Year 9 - Year 10 Health Education Lesson Plan: Healthy Relationships

Subject: Health Education

Year Level: Year 9 - Year 10
Duration: 60 Minutes
Class Size: 30 Students

Curriculum Reference

This lesson supports the Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum at Level 5, focusing on personal health and physical development, specifically achieving personal identity and self-worth through the management of change in relationships.

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Learning Objectives

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

1. Define what constitutes a healthy relationship.
2. Identify the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
3. Understand and respect personal and others' boundaries in relationships.
4. Develop communication skills to maintain healthy relationships.

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Resources Required

• Projector and Screen
• Internet access
• Whiteboard and markers
• Handouts on case studies (provided in attachments)
• Scenario cards for role-play activity

Lesson Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)

• Activity: Ice-breaker - "Two Truths and a Lie" relationship edition, where students say two true statements and one false about traits they believe are important in a healthy relationship.
• Discussion: Briefly discuss the students' statements to highlight common misconceptions or underrated aspects of healthy relationships.

Lesson Development (35 minutes)

Part 1: Understanding Healthy Relationships (10 minutes)

• Presentation: Use a PowerPoint slide to introduce key characteristics of healthy relationships such as mutual respect, trust, honesty, support, fairness, separate identities, and good communication.
• Discussion: Encourage students to provide examples from their own observations (without naming people) or media portrayals.

Part 2: Boundaries and Communication (10 minutes)

• Activity: Hand out scenario cards to groups of 4-5. Each group discusses whether the scenario depicts a healthy or unhealthy relationship, focusing on boundaries and communication.
• Discussion: Regroup and share insights. Highlight the importance of consent and mutual agreement in relationships.

Part 3: Role-Play (15 minutes)

• Activity: In pairs, students perform a short role-play based on the earlier scenarios, demonstrating how to resolve conflicts or set boundaries effectively.
• Feedback: Peers provide constructive feedback on how effectively the situation was handled and suggest improvements.

Conclusion (10 minutes)

Recap and Reflect (5 minutes)

• Dialogue: Open the floor for any questions. Recap the main points about healthy relationships.
• Reflection: Students write a short reflection on one new thing they learned about healthy relationships and one aspect they would work on in their personal lives.

Assignment (5 minutes)

• Homework Assignment: Students are tasked to write a brief essay or create a poster about the importance of healthy relationships, describing the roles of respect and communication.

Assessment

• Participation and engagement in activities.
• Quality of reflections and role-play scenarios.
• Homework assignment on healthy relationships.

Additional Resources

• Teaching Healthy Relationships - a guide and additional resources for teaching relationships in health education.
• Youthline New Zealand - provides support and information on youth wellbeing and relationships which can be valuable for further reading or student support.

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Note to Teacher: This lesson plan is developed keeping in mind the developmental stage of Year 9 - Year 10 students, addressing their need to understand and develop healthy interpersonal relationships, which is crucial as they navigate early adolescence. Adjust the depth of discussion and complexity of scenarios based on the responsiveness and maturity of the class.