if required, such as:

‘I haven’t found the right connections yet.’
‘It can take time to build friendships.’

As each new thought statement is introduced, provide students with some thinking time before inviting pairs to share.

Reinforce the following key messages:

Rejection does not define a person’s worth, and building connections often takes time, effort and consistency.
Continuing to show initiative, kindness and openness can help build stronger friendships over time.
Having a thought such as ‘they didn't talk to me, so they must not like me’ does not make something true. A thought is just a thought.
A thought is not necessarily a fact, even if it can feel like it.

Take Action: The friend I choose to be

Step 1

Explain that the final part of the lesson is about making intentional choices about how to show up in friendships, especially in new environments like high school.

Connect to the previous activities by recapping that

friendships are built through small, consistent actions
students have control over the kind of friend they choose to be.

Step 2

Ask students to open their workbooks or journals and write the heading: ‘The friend I choose to be’.

Explain that students will reflect on the type of friend they want to be known as in a new environment or ‘new season’.

Write the following prompt on the board: ‘In high school, I want to be known as someone who…’

Provide 1–2 examples if needed, such as:

includes others
is kind and respectful
listens to others
makes people feel welcome.

Allow 2–3 minutes for students to write their response.

Step 3

Point out that being a certain type of friend is not just about intention, but about the actions that support it.

Ask students to respond to 1 of the following prompts in their workbooks or journals:

One small action I will practise to include others is…
I will be approachable by…

Encourage students to think of specific, realistic actions (e.g. inviting someone to join, starting a conversation, using welcoming body language).

Allow 2–3 minutes for writing.

Step 4

Remind students of what they have learnt about rejection, explaining that challenges may still arise when building friendships.

Ask students to complete the following prompt in their workbooks or journals: ‘If I feel rejected, I will remind myself that…’

Encourage students to draw on the reframing strategies explored earlier in the lesson.

Allow 2–3 minutes for writing.

Step 5

Ask students to share 1 of their responses with a partner. Encourage partners to listen respectfully and acknowledge each other’s ideas.

Bring the class back together and reinforce that small, consistent actions help build trust and connection over time, and students can choose to be the kind of friend who helps others feel safe, included and valued.

Reflection

Invite students to connect their learning across the lesson by thinking about how they want to show up in new social environments, such as high school.

Ask students to respond to the following prompt in their workbooks or journals: ‘What is 1 way I want others to feel when they interact with me in a new environment?’

Allow 1–2 minutes for students to think and write.

Invite students to share their response with a partner or reflect silently.

Bring the class back together and summarise the key themes from the lesson:

The way a person chooses to show up, through their words, actions and attitude, can shape how others feel and influence the kinds of friendships they build.
Creating positive friendships is not about being perfect, but about being intentional, respectful and open to connection.

Friendship in a New Season

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson

Friendship in a New Season

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson