Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Tune In: Watch the episode
15 minutes	Find Out: Describing our families
25 minutes	Take Action: Family portrait
5 minutes	Reflection

Teacher Preparation

Learning intentions:

Students will...

reflect on their personal strengths
reflect on the qualities of other people.

Success criteria:

Students can...

list achievements or personality traits they are proud of
use colourful adjectives to describe their family
create artwork with meanings.

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1.

Share the Bluey episode Octopus with your students.

Bluey 'Octopus' - ClickView (https://clickv.ie/w/a2gx)

Octopus synopsis: Chloe attempts to introduce her father to Bluey's Octopus game. He struggles to grasp and enjoy it initially until they discover their own unique way of playing. Dad adopts the role of a boisterous and comical octopus while Bluey and Chloe endeavour to outwit him.

Step 2.

Facilitate a class discussion about the episode.

I wonder why Chloe's dad found it hard to play the game at first
I wonder how Chloe and her dad were able to make the game fun for both of them?
I wonder why it's important to find ways to include everyone when playing games or doing activities?
I wonder how Chloe and her dad were feeling when they found the game difficult to play? How do you know? You might display the Zones of Emotional Regulation chart to help students with the vocabulary around feelings.
I wonder what Chloe and her dad learned about each other by playing the octopus game together?
I wonder how they all felt when they could all play the game together at the end?

The Zones of Emotional Regulation Chart is a simple tool to help kids recognise and identify emotions, within themselves and in the people around them. Emotions are grouped into different coloured zones - green, yellow, blue and red - based on the way the different emotions make our bodies feel.
Find out more about teaching emotional intelligence here.

Step 3.

You might like to prompt your students to finish the sentence stem:

In this episode, I saw someone listening when...

Find Out: Describing our families

Step 1.

Ask students to describe Bluey. What kind of dog is she, personality-wise? As students make suggestions, keep a list of new vocabulary words on the whiteboard; for example they may describe Bluey as:

playful
creative
kind
determined

You might like to do the same for Chloe, asking students to describe her personality.

Step 2.

How would students describe themselves? What are some of their personal strengths? What are some achievements they are proud of? What do they want to be known for?

Some tips for asking Quality Questions
Position yourself as curious about the world but also about the child’s thoughts. Ask genuine questions (those that you don’t know the answer to). Try to avoid judging answers as right or wrong (posing questions such as “I wonder…” questions helps to take the wrong and right out of the answer, and allows students to explore and test their own ideas without fear of being wrong). Work to invite a genuine response, rather than expect a specific response. Continue questioning after the child has answered, asking, “Why do you say that?” This further reveals a child’s thinking.

For more evidence-based advice on developing oral language in students click here.

Step 3.

Now ask your students how they would describe Bandit, Bluey's dad? What kind of dog is he, personality-wise? You may also like to add these words to your vocabulary list.

Follow this up by asking what is something Bandit demonstrated he was good at or enjoyed doing in this episode?

Step 4.

Now ask your students how they would describe Frank, Chloe's dad? What kind of dog is he, personality-wise? You may also like to add these words to your vocabulary list.

Follow this up by asking what is something Frank demonstrated he was good at or enjoyed doing in this episode?

Step 5.

Once you have finished this discussion ask your students to think about how they would describe their own dads/caregivers? What do they think their dads are good at? What do they appreciate most about their dads?

You could continue describing the rest of the Heeler family in the same way, and make connections to students' own families.

Step 5.

Pair students up and task them with describing their family members to each other. You may like to focus on just one family member, or multiple members.

You might like to encourage each child to choose a family member they are comfortable describing. Using the discussions you have had and the words added to your vocabulary list, invite students to take turns introducing their partner to their chosen family member. Remind them to use descriptive language and paint a vivid picture, not just about their physical appearance but about their personality, interests and hobbies.

Step 6.

After the introductions, facilitate a brief discussion where partners can share their impressions and ask questions about the family members they've learned about.

You may like each student to describe their partners family member to the class

Take Action: Family portrait

Step 1.

Discuss with your students some times they remember fondly of spending time or playing games with their family? It could be a family holiday or just a time spent playing with family members.

Step 2.

Independently, students draw a family portrait, complete with labels of descriptions of their family members. Students might like to draw multiple portraits featuring each of their family members in a dynamic situation, such as leaping into the pool to catch a tennis ball!

Encourage students to think about the words they are using to describe their family members in the labels and use words from your vocabulary list.

All families are different so allow students to choose who to draw. Anyone they consider family is ok, even pets!

Reflection

Practise gratitude by inviting each student to complete the phrase

I am grateful for... because...

You could demonstrate how to start the reflection. For example, "I am grateful for my mum because she looks after me when I'm feeling sick."

You might like to invite students to add these gratitude reflections to their family portraits

Gratitude is about taking a moment to notice and appreciate the good things in our lives, things that we often take for granted. Making a habit of gratitude has a range of benefits. Positive emotions open us up to more possibilities, as we’re always noticing opportunities. They also balance out negative emotions, making us less stressed and depressed because we’re focusing on the happier moments. When we feel grateful for someone, we are more likely to try to bring that same feeling to others.

Find out more about practising gratitude here.

Inclusivity - Celebrating Diversity

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Learning intentions

Students will:

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