Changing Connections

Overview

Unit Title: Safe Choices in Health
Lesson Number: 3 of 4
Lesson Title: Understanding Changes in Relationships
Target Group: Year 7 (typically 12–13 years old)
Class Size: 2 students
Lesson Time: 45 minutes
Curriculum Area: Health and Physical Education
Australian Curriculum Reference:
Personal, Social and Community Health Strand
Sub-strand: Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing
Content Descriptor:

• ACPPS074 – Investigate the impact of changes and transitions on relationships.

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Lesson Objectives

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

• Identify the changes that occur in peer and family relationships during adolescence.
• Reflect on how these relationships influence their sense of identity and emotional wellbeing.
• Compare and contrast past and present relationships using a Venn diagram.
• Articulate how they can positively manage changes in relationships to maintain wellbeing.

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Curriculum Links & Focus

This lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (F-10), specifically aiming to support the development of self-awareness and interpersonal skills.
The focus is on relationships, transitions, and emotional development during early adolescence, which is highly relevant and age-appropriate for Year 7 students.

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Resources Required

• Whiteboard or large poster paper
• Markers or textas
• A4 or A3 paper for Venn diagrams
• Printed rubric for assessment
• Post-it notes
• Emotion cards (custom cards with faces and emotion words: happy, confused, angry, supported, lonely, etc.)
• A calming sensory object (e.g., a stress ball or mindfulness stone – optional but helpful for small group discussions)

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Lesson Sequence

🔹 Introduction – (5 mins)

Welcome & Check-In

• Greet students and do a quick emotional check-in using the emotion cards. Ask each student to pick a card that reflects how they feel today and explain why. This helps establish a trusting, emotionally safe environment.

Learning Intentions:

• “Today, we will explore how our relationships—like with friends and family—have changed as we’ve grown up, and how that makes us feel."
• "We’ll work together to think about ways we can keep our relationships healthy and positive.”

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🔹 Hook – (5 mins)

Activity: Quickfire Flashback

• Ask students to share a brief "Then and Now" story—how a friendship or family relationship used to be in primary school compared to now.
• Prompt with questions:
  • “Did you spend more time with certain people before?”
  • “Have your conversations changed?”
  • “Do you rely on different people for advice now?”

Goal: Warm up their memory recall and set the stage for deeper thinking.

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🔹 Main Activity – (20 mins)

Activity: Relationship Venn Diagram

Provide each student with A3 paper. Explain that they’ll be exploring their relationships "Then" (ages 8–10) and "Now" (current age) through a personalised Venn diagram.

Instructions:

1. Label one side of the Venn Diagram "Before" and the other side "Now".
2. In each section, students list:
   • People who were important in that stage (friends, family).
   • Types of activities shared.
   • How they made you feel.
3. In the centre (overlap), list:
   • Consistent relationships and qualities that have stayed the same.
4. Optional enrichment: Add emotion words beside each relationship to show their personal impact.

Critical Thinking Prompt:

“What do these changes say about how we grow and change? Is it always easy when things change in relationships?”

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🔹 Pair Reflection & Discussion – (10 mins)

Given the small class size, this is a great opportunity for deep 1-on-1 exchange.

Guided Partner Questions:

• “Was anything surprising from your diagram?”
• “Did any relationships become stronger or weaker? Why?”
• “How do these changes in your relationships affect how you feel day-to-day?”

Then, facilitate a short group discussion (all 3 of you together) where you chart:

• Common patterns (e.g. more independence, more peer influence).
• Emotional impacts (positive/supportive vs. challenging).

Use post-it notes to track emotions described and stick them under three columns:

• Feels Better Now
• Feels About the Same
• Feels More Difficult

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🔹 Conclusion – (5 mins)

Exit Reflection – “One Word” Round
Each student says one word to describe how their relationships feel now, compared to before.

Teacher Wrap-Up:

• Acknowledge that changing relationships are a normal and important part of growing up.
• Emphasise that everyone handles this differently—and that asking for help is brave and healthy.

Preview Next Lesson:
"Next time, we’ll practise ways to communicate and set boundaries in our current relationships—so we feel safe, heard, and respected."

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Assessment

Formative Assessment Task:

Relationship Venn Diagram

Assess student diagrams using the following rubric.

Criteria	Excellent (A)	Good (B)	Developing (C)	Emerging (D)
Identification of Changes	Insightfully shows multiple clear changes	Shows some changes with clarity	Basic changes listed	Few or unclear changes illustrated
Comparison of Then and Now	Strong analysis across time periods	Good comparison with some detail	Basic comparison	Limited or inaccurate comparison
Reflection on Emotions	Deep emotional insight and vocabulary	Some emotional language used	Simple or surface-level feeling words	Limited or missing emotional insight
Presentation & Structure	Diagram is neat, well-organised and creative	Mostly neat and readable	Reasonably presented, some errors	Presentation hinders understanding

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Differentiation & Extension

• For advanced learners: Encourage them to add future predictions to the Venn diagram—“What might change again in the next 5 years?”
• Visual or EAL learners: Offer pre-filled examples or visuals of relationship types (cousins, siblings, classmates, family friends).
• For students struggling with expression: Students can use emojis or draw instead of writing full words.

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Teacher Notes

• Because the class size is small, use this to your advantage—build a safe, open environment where students feel heard and understood.
• Don't rush the discussion. These conversations help build their empathy and self-awareness.
• Allow for silence or pauses in the discussion—they may be processing sensitive memories or thoughts.
• Debrief privately with students if any emotional concern is noted.

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Reflection for Next Lesson

Record your observations:

• Did the students grasp the concept of changing relationships?
• Were emotions expressed safely and constructively?
• Note any students who may need emotional support in the next lesson on setting boundaries in relationships.

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Prepared by: AI Assistant – Tailoring contemporary health education to Australian classrooms
Lesson Title: Understanding Changes in Relationships
Unit: Safe Choices in Health
Lesson Number: 3 of 4

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For optimal impact, display the student-created Venn diagrams in the classroom as part of a 'Growing Up' reflective wall—visible reminders of their evolving identities and support systems.