Respectful Connection Skills

Overview

Today’s lesson focuses on building and maintaining safe, respectful relationships across offline and online contexts. Students will evaluate relationship strategies and create a Canva poster or mini-presentation using digital tools to reinforce healthy relationship messages.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• evaluate strategies for promoting and maintaining safe, respectful relationships in different contexts
• analyse how attitudes and behaviours affect safety and wellbeing in relationships
• design and communicate respectful-relationship messages using Canva, with appropriate safety and privacy choices
• practise digital literacy by creating, revising, and presenting work that supports wellbeing and inclusion

Success criteria

Students can:

• identify at least two relationship strategies and explain why they promote safety and respect
• describe how specific behaviours (online and face-to-face) can either build or damage respectful relationships
• create a clear Canva design (poster or 4-slide mini-presentation) with accurate, respectful content
• use Canva features appropriately (layout, fonts/contrast, images sourced ethically, readable text)

Curriculum links

• PH5-RRL-01: evaluate and apply strategies for promoting and maintaining safe and respectful relationships in a range of contexts
• PH5-SHW-01: analyse the interrelationship between contextual factors, attitudes and behaviours to promote safety, health and wellbeing
• PH5-IPS-01: evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of health information, products and support services
• PH5-RRL-01 and PH5-IPS-01: apply critical thinking to ensure messages are respectful, safe, and suitable

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Respect or Risk?). Teacher shows 2 short relationship scenarios on the board (one face-to-face, one online) and asks: “What tells you this is respectful and safe?” Students quick-write one clue for each scenario (attitudes/behaviours).

2. 5–12 min · Learning intentions & mini-direct teach. Teacher introduces three “relationship strategy” categories: communication, boundaries/consent, and help-seeking/repair; links them to safety and respect in different contexts. Students repeat the categories and add one example from their own experience or from the scenarios.

3. 12–22 min · Canva intro (teacher + guided practice). Teacher demonstrates Canva on a projector: choosing a template, setting page size, adding headings, using icons/shapes, and checking readability (contrast and font size). Teacher also covers digital safety: not sharing personal details, using school-appropriate images, and citing/crediting images if required by school practice. Students join a guided activity: open Canva, choose either “Poster (A4)” or “Presentation (4 slides)”, and create a title slide/poster heading: “Healthy Relationships: What Helps”.

4. 22–40 min · Interactive Canva creation (small groups). Teacher sets the task: each group completes one Canva product answering prompts:

• Scenario context: What’s happening? (brief)
• Attitudes/behaviours: How do they affect safety and respect?
• Strategy: Recommend one specific action that helps (communication, boundaries, or repair/help-seeking)
• Online add-on (for at least one slide/section): What is a respectful choice online? Students collaborate to design content, using Canva tools (text boxes, colour palette, alignment, simple icons). Teacher circulates with a checklist: accuracy, respect, safety, and readability.

5. 40–48 min · Gallery walk + “Strategy strength” feedback. Teacher arranges quick gallery walk (or screen-share if devices are limited). Students view at least two classmates’ Canva products. Students use a short feedback script: “I notice… / I think this strategy helps because… / One suggestion to improve clarity is…”

6. 48–55 min · Whole-class debrief (evaluate & refine). Teacher highlights 2–3 strong strategies and links them to safety and respect. Students identify what makes the message effective (clear wording, practical advice, respectful tone). Students make one improvement to their own Canva work based on feedback (quick edit).

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket (assessment check). Students answer on paper or a digital form:

• “One strategy that promotes safe, respectful relationships is…”
• “One online behaviour choice that supports respect and safety is…”
• “A health information message must be suitable because…” (choose one: accurate, respectful, safe, helpful, non-judgemental)

Resources

• Canva accounts/logins (teacher-prepared classroom access)
• Devices with internet access and headphones (optional)
• Printed or digital scenario cards (face-to-face and online)
• Canva “poster” and “presentation” templates prepared for students
• Feedback script slips (Notice / Helps because / Improve clarity)
• Exit ticket sheet or digital form
• Device etiquette reminder (no personal details, privacy-first)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher checklist during Canva creation (accuracy, respect, safety, clarity/readability)
• Formative: peer feedback during gallery walk using the “strategy strength” script
• Summative-in-mini: exit ticket responses showing evaluation of strategies and online choices

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters for the Canva prompts (e.g., “This behaviour shows… because…”, “A respectful online choice is…”)
• Offer two content scaffolds: “Simpler” (bullet points) and “Challenge” (include brief cause-effect explanation using contextual factors)
• Extension for early finishers: add a “help-seeking” slide/section naming appropriate support (school trusted person, online reporting where relevant to school processes) and explain why it is suitable
• EAL/SEN support: allow pictorial organisers, reduced text requirements, and the option to draft ideas orally before typing; ensure colour contrast and large font sizes in templates