Our Journey

Links to the Health Curriculum L 2/3

Relationships - Identify and demonstrate ways of maintaining and enhancing relationships between individuals and within groups. Societal attitudes and values - Explore how people's attitudes, values, and actions contribute to healthy physical and social environments

 

What we initially felt character strengths were?

“I think it is a person in a book that plays the main part”

“When you are strong”

“What makes you as a person”

“Like determination”

“When you think about other people”

“If you are kind and think before you speak”

“When you act a certain way”

We discussed the meaning of  character strength.

“Character is the anchor of your life. It determines who and what you are.It determines how others view you.”  

Darlene Mannix

We did a lot of self exploration both at circle time and on Google Classrooms. Here are some of our questions and a few snapshots of our responses. The purpose of this was to know ourselves a bit better and talk  about the language of character.

Our Thought Provoking Questions

 I am grateful for..... (gratitude and appreciation)

What did you do in the past year that you're most proud of?

What is optimism?

What is grit?

What have I done to someone to make them feel good?

What would you want to be famous for?

What is something you need to work on?

What something in the last year you are most proud of?

 How do other people feel when you say something nice to them?

We had discussions about the character strengths we identified  with and others identified within us.

What is one thing we can do this week to develop our character strengths?

What is one way we have used this strength  in the past month?

How can we help other children develop their strengths?

We then identified our own signature character strengths by completing VIA survey. Children shared what they found out about their signature strengths.

We completed a variety of activities to investigate this area including:

In my 30,000 days on this world how am I going to make a positive impact?

How would you use your character strengths to survive on a deserted island?

How could you flex your strengths?

What do some of your character strengths actually mean?

Do other children recognise other character strengths within you? If so what are they and what do they see in your actions?

Gratitude

Koru 2 And The Science Of Character

As part of Character Day we have been looking closely at our own character strengths. Many of our character strengths are in line with the New Zealand Curriculum Key Competencies and our school values.

Over the weeks we have studied ourselves very closely. Here are some of the questions aimed at provoking our thinking in this area. We also learnt some new language for example the difference between appreciation and gratitude.

Our Thought Provoking Questions

• I am grateful for..... (gratitude or appreciation)
• What did you do in the past year that you're most proud of?
• What is optimism?

We viewed different digital media and this got us thinking.

• What character strengths are shown here?
• What could this person do to develop these further?
• 30,000 Days- We are only on this Earth for approximately 30,000 days. The film talks about our unique special sauce: the character strengths that make  us.

From here we created a slideshow about our own character strengths. These can also can be viewed in  our Google Slide accounts.

Where to from here? Our next steps

What is one thing we can do this week to develop our character strengths?
What is one way we have used this strength  in the past month?
How can we help other children develop their strengths?

The Science of Character

Gratitude and Appreciation

It has become clear that there are a number of advantages associated with being grateful. Grateful people are happier, have stronger feelings of social support, and feel less stressed and depressed. Evidence suggests an increase in people’s levels of gratitude may be a good way to increase their feelings of well-being. Koru 2 reflected on things that make them grateful.

I am grateful for.....

25 class comments

Jamie Platt-Watters8 Sep

I am grateful for my grandad looking after me for a year when my parents couldn't when i was 9

Kaiden Huddlestone8 Sep

My family and people i trust

Lily Litherland8 Sep

I am greatful for my teacher and my learning

Jasmine Stewart8 Sep

A roof over my head a loving mother and food

Emily Hough8 Sep

I am grateful for being on earth and being born because i might of not been born.

Tyrese Uri8 Sep

I am grateful of my school because they help me learn and i am proud to be born also having the best people in my life and being on earth and the spending my life here with billions and billions people on earth.

Jordis Dillon8 Sep

For my mum and dad looking after me and treating me well

Korbin Fowler8 Sep

Having a great mum and dad because they love me and I love them back

Willow Thompson8 Sep

All my family and friends

Alexander Hotere8 Sep

I am great full for my parents because they have raised me and my other three brothers

Holly Hiddlestone8 Sep

I am grateful for having a nice worm place where theres food and having a mum and dad

Oliver Bennet8 Sep

Im great-full for mr cron sending me to sport

Bryson Billings8 Sep

Im gratful for my techers and moving up a licence.

Aisha Watson8 Sep

I am great full for my parents because they all ways look after me. Im also great full for my grand parents because for 10 whole years they picked me up and took me out and took me home and i just fell very great full for them.

Summer Pool8 Sep

I am very grateful for my mother, because she birthed me, and raised me. She had it quite tough, because I only had a five percent chance to stay alive, or be born. I had some issues when born, and my mother stood up and got the doctors to do the right thing, so I am very, very grateful for my mother and her courage, I am also very grateful, that I was raised by my parents, and had the right understanding of everything, because without them teaching me, patients, determination, perseverance, and much more. I am also grateful for my teachers, because they have also taught me a lot of things throughout life, like to ignore things that aren't funny, to think deeper, to have a better understanding of other people, and to respect everyone and their things they cherish. I am also very grateful, because of God, because he gave me self control, and just helped me throughout life, so i'm not completely lost.

Chelden Hayward8 Sep

Im grateful for having my mum because she gives me food she gives me clothes on my back and a roof over my head. She tacks me to school so i can learn she tacks me to sport to keep fit heathy and strong that is why i'm grateful for having my mum.

•C e C i L i A s •B l o G8 Sep

I Am Grateful For My Mum And Dad Always Supporting Me In The Cross Country And The Teachers For Helping Me Learn And Im Grateful For My Family And My Friends

Dimitri Chikhun8 Sep

I am grateful for my friends

Nerise Jansen Van8 Sep

I am very grateful for every one I love and trust like my BFFS,savanna,lilly and taila

Bryson McKenzie8 Sep

I,m gat full for my life because i wooden meat .great friends and the

Amazing school that i,m at today

Devlin Taylor8 Sep

I am great full for my frends and my famley

Jamie Bennett8 Sep

I'm grateful for my mum and dad for bringing me into this world,caring for me and also for helping me walk,talk,eat and also drink.

•C e C i L i A s •B l o G8 Sep

Im Also Grateful For My Sister Looking after Before she passed with cancer

Lukas Gebbie-Waller8 Sep

I am grateful because my mum love me and i love her back

Seth Woods8 Sep

I am grateful being alive and my mum and dad keeps me alive