Healthy Relationships

Overview

In this lesson, students explore the elements of healthy relationships, focusing on respect, empathy, and how power and coercion can affect interactions. They practise effective communication strategies that support respectful, safe relationships.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• explain how respect and empathy contribute to respectful relationships
• identify how power and coercion can appear in peer relationships (including online)
• analyse scenarios to determine respectful vs harmful behaviours
• practise communication strategies to seek, give or deny consent and make respectful requests

Success criteria

Students can:

• use examples to describe how respect and empathy change how people respond in relationships
• explain why coercion and control are harmful and not respectful
• identify at least two respectful communication strategies for a given situation
• demonstrate an assertive and respectful response in role-play scenario work

Curriculum links

• Health and Physical Education: examine the roles of respect, empathy, power and coercion in developing respectful relationships
• Health and Physical Education: explain and apply skills and strategies to communicate assertively and respectfully when seeking, giving or denying consent
• Health and Physical Education: examine how behaviours and responses can change depending on who is present (alone, with friends, with family)
• Health and Physical Education: investigate how media and influential people impact attitudes and behaviours in relation to relationships and wellbeing (briefly, through online interaction prompts)

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Think–Pair–Share). Teacher writes: “Healthy relationships feel safe, fair and respectful.” Students think-pair-share what evidence they’ve seen in real life or online (teacher collects 3–4 key ideas on the board).

2. 5–12 min · Direct teach (Mini-lesson: elements). Teacher briefly models four relationship elements: respect, empathy, power, and coercion/control; gives one example of each (including an online example like pressure to share images or unwanted contact). Students take quick notes using a 4-column organiser.

3. 12–22 min · Scenario analysis (Respect vs harm). Teacher gives each group one short scenario card (print): A) “Friend group laughs when someone says no.” B) “Online: a user keeps messaging despite ‘stop’.” C) “With friends vs with family: someone changes how they treat a person.” Students identify: (i) what respect/empathy looks like, (ii) what role power/coercion plays, and (iii) what a safer, more respectful response would be. Groups record answers in three dot points.

4. 22–30 min · Communication practice (Assertive responses). Teacher introduces a simple “ASK” communication structure for respectful assertiveness:

• Ask clearly (what you want/what you need)
• State your boundary (yes/no/stop)
• Keep it respectful (calm voice, no insults; exit if needed) Students practise with a partner using sentence starters provided on the board (e.g., “I don’t want that,” “Please stop,” “No thanks, I’m not comfortable”). Teacher circulates and checks language choices.

5. 30–37 min · Role-play (Consent & power). Teacher selects two groups to role-play quickly (1 minute each). Scenario focus is seeking/giving/denying consent respectfully and noticing coercion. Class uses a checklist: “Was it respectful? Was the boundary clear? Was coercion challenged or ignored?” Students vote with fingers and justify one improvement.

6. 37–40 min · Exit ticket (Individual check). Students complete a short exit ticket:

• “One sign of coercion or control is…”
• “A respectful assertive response is…” Teacher reviews for misconceptions and next-lesson planning.

Resources

• Scenario cards (3 per class: respect/empathy, coercion online, shifting behaviour with audience)
• Student 4-column note sheet (Respect / Empathy / Power / Coercion)
• Communication sentence starters on the board or handout
• Role-play checklist (3 items)
• Exit ticket slips or digital form (no links)
• Timer and visual agenda on board

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observation during partner communication practice (boundaries, tone, respectful language)
• Formative: group scenario analysis (accuracy about respect/empathy and identification of coercion vs respectful influence)
• Summative-for-learning: exit ticket responses to gauge understanding of power/coercion and assertive communication

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters and a word bank (respect, empathy, boundary, stop, unwanted, safe) for students needing support
• Allow varied participation in groups (reader, recorder, reporter, timekeeper)
• Extend for fast finishers: “Rewrite the scenario so it becomes respectful—what changes in power dynamics and communication?”
• For EAL/SEN support: offer an alternative response option for the exit ticket (e.g., circle the correct response from two choices)