Building resilience
Resilience is described as the ability to bounce back from adversity. It is a vital skill for coping with the ups and downs of life and one of the key ingredients of success when transitioning to secondary school. By recognising their resilience, students are able to learn habits that will continue to strengthen and build their resilience.
Year level
Transition
Duration
20 minutes
Type
In class activity
SEL Competencies
Self-awareness
Self-management
Learning intention
Students explore the meaning of resilience and identify healthy habits to build their resilience.
Key outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
explain ‘resilience’
identify resilient people or a time when they have shown resilience
define ‘habits’, and identify healthy habits that support resilience.
Materials needed
Whiteboard and markers
Access to the YouTube clip ‘What is resilience?’
Projector and sound to show clip
Butcher’s paper and markers for each group
Mapped to
Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Analyse the impact of changes and transitions, and devise strategies to support themselves and others through these changes (AC9HP8P02)
Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability:
Social awareness
Social management
Self-awareness
Self-management
NSW PDHPE Syllabus
Examines and evaluates strategies to manage current and future challenges (PD4-1)
Demonstrates self-management skills to effectively manage complex situations (PD4-9)
Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity (VCHPEP128)
Activity 1
Sharing: Storytime
10 minutes
Ask students to think of an event or a time that they found challenging, and which they feel comfortable sharing with another student. As the teacher, sharing a personal story of your own can help you to build connections and set the scene.
Place students in pairs and invite them to share their stories with each other. Explain that they don’t have to share; however, this is an opportunity for them to learn about and from their partner.
Explain to students that when sharing stories, they need to be respectful by listening to each other and taking turns.
After a few minutes, have a class debrief. Ask students:
Does anyone have a short story they would like to share with the group?
How did their partner overcome their challenge?
Did anyone learn something about their partner?
Conclude the discussion by emphasising how resilient students have been in the examples shared. Remind them that we all show resilience, to varying degrees, in our everyday lives.
Activity 2
Video: Resilience
10 minutes
Play the video clip ‘What is resilience?’ by AXA PPP Healthcare.
As a class, discuss:
What does ‘resilience’ mean? Write a definition on the board.
Can resilience be learnt, or do you have to be born with it?
What were some good habits the clip recommends to help build resilience?
What were some of the ‘sayings’ they used to describe resilience?
Can you think of another saying that could be used to describe resilience?
Debrief
No time displayed
Explain to students that resilience is something we will continue to strive to develop. We all need to be resilient at different times and in different circumstances. These circumstances could include when coping with stress, adopting a growth mindset, and being grateful and optimistic.
