Fleur’s story

Primary Resources > Health and Well-being (Wales) 8-11 | Iechyd a Lles 8-11

Summary of the film

Fleur has been playing football since a young age, and the pressure to score goals and perform well is weighing heavily on her shoulders. Should she do what everyone expects of her? Or should she explain how she feels to everyone?

Teacher notes

Ideas for the classroom:

• How to deal with pressure? Pupils could be asked to work in groups or pairs to think of scenarios or activities that make them feel under pressure. Then, they could discuss how they could reduce the feeling of being under pressure by coming up with some tips.

To conclude, pupils could create posters of what makes them feel under pressure, eg football and they could include pictures or words showing how to relieve the pressure, eg being confident and voicing concerns.

• How the body deals with anxiety? – To begin with, the class could discuss what ‘anxiety’ means in order to develop the pupils’ understanding of the topic.

What is anxiety? Who does anxiety affect? How can you deal with anxiety?

Then, the teacher could provide a large outline of the human body and ask pupils to label different parts of the body with the effects of anxiety, eg sweaty palms, tight muscles, stomach ache and tired eyes.

• In pairs or small groups, pupils could turn negative feelings into positive feelings either for Fleur’s character or to reflect the challenges in their own lives, eg:

  • I won’t score a goal / I’m going to shoot and hit the back of the net!
  • I can’t do the mathematics task / I’m going to try my best to complete the mathematics task
  • Math and Kate don’t want to play with me / Math and Elis are busy playing another game, I can play with Dylan instead

Once they’ve done around 10 pairs, they could mix them up and ask the next group to try to match them correctly.

Language, literacy and communication ideas:

• Super powers – Pupils could look at the line “In a world of super powers not even the closest people can read our minds” from the poem. The teacher could ask pupils to work in pairs and discuss who they feel they can turn to when they feel worried or sad?

• Picture cards – “Sometimes it's hard to find the words to say how we are really feeling” - A class discussion could be held with the pupils on what are the alternative ways of expressing ourselves, eg pictures. Pupils could work in pairs to create picture cards that explain how they are feeling without words, and swap them with others. Can they guess how the other is feeling? Swap the cards within the class until all cards have been played.

• Pupils could play bingo in groups and swap numbers for different emotions. Some examples are listed below. The pupil that has managed to secure a row then needs to choose one of the feelings and think what they could do if they felt that way:

sad, anxious, worried, irritable, angry

This could lead to a discussion about why sharing feelings and problems can be hard? How do they feel when a problem is shared?

Learning outcomes and curriculum notes

• Understanding what it’s like to feel under pressure
• Learning how to be afraid of failing and letting people down
• Learn more about feeling lonely and sharing concerns
• Develop further understanding about physical symptoms of anxiety/worrying/feeling under pressure

Area of Learning and Experience – Health and Well-being

How we process and respond to our experiences affects our mental health and emotional well-being.

Progression Step 3

• I can self-regulate my emotions in a healthy way using strategies that I have developed.

• I can see the benefits of communicating about feelings as one of a range of strategies which can help promote positive mental health and emotional well-being.

Our decision-making impacts on the quality of our lives and the lives of others.

Progression Step 3

• I can recognise that some decisions I make will have a long-term impact on my life and the lives of others.

• I can understand that decisions can be made individually and collectively, and that they can be influenced by a range of factors.

Area of Learning and Experience – Expressive Arts

Creating combines skills and knowledge, drawing on the senses, inspiration and imagination.

Progression Step 2

• I can create my own designs and work collaboratively with others to develop creative ideas.

Area of Learning and Experience – Languages, Literacy and Communication

Expressing ourselves through languages is key to communication.

Progression Step 1

• I can communicate by making marks, drawing symbols or writing letters and words in a range of contexts.

Progression Step 3

• I can adapt and manipulate language and make appropriate choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency and clarity.

Where next?