In this lesson, we are learning to:

• Understand what personal strengths are.
• Identify strengths in others.
• Identify and communicate our personal strengths.

Episode: ‘Rock, Paper, Eddie’ – Tal learns that he can achieve anything if he puts his mind to it.

Find 'Rock, Paper, Eddie' on NITV, Netflix or SBS On Demand. 

Begin this lesson by engaging the class in a short game of ‘Who am I?’ Focussing on a particular student in the class (without naming them), read aloud a series of strengths that will slowly reveal the student’s identity. For example: ‘I am a kind big brother. I care about the environment. I am funny and I enjoy making people laugh. I am great at soccer.’ Ask students to draw on their prior knowledge about classmates to help identify the mystery person.

In a class discussion, have students reflect on the guessing game.

• How did they know which student was being described?
• Could it have been another student? Why or why not?

Now try playing ‘Who am I?’ in reverse. Nominate a different student by name and ask the class to share clues about this person, always remaining respectful and kind.

Explain to students that this game involved identifying and naming someone’s personal strengths. We all have personal strengths that are unique to us, and these contribute to our identities. A person’s strengths can include their positive personality traits, knowledge and abilities.

Identifying and communicating our strengths helps us to understand ourselves better: it builds ‘personal awareness’. This knowledge helps us see the skills we already have and those we may need to develop further. Learning to identify our personal strengths also helps us recognise and appreciate the strengths of other people.

In the Eddies Lil’ Homies episode titled ‘Rock, Paper, Eddie’, Tal learns that he can achieve anything if he puts his mind to it. While viewing, ask students to focus on the characters’ different strengths.

Are these strengths fixed, or can they change over time?

Tal’s storyline provides an opportunity to discuss growth mindsets; our abilities, skills and strengths can improve over time. 

Assign students to small groups to discuss the characters’ strengths.

• Who was helpful? Who was persistent?
• Which positive adjectives would describe Lottie or Junior?
• Did everyone share the same strengths or were some qualities unique to certain characters?

Following this discussion, invite student groups to share their thinking with the wider class. Record strengths vocabulary on the whiteboard or an anchor chart to support writing in the next activity.

Next, allow students to apply these understandings and skills by collaboratively creating ‘strengths chains’ for each other. Place a pile of pre-cut strips of coloured paper at each student’s desk or sitting spot, or have students write their names on a sticky note to identify their place. Then have students circulate the room, writing a personal strength for each of their peers (or a pre-determined number of peers if time is limited). These could include character strengths, social strengths, academic strengths and more.

At the end of this exercise, each student will have a series of paper strips listing strengths their classmates have identified in them. They can then use sticky tape to create paper chains with the strips. Chains can be displayed around the classroom and added to as new strengths develop, or you might choose to join the chains to illustrate that we are stronger when we work together.

To encourage reflection on personal strengths and enable students to demonstrate their understanding, ask each student to reflect on their traits, abilities, knowledge and dispositions. Then have students complete a page for the ‘Classroom Expert’ book. For example, students may share that they are good at spelling, know how to tie shoelaces, or are fun to play with. Someone may even be an ‘RPS’ champion! Pages can be stapled or bound together, creating a helpful and affirming book for the class library.