Core Skills Analysis
English
- Arrie practised oral language by asking for what she wanted, explaining discomfort, and narrating her Nintendo play to SW, showing she can use words to share ideas and needs.
- She listened to options, made choices, and discussed feelings like disappointment and wanting her mum, which builds vocabulary for emotions and decision-making.
- During the library visit, Arrie selected books and movies, showing early comprehension of how to match interests with reading and media choices.
- Her conversation about puberty, the sunflower lanyard, and ASD showed Arrie can talk about personal identity and understand supportive language in social settings.
Mathematics
- Arrie used real-life money skills at IGA by intentionally spending under $10, showing awareness of budget limits.
- She helped add up the prices of her items, practicing practical addition in a meaningful community context.
- Choosing items to buy and comparing options at the shop supported her understanding of value, quantity, and simple financial decision-making.
- Packing for the outing and selecting what to bring also involved sorting, planning, and estimating what was needed.
Science
- Arrie noticed how different socks and shoes felt on her body, showing sensory observation and awareness of how materials can affect comfort.
- She used deep breathing, movement, and rip paper to regulate, which suggests she was learning how actions can change her body state and feelings.
- The conversation about puberty connected to biological change, helping Arrie think about how bodies grow and change over time.
- Taking pictures of the environment showed curiosity and observation of the world around her during the community outing.
HASS
- Arrie practised community participation by visiting the library and IGA, building familiarity with public places and their purposes.
- She demonstrated decision-making in the community by choosing to go out, selecting where to go, and deciding when to return home.
- Playing shop keeper in roleplay helped Arrie understand everyday community roles and social interactions in a practical way.
- Her collaboration with SW on boundaries, walking safely, and staying in sight showed learning about responsible behaviour in shared spaces.
Tips
Arrie could build on this session by making a simple “go out” plan together before community trips, including clothing choices, comfort items, and a budget so she can feel more prepared and in control. She could also keep a feelings-and-strategies chart to match triggers (like uncomfortable socks) with helpful regulation tools such as breathing, movement, or ripping paper. To extend learning, Arrie might create a pretend shop at home using play money and price tags, then practise adding totals and choosing items within a set budget. A visit to the library could be turned into a mini project where she picks one book and one movie, then talks about what she noticed or enjoyed most, helping her reflect on preferences, confidence, and successful community access.
Book Recommendations
- The Way I Feel by Janan Cain: A gentle picture book that helps children name emotions and understand feeling changes.
- Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni: A story about friendship, identity, and accepting yourself.
- Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock by Sheila Bair: A kid-friendly story about saving money and making thoughtful spending choices.
Learning Standards
- English: Arrie used spoken language to explain choices, feelings, and preferences, matching AC9E6LY01 through interaction skills and influence in conversation, and supporting language features used for audience response in AC9E6LA05.
- Mathematics: Adding item prices and spending under $10 connects to practical number work and problem solving, aligning with AC9M6N05.
- Science: Observing how socks, shoes, breathing, and movement affect comfort and regulation relates to investigation of how actions change bodily states, with a general link to scientific inquiry habits in AC9S9I01.
- HASS: Visiting the library and IGA, making decisions in shared spaces, and understanding roles in roleplay support community participation and interconnections in daily life, with a broad connection to WAHASS91.
Try This Next
- Create a 'community outing checklist' with socks, headphones, water, and comfort items.
- Make a pretend shop worksheet: add 3 item prices and total them under $10.
- Draw a feelings thermometer showing what helps Arrie calm down when upset.
- Write 3 sentences about Arrie’s library trip using first-person or third-person narration.