Hauora and Substances

Curriculum Area

NZ Curriculum – Health and Physical Education
Level 6 (Year 11)
Strand: Personal Health and Physical Development
Achievement Objective:

• Investigate the effects of lifestyle factors and media on well-being and consider how these may differ for culturally diverse groups.
• Demonstrate understanding of how attitudes, values, and actions influence personal, group, and collective well-being.

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Unit Overview

Unit Title: Decisions in Health
Lesson: 8 of 30
Lesson Title: The Impact of Substance Use on Hauora
Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 30 students

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Learning Intention

Students will:

• Understand how substance use (alcohol and drugs) can impact the four dimensions of hauora.
• Be able to identify short- and long-term effects through analysis of case studies.
• Begin to form their own decisions and values related to substance use through reflection and discussion.

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Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
✔ Describe how substance use can affect taha tinana, taha wairua, taha whānau, and taha hinengaro.
✔ Analyse a real-world or fictionalised case study and explain impacts on hauora.
✔ Participate respectfully in a group discussion, presenting viewpoints with confidence and listening to others.

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Key Concepts

• Hauora (holistic well-being) as a Māori health model
• Drugs and alcohol as influencing factors on decision-making and wellbeing
• Culturally responsive care and equity when discussing substance use
• Real-life decision-making and social consequences

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Materials and Resources

• 4 corner Hauora posters (large, for vakaina-style group movement)
• Printed case studies (2 short scenarios)
• Marker pens, chart paper
• Sticky notes
• Pre-prepared slips with substance types (alcohol, cannabis, vapes, party drugs, prescription misuse)

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Lesson Breakdown

0–10 mins: Introduction and Warm-Up – “Decisions, Decisions”

Purpose: Activate prior knowledge
Activity: Quick whole-class brainstorm

• On the board, write: “What do you know about the effects of drugs and alcohol?”
• Students call out ideas; teacher scribes. Prompt with cues like: physical effects, feelings, relationships, thinking.
  🏷 Emphasise being in a respectful, open, and non-judgemental learning space.

Teacher Talk:

• Introduce the focus: linking the real-life impacts of substances to the four walls of our health – taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental/emotional), taha whānau (social), and taha wairua (spiritual).
• Frame the conversation: “We’re not here to promote use or shame people – we're here to explore how decisions affect wellbeing.”

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10–25 mins: Case Study Carousel – “Walking in Their Shoes”

Purpose: Understand substance impacts through experiential learning.

Set-Up:

• Split class into 5 groups of 6.
• Assign each group a different substance type via random draw.
• Give each group one printed realistic case study (based on anonymous composite stories) involving a young person and substance use – e.g. "Josh drinks every weekend", or "Moana is prescribed painkillers and uses them at school".

Instructions:

1. In groups, read and discuss your assigned case study.
2. On chart paper, students identify ways this person’s hauora is affected in these four areas – write or draw.
3. Rotate: after 5 minutes per case, rotate to add to another group's chart while viewing the previous group’s work.

Teacher Role:

• Circulate and support literacy, clarify difficult terms and facilitate peer discussion.

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25–40 mins: Hauora Corners – “Make the Move”

Purpose: Physical movement activity to test understanding and engage kinaesthetic learners.

Instructions:

1. Label each corner of the room with one dimension of hauora.
2. Teacher reads a short statement or scenario (e.g. "A teen starts skipping family dinners to vape outside" or "A student experiences anxiety after using cannabis").
3. Students move to the corner they believe is the most affected dimension of hauora, discuss with others there.
4. Each group selects a spokesperson to briefly justify their choice.
5. Debrief after 3–4 rounds.

👟 Bonus: This encourages cross-class participation and keeps engagement high with movement and social chat.

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40–50 mins: Personal Reflection – “My Values, My Decisions”

Purpose: Engage individual thinking and connection to personal values.

Activity:

• Students receive 2 sticky notes. Prompt them:

  • On one note: Write one consequence of substance use that would matter most to you and why.
  • On the second note: Think of one value you hold that could guide your decisions if pressured to use a substance.

• Students place notes on two separate class posters titled: What I Care About and What Guides Me.

Optional Extension for Early Finishers: Write a text message offering support to someone experiencing harm from substances (imaginary person based on the case studies).

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50–60 mins: Debrief and Consolidation – “Four Walls Check-In”

Purpose: Ensure understanding and allow for student voice.

Discussion prompts (choose 2–3):

• Which part of hauora is easiest to forget about when thinking about substance use?
• Do you think it affects everyone in the same way? Why or why not?
• Which values do you think schools and whānau need to promote to reduce harm?

Optional strategy: Use a Talking Stick or Koha Taonga for equity in speaking.

Finally, ask each student to:
🔲 Give a “thumbs up/down/sideways” (gesture only) to show how confident they feel about recognising the impact of substance use on hauora.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Scaffolded language: Terms like ‘taha wairua’ and ‘hauora’ will be up on the board for continued reference.
• Mixed-ability grouping: Structured to support peer learning.
• Case study adaptations: Offer simplified versions for students requiring literacy support.

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Reflective Notes (For Teacher Use)

• Which part of the lesson held students’ attention most?
• Did any student show shifts in opinion or increased engagement?
• Who might need extra check-ins moving forward (sensitive content)?

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Homework / Extension (Optional)

• Ask students to talk with a whānau member about the four walls of hauora and find an example (from news, films, or life) where substance use negatively affected one or more walls.

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Assessment for Learning (AFL)

Formative only: Observation during carousel and corners task, reflection content on sticky notes, final check-in.
This evidence will inform future lessons related to managing decisions and peer pressure.

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Ka pai! Mā te mātauranga, ka tū tangata — Through knowledge, we thrive.