D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Everyone Belongs: Being Inclusive, Respectful and Accepting

D1.1 A1.4 A1.5About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can show ways of being inclusive, respectful and accepting.
I can explain how inclusion benefits everyone, including me.
I can change an activity so that everyone can take part.

Words to know

inclusive
Making sure everyone is welcome and has a way to take part.

respect
Treating people, their feelings, their bodies and their belongings as important.

acceptance
Welcoming people as they are, including their differences.

exclusion
Leaving someone out on purpose or by not thinking about them.

belonging
The feeling of being accepted and valued as part of a group.

diversity
The many differences among people, such as culture, language, religion, abilities, families and interests.

Picture the cafeteria

You walk in with your lunch. One table waves you over: "Sit here!" Another table puts a backpack on the empty chair. How does each one make you feel?

That small moment is inclusion or exclusion. Today you'll learn how to be someone who makes others feel they belong, and why that's good for everyone, including you.

Two tables, one empty chair each. A wave and an open seat says "you belong." A backpack on the chair says "not here."

Remember from Grade 5

Last year you learned how actions and words, in person and online, can affect other people's feelings, self-concept and mental health, and how to be an upstander. This year you'll go further: not just stopping hurtful actions, but actively including others.

What does it look like?

Being inclusive means making room for everyone:

inviting someone new to join a game or sit with you
choosing teams fairly, without leaving the same people for last
changing a game so that everyone can play, including people who use wheelchairs or have other disabilities
making sure group work includes everyone's ideas

Being respectful means:

learning to say people's names correctly, and using the name a person asks to be called
listening without interrupting
respecting personal space and belongings
not making jokes about someone's culture, religion, family, body or abilities

Being accepting means:

being curious and kind about differences, not mean
understanding that families, foods, languages, clothes and traditions can be different and all are valued
not judging someone before you get to know them

Who benefits?	How
The person included	Feels safe, valued and part of the group; is more likely to try, learn and have fun
The group or team	Gets more ideas, more skills and more players; works together better; less bullying
The school and community	Feels safer and friendlier for everyone; people learn from each other's cultures and experiences
You	You make new friends, learn new perspectives, feel proud of how you act, and help create a place where you will be included too

Inclusion benefits everyone, including yourself.

One small inviting action spreads out like ripples in a pond: to the person, the group, and the whole school and community, and it comes back to you too.

Small actions that include

Say hi and use the person's name.
Ask a question to get to know them: "What do you like to do?"
Invite: "Want to join us?"
Adapt: "Let's change the rules so everyone can play."
Speak up if someone is left out or mocked.
Follow up: include them again next time, not just once.

Riddle time

What can you add to a lunch table that makes the group bigger without bringing a single new table?

A new friend! (Okay, maybe one extra chair.)

Worked example

Let's adapt a game

At recess, your group plays tag. A new classmate, Priya, uses a wheelchair and is watching. How could you change the game so everyone can play?

Ask Priya what she enjoys and what works for her. She knows best.
Change the rules together, for example: play on the paved area where wheelchairs move easily; tag with a soft ball or pool noodle so everyone can reach; or use "safe zones" that work for everyone.
Check in after a few minutes: "Is this working? Should we change anything?"
Keep it fair: Priya should be "it" sometimes and get tagged sometimes, like everyone else.

Asking, adapting and checking in let everyone play. Priya isn't a guest in the game: she's a player.

Worked example

Let's respond to a hurtful comment

In your group project, someone says, "Ugh, Tamir's lunch smells weird," about a dish his family makes.

Notice: this makes fun of his culture and family. It's not respectful.
Speak up calmly: "That's his family's food. Different foods aren't weird, they're just different."
Include: turn to Tamir: "What's it called? It looks good." (Only if he wants to talk about it.)
Follow up: if comments keep happening, tell a teacher.

A calm comment and a friendly question can change the moment from exclusion to acceptance.

Hands-on activity

Inclusion plan

You need: paper, a pencil, and a family member to talk to.

Think of a place where you spend time: your class, team, club or neighbourhood.
Write who might feel left out there (new students, younger kids, someone who speaks another language, someone who uses a wheelchair, someone who is shy).
Write three specific actions you could take this week to include them.
Do one of them, then tell your grown-up how it went and how you felt.

What to look for: actions that are specific and realistic ("Ask the new student to join our four square game on Tuesday"), not just "be nice."

Your turn

What does inclusive mean?

Give two ways to show respect.

Name one way inclusion benefits the group.

Name one way including others benefits you.

A classmate is always picked last for teams. What could you do?

What is the first step when adapting a game for someone with a disability?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: inclusion only helps the person who is included.

What is the opposite of inclusion?

Someone mispronounces your name. How might you feel?

Is it okay to joke about someone's religion if "everyone laughs"?

What is diversity?

More practice: on your own

A new student who is learning English sits alone. Give two ways to include them.

Why is "inviting someone once" not always enough?

Explain the difference between tolerating someone and accepting them.

Your group is planning a class party. How can you make sure everyone can enjoy the food?

How does an inclusive classroom help learning?

Challenge

Describe a time you felt included or excluded. What did someone do, and what can you learn from it?

Some kids say, "We just like playing with our own friends. That's not exclusion." Is that fair? Explain.

Design a game or activity for your class that everyone can play, including someone who uses a wheelchair and someone who is still learning English. Explain how it's inclusive.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which action is inclusive?

Who benefits from inclusion?

A classmate uses a wheelchair. Before changing a game, you should...

Which is a sign of respect?

Acceptance means...

How does inclusion help you?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 6 expectation to demonstrate ways of being inclusive, respectful and accepting, and describe how this benefits everyone, including themselves (D1.1, Personal Safety and Injury Prevention). It builds relationship skills, empathy and respect for diversity (A1.4) and a sense of identity (A1.5).

How to help at home:

Ask: "Who did you play with today? Was anyone alone?"
Model inclusive language about people of different cultures, abilities and families.
Celebrate small inclusive acts more than big gestures.

Common difficulties: Children may feel that including others means they must give up their friends; reassure them that close friendships are fine, and openness is the goal. Some may worry about saying the wrong thing to someone with a disability: teach them to ask kindly and respectfully, and to treat the person as a peer.