Healthy Choices Media

Overview

Students will complete a brief health survey on a substance-use issue relevant to young people (vaping, alcohol or marijuana), analyse the class results, and then propose evidence-informed strategies to improve health and safety. They will also critique typical media messaging and health information to justify their proposals.

Learning intentions

• Students will interpret and display survey data using graphs and simple analysis.
• Students will critique media messages and health information about substance use from credible sources.
• Students will synthesise findings to propose and justify strategies for personal and peer health and safety.
• Students will evaluate how proposed strategies support help-seeking, assertive communication, and conflict resolution/negotiation in risky online and offline situations.

Success criteria

• I can create at least one clear graph that accurately represents survey responses.
• I can summarise key patterns from the data using correct terminology (e.g., percentages, trends).
• I can use credible information to justify at least one health and safety strategy.
• I can explain how my strategy supports assertive behaviour, help-seeking, or safer responses to risky situations.

Curriculum links

• HPE achievement standards focus on applying knowledge to propose and justify strategies that enhance health, safety, and wellbeing.
• Students analyse information and communicate strategies for health and safety in situations where young people may be at risk.
• Students critique media messaging and health information, and use evidence to make decisions.
• Students plan and justify responses for help-seeking and communication in online and offline contexts.

Lesson structure (70 minutes)

1. 0–5 min | Welcome + issue framing

• Teacher introduces today’s focus: vaping, alcohol, and/or marijuana as common youth issues, and emphasises using credible information.

2. 5–20 min | Survey completion (data collection)

• Distribute the health survey to all students. Students complete it individually on paper or a provided form.
• Teacher reminds students to answer honestly and that the survey is for class analysis, not personal judgement.
• Students choose laptops once finished (if required by school setup).

3. 20–30 min | Quick media/health info prompt + credible sourcing

• In small groups, students read short teacher-prepared excerpts (no links) about substance use messaging, health campaigns, or service info.
• Groups identify: what message is being delivered, who it targets, and what makes the source credible (evidence base, health professional/service, clear purpose, transparent data).

4. 30–45 min | Data tasks + graph planning

• Teacher models how to calculate percentages and select a suitable graph type (bar/column or pie for categories).
• Students begin analysing their survey results: tally categories and draft a graph plan.

5. 45–60 min | Research + potential proposal building (laptops)

• Students research a topic they are interested in from the survey issue set (vaping, alcohol, or marijuana).
• They focus on: harms/risks, realistic protective actions, and what credible sources recommend.
• Students use their own group’s data to draft “Potential proposal” statements (one for self, one for supporting friends).

6. 60–68 min | 20-min data discussion (accelerated share-out)

• Teacher facilitates guided discussion:
• What patterns stand out in the class data?
• Which needs are suggested by the data (e.g., uncertainty, exposure, peer influence)?
• Which strategy best addresses the identified need?
• Students share one graph insight and one justified strategy.

7. 68–70 min | Exit reflection + success check

• Students complete a brief exit reflection: “One insight from our data is… One evidence-informed strategy is…”
• Teacher checks for alignment to success criteria and collects surveys (if paper).

Resources

• Health survey (teacher-made; includes age-appropriate substance-use relevant questions, response options, and a short anonymous demographic question if appropriate)
• Laptops/tablets with spreadsheet or graphing tool (or printed graph templates if offline)
• Teacher-prepared short reading excerpts (media messaging and/or health service information) with no hyperlinks
• Simple data handling reference sheet (how to calculate percentages; examples of bar/pie graphs)
• Markers, sticky notes, or digital boards for group brainstorming
• Credible source prompts (e.g., “Is it from a health department, medical service, or evidence-based organisation?”)
• Student worksheet for “Potential proposal” structure: data insight → risk/need → strategy → justification → communication/help-seeking link

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes survey completion choices and group research notes; checks graph drafts during 30–60 minutes.
• Formative: graph accuracy and clarity using the success criteria (at least one correct graph plus a short summary).
• Summative (quick in-lesson evidence): exit reflection showing data-based insight and an evidence-informed strategy tied to health and safety communication.

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters for data analysis (“The most common response was…”, “This suggests…”) and for strategy justification (“Because the data shows…”, “Credible sources recommend…”).
• Offer pre-filled graph templates and a reduced set of graph options (e.g., bar graph only).
• Provide a simplified “credible source checklist” using icons or short statements.
• Extension:
• Require two graphs (e.g., bar graph + comparison chart) and a brief evaluation (“Which strategy would have the greatest impact and why?”).
• Ask students to link strategies explicitly to online and offline scenarios (e.g., bystander responses, peer pressure negotiation).
• EAL/SEN:
• Provide reading excerpts with glossaries for key terms (vaping, nicotine, help-seeking, harm reduction).
• Allow oral responses or audio notes for exit reflection.
• Partner students strategically for research and graphing.
• Dyslexia-friendly options:
• Use text spacing, larger font, and reduced visual clutter on worksheets.
• Offer audio read-aloud of the provided excerpts and key instructions.
• Provide colour-coded response categories and graph examples.

Extension (optional)

• If time allows or as homework, students write a short “strategy proposal” paragraph: one paragraph critiquing a media message, one paragraph synthesising the data, and one paragraph proposing and justifying a help-seeking/peer-support strategy.