Peer Pressure Power

Overview

Year Level: Years 5–6
Subject: Health and Physical Education
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 31 students
Unit Title: Safe Connections: Communication Skills
Lesson Number: 9 of 10
Lesson Title: Recognising and Responding to Peer Pressure

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Australian Curriculum Links

Curriculum Area: Health and Physical Education
Strand: Personal, Social and Community Health
Sub-strand: Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing
Content Descriptions:

• ACPPS055: Practise skills to establish and manage relationships.
• ACPPS056: Examine the influence of emotional responses on behaviour, relationships and health and wellbeing.
• ACPPS057: Recognise how media and important people in the community influence personal attitudes, beliefs, decisions and behaviours.

General Capabilities: Personal and Social Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding

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Learning Intentions

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

• Understand what peer pressure is and identify examples of both positive and negative peer pressure.
• Recognise their own personal boundaries and rights in social interactions.
• Practise strategies to say “no” to negative peer pressure using assertive communication.
• Reflect on how peer pressure can impact their decisions and wellbeing.

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Success Criteria

Students will:

• Participate in group discussions about peer pressure.
• Use role-play to practise assertive “refusal” strategies.
• Identify strategies to manage peer pressure in a written reflection.

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Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Peer Pressure Power Cards (scenario cards included below)
• “Assertive Response” Flipbook template (one per student)
• Sticky notes
• Poster paper or butcher’s paper
• Markers or coloured pencils
• Reflection sheet: “My Safe Response Plan”

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Preparation

• Prepare Peer Pressure Power Cards with realistic, age-relevant scenarios (see below).
• Copy “Assertive Response” Flipbooks and Reflection Sheets for each student.
• Arrange desks for collaborative group work.
• Clearly define a space for role-play (e.g., an open area at the front of the class).

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Lesson Sequence

1. Introduction – What is Peer Pressure? (10 minutes)

Hook Activity: “Pressure Pinwheel” (5 mins)
Create a circle on the board with the word “PRESSURE” in the middle. Ask students to call out words they associate with pressure. Write down their responses around “PRESSURE”.

Now ask:

• “When have you felt pressure from others your own age?”
• “What does it feel like when your friends want you to do something you’re unsure about?”

Lead a short class discussion. Introduce the term Peer Pressure. Define it as:

“When someone your age tries to influence you to do something, whether it's good or bad.”

2. Exploring Positive vs Negative Peer Pressure (5 minutes)

On the whiteboard, draw a simple T-chart:

Positive Peer Pressure	Negative Peer Pressure

Invite students to provide examples of both positive and negative peer pressure. Record answers in the chart.

Examples:

• Positive: “Encouraging a friend to study for a test.”
• Negative: “Daring someone to lie to a teacher.”

Explain that today’s focus is on resisting negative peer pressure and communicating assertively.

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3. Activity 1 – Peer Pressure Power Cards (15 minutes)

Group Role Play (10 minutes)
Break the class into six groups of 5–6 students. Distribute one Peer Pressure Power Card per group (see examples below).

Each card describes a different realistic scenario (e.g. being dared to sneak extra snacks at lunch, watching a friend be excluded).

Instructions:

1. Read the scenario together.
2. Discuss possible reactions: an agreeable response, an aggressive response, and an assertive response.
3. Rehearse and present a short 30-second role-play demonstrating an assertive response. Use open body language, eye contact, and clear ‘I’ statements.
4. Perform role-plays for the class.

Assertiveness Tips to Display:

• Use a strong, calm voice: "I feel… I don’t want to… I choose to…"
• Stand tall, make eye contact
• Repeat yourself if pressured
• Walk away if necessary

Debrief as a class:

• What made the responses assertive?
• How would it feel to say “no” in real life?

Sample Peer Pressure Power Cards:

• "Your friend dares you to make a prank call during lunch."
• "A classmate pressures you to exclude someone from your group project."
• "Your mates say you'll be ‘cool’ if you take something from the canteen."
• "You're told all the ‘popular kids’ are going to meet at the skatepark tonight without telling parents."

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4. Activity 2 – My Assertive Flipbook (10 minutes)

Hand out the “Assertive Response” Flipbooks. Each flipbook includes prompts:

• Page 1: “When I feel pressured, I…”
• Page 2: “An assertive response I can give is…”
• Page 3: “My body language will show…”
• Page 4: “I will feel proud because…”

Students fill in and illustrate their flipbooks with guidance. These can be kept in their desks as a pocket resource.

Optional: Allow students to share one page of their flipbooks with a partner or in a small group.

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5. Reflection – My Safe Response Plan (5 minutes)

Distribute the “My Safe Response Plan” template. Students respond independently to the following prompts:

• One kind of situation where I might feel pressure is…
• One strategy I can use to respond is…
• Someone I can talk to or get help from is…

Collect these as exit tickets or revisit in the next session for personal goal setting.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters and scenario illustrations for students with additional learning needs.
• Challenge: Ask advanced students to create their own Peer Pressure scenario card and response role-play for use in Lesson 10.
• EAL/D: Pair EAL/D students with confident speakers. Allow use of translation tools or visual prompts in activities.

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Assessment

Formative:

• Observation of group participation and discussions
• Quality of responses in role-play (use of assertive strategies)
• Completion of flipbooks and reflection sheets

Summative (Optional):

• Short written or recorded response: "Describe a time you or someone you know experienced peer pressure. How did they respond, and what could have been done differently?"

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Extension / At-Home Connection

Encourage students to have a conversation with a trusted adult at home about peer pressure. Provide a short script prompt they can use:

“Today we talked about peer pressure in class. Can you tell me about a time you had to say no to someone your age?”

They can report back a summary next lesson (optional reflection sheet).

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Teacher Reflection (Post-lesson)

Consider:

• Were students able to differentiate between positive and negative peer pressure?
• Did students demonstrate understanding of assertive communication?
• What unexpected questions or misconceptions arose?
• How can I extend this topic in Lesson 10?

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Conclusion

This lesson empowers students to recognise and respond to peer pressure using age-appropriate, practical strategies based on the Australian Curriculum. It blends role-play, cooperative learning, creativity, and personal reflection—developing not only communication skills but critical thinking and confidence in personal boundaries.