Active Healthy Habits

Year Level

Year 5 (Victorian Primary School)

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

25 students

---

Curriculum Alignment

Victorian F-10 Health and Physical Education Curriculum

Content Descriptions & Elaborations:

• Physical Activity & Wellbeing

  • Participate in physical activities that enhance health and wellbeing in natural and outdoor settings, analyse steps and resources to promote participation.
    (AC9HP6M05)

• Movement Skills & Teamwork

  • Participate positively in groups and teams, contributing to activities, encouraging others, and negotiating roles.
    (AC9HP6M09)

• Health, Safety & Wellbeing

  • Analyse how behaviours influence individual and community health, safety, relationships and wellbeing. Highlight strategies to maintain physical activity and social connection.
    (AC9HP6P10)

• Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Nutrition & Mental Wellbeing

  • Investigate and propose strategies to support mental health and wellbeing through social support and healthy lifestyle habits including nutrition.
    (AC9HP6P10_E8)

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate teamwork and cooperation through participation in group physical activities.
2. Identify and engage in moderate to vigorous physical activities that promote health and wellbeing.
3. Discuss the importance of healthy eating and strategies to support mental wellbeing.
4. Reflect on ways to promote a healthy lifestyle through physical activity, nutrition, and social connection.

---

Resources Needed

• Cones for marking play area
• Soft balls (e.g. foam soccer balls) – enough for small groups
• Whistle
• Whiteboard and markers
• Posters or printed charts of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
• Heart rate charts or visual aids to discuss intensity
• Printed reflection sheets or journals for student notes
• Space: Outdoor oval or gymnasium

---

Lesson Sequence

1. Warm-up and Introduction (10 minutes)

• Begin with a group warm-up incorporating dynamic stretching and light jogging around the play area.
• Introduce learning objectives orally to students.
• Quick circle discussion: "What does it mean to be healthy? What helps us feel good in our bodies and minds?" Elicit ideas about movement, food, and feelings.
• Briefly introduce the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating poster and explain the five food groups, connecting to energy for physical activity.

2. Team Physical Activity Game: "Health Relay Challenge" (25 minutes)

Description: A relay race designed to promote teamwork, physical activity, and fun while incorporating tasks related to healthy habits.

• Divide class into 5 teams of 5 students each.

• Set up relay course marked by cones with stations:

  1. Sprint to cone, perform 10 jumping jacks (high intensity).
  2. Dribble a ball with feet around cones and back (coordination, moderate intensity).
  3. Balance on one foot for 10 seconds (concentration, stability).
  4. Team huddle for a quick quiz: One student picks a nutrition or mental wellbeing question (pre-prepared), answers with help from team.
  5. Final sprint back to tag next teammate.

• Use a whistle to signal start/end of each leg.

• Rotate until each student completes one full leg.

• Emphasise supporting and encouraging teammates throughout.

3. Cool-down and Reflection (15 minutes)

• Lead a group cool-down with stretches and deep breathing.
• Discuss as a class how their heart rates changed during the activities and why this is important for fitness (tie to intensity: low, moderate, high).
• Facilitate a guided discussion on the importance of teamwork in physical activities and how working together helps everyone participate and have fun.
• Talk about how eating well (highlighting food groups) supports their energy for games and helps keep their brains happy.
• Include mental wellbeing: discuss simple strategies like talking to friends, staying active, and getting enough rest to feel good inside.
• Students complete a short reflection sheet/journal prompt:
  • What did you enjoy most about today’s game?
  • How can you include healthy habits in your day?
  • What is one thing you can do to support your friends’ wellbeing?

4. Plenary & Assessment (10 minutes)

• Invite a few volunteers to share reflections or strategies they wrote down.
• Collect the reflection sheets for teacher assessment.
• Informal assessment through observation during games: note cooperation, participation, and communication skills.
• Quick quiz or verbal Q&A reviewing key nutrition facts and wellbeing concepts covered.

---

Assessment Strategies

• Formative:

  • Teacher observation of teamwork, participation, and engagement during Physical Activity (AC9HP6M09).
  • Student contributions to group discussions and teamwork during activities.
  • Completion of reflection sheets demonstrating understanding of healthy lifestyle concepts (AC9HP6P10).

• Summative:

  • Short quiz based on nutrition and mental wellbeing discussion questions.
  • Reflection sheet responses assessed for comprehension of lesson objectives related to health behaviours.

---

Differentiation & Inclusion

• Modify physical tasks for students needing support (e.g., shorter distances, alternative movements).
• Encourage peer support within teams to foster inclusion.
• Ensure all students have opportunities to participate in the quiz and discussion segments.
• Use clear, inclusive language and visual aids to support diverse learners.

---

Teacher Notes

• Reinforce positive communication and behaviours throughout the lesson.
• Ensure safety by monitoring for proper use of equipment and play area boundaries.
• Adapt activity intensity based on student fitness and weather conditions.
• Link learnings to home and community contexts to encourage lifestyle application beyond school.

---

This lesson fully aligns with the Australian Curriculum (v9) by focusing on physical activity, teamwork skills, and health literacy related to nutrition and mental wellbeing. It encourages students to develop a holistic view of health through active participation, social cooperation, and reflective thinking .