Core Skills Analysis
Arrie
- Arrie practised conversational turn-taking and social choice-making during the "would you rather" game, guessing game, and calm chats with support workers.
- Arrie showed creative language play by inventing a “secret language,” which builds imagination and awareness of how words and symbols can be used.
- Arrie demonstrated growing self-regulation by calming herself after brief dysregulation and returning to activities independently.
- Arrie used organisation and independence skills when making a smoothie, cleaning up with prompts, and moving between activities such as drawing, movement, and online class.
Tips
Arrie would benefit from more activities that blend creativity with gentle structure, such as making a simple visual schedule for the day or planning a smoothie recipe step by step. To extend her learning, she could keep building on the drawing time by labelling her artwork, telling a short story about it, or creating a comic strip with dialogue. Games like guessing games, “would you rather,” and secret-code challenges can be turned into writing and speaking practice by asking her to explain her choices using complete sentences. A practical follow-up could include a cleanup timer or checklist after each activity, helping Arrie strengthen organisation while keeping the routine predictable and calm.
Book Recommendations
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt: A funny, creative story that supports imagination and playful language use.
- What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada: Encourages creativity, confidence, and following through on personal ideas.
- My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss: A simple book about feelings and self-regulation through colour and mood.
Learning Standards
- English: Arrie’s guessing game, “would you rather” talk, and invented secret language support speaking, listening, and language play; this aligns loosely with AC9E6LY01 through interaction skills and audience influence, and AC9E3LY01 through creating imaginative texts.
- English: Drawing alongside SW and discussing ideas can support descriptive language and creative expression, connecting to AC9E3L01 and AC9E6LA05 where language choices shape meaning and response.
- Mathematics: Time-based sequencing across the day (8am, 9am, 10am, etc.) and following routines support ordering and understanding duration, with a broad connection to early measurement ideas such as AC9M3M01.
- Science: Arrie’s movement, balloon play, and self-regulation during shifting activities connect to observing how actions and movement change in response to events, with a general link to AC9SPS01.
- HASS / Personal and Social Learning: Safe conversation, shared play, and problem-solving when a pet was lost reflect relationship skills, cooperation, and community interaction, with indirect relevance to wellbeing-oriented curriculum goals.
Try This Next
- Draw a comic strip showing Arrie’s “secret language” and add speech bubbles.
- Make a simple "first/then" checklist for smoothie-making and cleanup.
- Write 3 "would you rather" questions and explain the answer with full sentences.
- Create a feelings thermometer: show what calm, excited, and dysregulated look like.