Trusted Adults Help

Lesson Overview

This 45-minute lesson for Years 3/4 in Health focuses on developing students' understanding of trusted adults and how to seek help appropriately. It builds students’ safety awareness and self-advocacy skills as part of the "Building Safety and Resilience" unit. The lesson is designed to align with the NSW Health and Physical Education curriculum, emphasizing protective behaviours, help-seeking strategies, and respectful relationships.

Curriculum Alignment

NSW Curriculum Reference: Health and Physical Education - Years 3 and 4

Content Descriptions:
Recognise how emotional responses vary in different situations and how to express them appropriately.
Describe protective behaviours to keep themselves and others safe.
Investigate strategies to seek help and identify trusted adults.
Demonstrate respectful ways to interact with others to strengthen relationships.
Achievement Standard Focus: By the end of Year 4, students identify influences that strengthen identities and describe strategies to manage emotions, changes and transitions. They describe and apply protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies to keep themselves and others safe. Students apply skills to interact respectfully with others and interpret health information to enhance wellbeing and safety.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

Define who trusted adults are and explain why they are important.
Identify several trusted adults present in their lives.
Demonstrate appropriate ways to seek help from trusted adults through role-play.
Reflect on the feelings connected to help-seeking and build confidence to ask for assistance when needed.

Resources Needed

Whiteboard/Smartboard and markers
Large paper or poster for brainstorming
Role-play scenario cards (prepared in advance)
“Trusted Adults” worksheet or a handout with prompts
Soft ball or talking piece for group sharing

Lesson Procedure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Briefly review prior lessons about personal safety and resilience to connect learning.
Introduce the lesson’s focus: Trusted Adults and Help-Seeking.
Ask: "What does it mean to trust someone? Who do you trust when you need help?" to engage students in thinking about their support networks.
Share the learning objectives verbally.

2. Brainstorm Trusted Adults (10 minutes)

Use a large poster or whiteboard to collaboratively brainstorm a list of trusted adults in their lives (e.g., parents, teachers, relatives, coaches, family friends).
Discuss why these people are trusted and what qualities make them trustworthy (e.g., safe, kind, listens, helps).
Ensure examples include adults inside and outside the family to acknowledge the broader support network.

3. Guided Discussion: Why Seek Help? (5 minutes)

Talk about situations when they might need help (feeling sad, unsafe, confused, bullied).
Discuss why asking for help is courageous and important.
Emphasise that trusted adults want to help and keep them safe.

4. Role-Play Activity (20 minutes)

Divide the class into small groups of 5.
Provide each group with a simple scenario where a student needs to seek help (e.g., lost at school, feeling scared, hurt themselves).
Each group discusses and role-plays how the child could approach a trusted adult and ask for help.
Encourage the use of respectful communication: using polite words, explaining the problem clearly, and listening to the adult.
After preparation, groups perform their role-play for the class.
Facilitate constructive feedback, highlighting effective strategies and positive behaviours shown.

5. Reflection and Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

Use a talking piece or a soft ball for a round of sharing: "One thing I learned about trusted adults is..." or "I feel confident I could ask for help if...".
Reassure students that help-seeking is a safe and positive action.
Recap key points: who trusted adults are, why seeking help is important, and how to approach them respectfully.

Assessment for Learning

Formative Assessment: Observation of participation during brainstorming and role-play. Are students able to identify trusted adults and communicate how to ask for help?
Exit Reflection: Students verbally share one trusted adult they could approach and one situation where they might seek help, demonstrating understanding.

Differentiation Strategies

For students needing extra support: Provide simplified role-play scripts or visual prompts.
For advanced learners: Challenge them to think of multiple trusted adults and discuss qualities that build trust over time.
Ensure culturally responsive practice by inviting students to include trusted adults significant in their cultural contexts.

Teacher’s Notes

Model respectful and supportive listening throughout the lesson.
Emphasise that everyone’s trusted adult list may be different and that’s okay.
Use positive reinforcement to build students’ confidence in asking for help.
This lesson builds foundational skills for safety and wellbeing, reinforcing students’ resilience through strong support networks.

This lesson plan offers deep engagement through active discussion, collaboration, and role-play, ensuring students practically understand and feel confident about seeking help from trusted adults. It is tightly aligned with NSW curriculum goals for personal safety, emotional resilience, and respectful relationships, promising a memorable and impactful learning experience.

Teaching Instructions