Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Watch the episode

10 minutes

Find Out: Episode analysis

25 minutes

Take Action: Desert island planning

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning Intentions

Students will...

gain an appreciation for the different levels of meaning and importance of the material and immaterial aspects of their lives.

Success Criteria

Students can...

list things that are important to them
define essential needs and wants, and the difference between them
identify what is personally essential to survival and what is a luxury.

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1

Share the Bluey episode Mr Monkeyjocks with your students.

Bluey 'MR MONKEYJOCKS' - (clickv.ie/w/QaJ0)

Mr Monkeyjocks synopsis: Dad thinks the kids have too many toys and wants a chuck out. Now to save Mr Monkeyjocks from getting the chop, Bluey and Bingo must prove he is special.

Find Out: Episode analysis

Step 1

Invite students to share their thoughts about the episode. Start with the following prompts:

In the episode, I saw...
The episode made me feel... because...
I liked/disliked the episode because...

Consider extending your discussion with the following questions:

I wonder how Bluey and Bingo felt when Dad wanted to chuck their toys out. How do you know that?
I wonder how Dad felt when Bluey and Bingo didn't chuck any toys.
I wonder how Dad felt when Mr Monkeyjocks was being treated special.
I wonder how Bluey, Bingo and Mum felt when Mr Monkeyjocks kicked them out of the house.

You might also display this prompt wall to inspire some observations.

Step 2

Continue your discussion by asking students about the things that are important or special to them, for example:

I wonder what is important or special to you.

Encourage students to think beyond materials objects such as toys or books and to also consider things like pets, people or events such as cultural celebrations or family traditions (e.g. Friday night movie night).

List these suggestions on the board.

Active listening shows students that what they have to say is important. This helps maintain joint attention and supports more complex thoughts and ideas to be injected into a conversation as it unfolds. You can show students their contributions are valued by:

- Making eye contact, nodding and using facial expressions (e.g. surprise, concern) and gestures (e.g. shrugging)
- Using short verbal cues such as 'mmm' or 'yes' to show you're listening
- Allowing a student’s interest to steer the conversation by building on their contribution.

For more evidence-based advice on supporting oral language development click here.

Step 3

Use two different coloured pens to sort the list of important items into 'needs' and 'likes.'' Explain to students that some things are essential for survival - these are our absolute necessities. Other things may be enjoyable or desirable, but we could live without them if necessary - these fall into the 'likes' category.

Step 4

Now pose the following to students:

I wonder what it means to be spoilt.
Have you ever been accused of being spoilt?
What did Bluey realise at the end of the episode about Mr Monkeyjocks getting everything he wanted?
Think about the kid at the end of the episode: How did he feel when he received just one toy? How did this compare to the way Bingo felt at the start of the episode when she had heaps and heaps of toys?

Through your discussion, lead students to the idea of valuing things that are really important to us, and not taking everything for granted.

Take Action: Desert island planning

Step 1

Explain to students they will now pretend they are going on a holiday to a desert island for a whole year! That is a long time to live somewhere. The island does have shelter to live in and water and food. it is all pretty basic (no pizza or fizzy drinks!). Plus, the island can only be reached by a tiny plane, which means that students will only be able to take 5 things with them.

Encourage students to work independently to consider which 5 things are most important to them, even amongst all the very special things they've listed:

Could they live a whole year without their pet dog?
Could they live a whole year without pizza, if they had to?

Give each student a copy of the Desert Island Worksheet (or invite them to create their own). Using coloured pens, students add the five things they want to take with them to the island.

Step 2

Once complete, invite students to work in pairs to share their lists and to reflect on what they would miss most about living on a desert island.

Step 3

Explain that, just like Bluey and Bingo, sometimes we don't realise all the good things we have in our lives. And, just like the kid in the hospital, sometimes having lots doesn't make as feel as happy as having one really special thing.

Engage students in a discussion around the following questions:

What would it be like to have only 5 important things around you?
I wonder how you would look after these 5 things.
Do you think it would be hard to live on a desert island for a whole year? Why?
What do you think it means to be responsible?

A sense of personal responsibility enables students to reflect on the outcomes of their actions and behaviour, and take these considerations into the next set of actions they make.

Reflection

Explain to students that a part of being responsible is practicing gratitude. Gratitude is about taking a moment to notice and appreciate the good things in our lives, things that we often take for granted. When we feel grateful for things we are more likely to look after them and care for them. We are also less likely to want more stuff as a way of making us happy because we already feel happy caring for and spending time with the things that are important to us.

Practise gratitude by inviting each student to complete the phrase 'I am grateful for... because...'.

You could demonstrate to start the reflection. For example, 'I am grateful for my cat because she gives me cuddles when I am sad.'

Making a habit of gratitude has a range of benefits for our mental and physical health. Positive emotions open us up to more possibilities, as we notice opportunities. They also balance out negative emotions, making us less stressed and depressed, because we’re focused on the happier moments.
When we feel grateful for someone's kindness toward us, or the good things in our lives, we are more likely to do a kindness in return to bring that same feeling to others. When we feel and express gratitude to people in our lives, it creates more loving relationships.
Find out more about practising gratitude here.

Responsibility - Desert Island Decisions

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