Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Explore: Purpose

25 minutes

Discover: Identifying superpowers

15 minutes

Thrive: Wall of power

Explore: Purpose

Step 1:

Introduce a game called ‘Rad Adds’ by reading the following instructions aloud. You may model this with a student to increase understanding if needed.

Find a partner and stand back to back.
On the count of 3, face your partner and reveal any number of fingers from 0-5 on each hand.
You can use both hands, which means each person could reveal up to 10.
The winner is the first one to use addition to add all fingers (from both players’ hands) and yell the correct answer.

Once students have played a few rounds of addition, you can increase the challenge by having them multiply instead. Groups may also wish to keep score for some light competition.

Step 2:

Debrief the activity in pairs or small groups and encourage students to focus on how they responded to the game based on their perceived skill level.

Use the following questions to prompt discussion:

Did the game come naturally to you, or did you find it difficult?
If it was difficult, how did you respond? Did you focus on the negative rather than what you did well?
Why is it important to understand your strengths?

Provide the following explanation to assist their thinking:

Maths may be an identified strength for some and a weakness for others. Those who are confident in maths would have felt at ease playing this game, whereas those who view themselves as ‘weak’ in this area may have experienced negative emotions. Therefore, it’s important to recognise personal strengths as they can help boost confidence, satisfaction and self-esteem.

Step 3:

Pose the question: ‘What does purpose mean to you?’ Encourage students to share in small groups, then facilitate a class discussion.

Provide the following explanation to assist their thinking:

Everyone will have different ideas about purpose based on their unique life experiences; therefore, there is no right or wrong answer. However, recognising and building upon your skills and strengths can bring about enjoyment and fulfilment and help create a sense of purpose in your life.

Discover: Identifying superpowers

Teacher Note: It is important to encourage students throughout this activity to embrace their unique superpowers. At times, students may need assistance with highlighting their individual superpowers.

Step 1

Provide each student with the My Strengths worksheet and explain they will now focus on identifying personal skills and strengths. Encourage them to circle/highlight any strengths that resonate with them.

Step 2

Once students have identified a range of strengths, they should narrow these down to their top 3 and write them in the centre circle. These can be referred to as their ‘superpowers.’

Ask students to share their superpowers with a partner, then survey the room to determine common skills and strengths.

Use the following questions to prompt discussion:

How did you determine your top strengths? What factors did you consider?
What were some common/uncommon strengths within the class? Were any of these surprising?
How can knowing other people’s strengths benefit you?

Finally, ask students to pick their top superpower from their list of 3, then write it down on a sticky note (as it will be utilised later in the lesson).

Step 3

The next task, ‘Crucible Island’, involves storytelling and problem-solving in groups of 5-6. Use the following instructions to explain what’s involved:

Each group must imagine they have become stranded on a deserted island known as ‘Crucible Island’ (you can have fun setting this up).
Groups will need to come up with a story about how their strengths can be used to escape the island.
The only limit is their imagination, so they can be as creative as they like.
The only rule is that they must utilise each of the team's individual superpowers to help them escape from the island.

Example:

Humour: They could tell jokes and keep the mood light in a stressful situation.
Creativity: They could build a raft using available resources to help them sail away in one piece.

Step 4

Allow time for each group to give a summary to the rest of the class about how they used their ‘superpowers’ to escape the island, then facilitate a class debrief.

Use the following questions to prompt discussion:

What did you notice about the different strengths in your group?
Were some strengths more useful than others in this scenario?
Why is it important to recognise how you can add value to group work?

Provide the following explanation to assist their thinking:

Knowing and understanding our strengths is incredibly important. Knowing how to apply them in different situations is just as important. Understanding how to utilise our strengths to our advantage and help those around us can provide a sense of purpose in our actions. We can’t do everything by ourselves. By utilising the strengths of the people around us, we can all work together to achieve our goals by leveraging each person's greatest strengths.

Thrive: Wall of power

Step 1

Explain that a Wall of Power will be created in the classroom to highlight the skills and support peers can offer one another based on the superpower they identified earlier (written on a sticky note).

Step 2

Ask students to reflect on their superpower and how this could translate to actions in everyday life. They can work in pairs to help generate ideas.

Example:

Problem-solving: Good with technology and solving computer issues.
Creative: Great with English essays and coming up with ideas for creative writing.

Step 3

Provide each student with the Wall of Power worksheet. This worksheet asks students to identify:

their skill or strength
their areas of expertise
when they are available to help.

Example:

Skill: Netball
Area: Goal shooting
Availability: After school Tuesday and lunchtime Friday

Step 4

When complete, assemble the display and determine terms and conditions of use as a class.

Example:

24-hour notice is needed to schedule help from a peer.
A calendar could be used as part of the display to provide ‘booking spots.’
Skills will be reviewed and refreshed each term to allow for new skills to be shared.

Provide the following explanation to wrap up the lesson:

Today we have discovered our superpowers and how these skills and strengths can help us solve challenges and determine a sense of purpose in our lives. We can also utilise and draw on the skills of others, and this Wall of Power can be used as a resource to know who to go to in times of need based on everyone’s unique skills.

Teacher note: As an extension, student-led masterclasses could be held. Students can teach their peers a skill from their area of strength in 10-15 minute sessions across the school term.

Purpose: Identifying Skills and Strengths

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Summary

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