Monday Mindful Reset

Overview

Students begin the week by noticing how emotions can show up in the body, thoughts and behaviour. They practise a brief breathing reset, then use Pause–Name–Choose to select a helpful response in everyday adolescent situations without needing to disclose personal experiences.

Learning intentions

• WALT notice emotional and non-verbal cues in ourselves and others.
• WALT understand that emotions are signals, not good or bad.
• WALT practise a calm breathing strategy.
• WALT choose a helpful response when emotions feel strong.

Success criteria

• I can identify an emotion using body clues, thoughts and intensity.
• I can use breathing to create a pause.
• I can explain the steps Pause–Name–Choose.
• I can choose a safe, respectful and helpful response to a scenario.

Curriculum links

• Health and Physical Education — Relationships / Self and others: interpreting emotional and non-verbal cues and choosing responses that show understanding and support.
• Health and Physical Education — hauora: recognising and responding to emotional wellbeing needs.
• Health Education — self-management and informed wellbeing choices.
• Key competencies: managing self; relating to others; thinking.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Safe opening and check-in. Teacher welcomes students, explains that Monday is a chance to reset, and establishes: “You may pass, share generally, or write instead; we do not comment on other people’s sharing.” Students silently choose a check-in signal—low, steady or ready—or write one word privately on their worksheet.

2. 3–6 min · Intentions and emotional signals. Teacher displays the learning intentions and success criteria using the opening and learning goals slides. Explain: “Emotions give us information about what may be happening or what we may need. They are not good or bad; our actions can be helpful, unsafe or unhelpful.” Students suggest neutral examples of emotions and identify one possible body clue, thought or behaviour for each.

3. 6–9 min · Mindful breathing. Teacher invites students to sit comfortably, keep eyes open or softly focused, and notice their feet and breathing; guide three minutes of slow breathing: breathe in gently, breathe out slowly, and return attention to the breath when the mind wanders. Students practise without needing to change their breathing perfectly. Remind them they may look at a fixed point, doodle quietly, or use another calm focus.

4. 9–15 min · Read the clues. Teacher models an example: “My stomach feels tight, I keep thinking ‘What if I get it wrong?’, and the feeling is 7 out of 10.” Use the emotion clues worksheet for students to record an emotion, body clue, thought and intensity for a fictional situation, such as receiving unexpected feedback or being left out of a group chat. Students work independently, then compare only if comfortable. Ask: “What else could this feeling be?” to show that clues can have more than one interpretation.

5. 15–24 min · Pause–Name–Choose practice. Teacher introduces the three steps on the Pause–Name–Choose strategy slides: Pause—stop, breathe and notice; Name—identify the feeling and intensity without judging it; Choose—select a response that supports safety, respect and wellbeing. In pairs or threes, students use the health decision-making scenario cards and discuss two scenarios, choosing from responses such as asking for time, using calm words, getting support, moving away, checking the facts or trying again later. Scenarios may include a hurtful online comment, pressure to join in with something uncomfortable, conflict in a friendship, or feeling overwhelmed by competing commitments. Students rehearse one response using: “I notice ____. I could ____. This may help because ____.” No student acts out a personal event.

6. 24–27 min · Share and refine. Teacher invites groups to share strategies rather than personal stories and asks, “Which choices are safe, respectful and realistic?” Record useful responses on the board and clarify that seeking help from a trusted adult is a strong choice, not a failure. Students identify one strategy they could use at school.

7. 27–30 min · Individual reflection and exit ticket. Teacher directs students to complete the final section of the reflection and exit ticket quietly, then uses the reflection and closing slides to display the prompts: “One emotion clue I can notice is…”, “One Pause–Name–Choose response is…”, and “If I need support, I could talk to…”. Students hand in or place the worksheet in a private collection point; they may leave the final prompt blank or write “pass”.

Resources

• the Monday reset slide deck
• the emotion clues worksheet
• the health decision-making scenario cards
• Whiteboard and markers
• Timer
• Pencils
• Calm visual focus point, such as a plant or classroom object

Assessment

• During modelling, listen for students distinguishing emotions from actions and identifying body clues, thoughts and intensity.
• During scenario practice, check whether students can apply all three steps and select a safe, respectful response.
• Review the exit ticket for accurate emotion identification, a realistic strategy and an appropriate support person or service. Follow up privately if a response indicates a safety concern.

Differentiation

• Students may keep eyes open, focus on an object, draw while listening, or use quiet breathing without closing their eyes.
• Do not require students to share feelings, personal experiences or family situations. Offer fictional scenarios, private writing and the option to pass.
• Provide sentence starters, a feelings word bank and an intensity scale from 1–10; read worksheet instructions aloud and allow a scribe or speech-to-text where needed.
• Pair students carefully, allow individual completion instead of discussion, and provide a quiet alternative space for students who become overwhelmed. For extension, students can compare two possible responses and explain likely short- and long-term effects.

Teacher notes

Keep the tone calm, matter-of-fact and non-judgemental. Avoid asking “Why do you feel that way?” in a way that pressures disclosure; use “What might someone notice?” instead. If a student signals distress, acknowledge them, offer the quiet alternative and follow the school’s wellbeing and safeguarding procedures.