Navigating Relationships

Context

This is lesson 8 of 11 in the unit Hokakatanga: Embracing Our Identity for Year 7 students in New Zealand.

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Identify risks in relationships and demonstrate protective strategies.
• Understand how moral conscience forms and the importance of respecting human dignity.
• Apply decision-making skills in relationships aligned with Catholic teaching (Amoris Laetitia, Chapter 6).
• Connect learning with the New Zealand Health and PE Curriculum achievement objectives 5.2 and 5.3, Tō Tātou Whakapono (AO 4.2), and the National Catholic Religious Studies (NCRS) 2021 framework (p. 45).

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Identify potential risks in different types of relationships.
• Explain what conscience is and how it helps inform moral decisions.
• Demonstrate strategies to protect themselves and others within relationships.
• Show respect for the dignity of themselves and others through decision making.
• Reflect on case studies or scenarios linking conscience and respectful relationships.

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Curriculum Links

• Religious Education (NCRS 2021 p.45; Tō Tātou Whakapono AO 4.2): Focus on conscience, dignity, and interpersonal relationships.
• Health and Physical Education (Achievement Objectives 5.2 and 5.3):
  • 5.2: Understand and manage risks related to personal safety and wellbeing in relationships.
  • 5.3: Develop strategies to maintain and promote respectful relationships, including managing difficult decisions.

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Time Breakdown (45 minutes total)

Activity	Time
Introduction & Connecting Prior Knowledge	5 min
Exploring Conscience Concept	10 min
Risk Identification in Relationships	10 min
Protective Strategies Role-Play	12 min
Reflection and Plenary	8 min

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction & Connecting Prior Learning (5 minutes)

• Begin with a brief recap: "What do you already know about relationships and making decisions within them?"
• Relate the previous lessons’ ideas on identity and respect to today’s focus on conscience and decision making.
• Explicitly state today's WALT and success criteria.

Teacher Prompt: "How do we use our conscience when thinking about how to behave in relationships?"

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2. Exploring Conscience (10 minutes)

• Introduce the concept of conscience:
  • Explain conscience as our inner sense, helping us discern right from wrong, guided by respect for human dignity.
  • Reference Amoris Laetitia, Chapter 6 (focus on conscience guiding decisions in relationships respectfully).
• Use a simplified student-friendly summary of conscience and respect.
• Interactive discussion: Ask students to share examples of times they felt their conscience guided a decision.

Activity: "Think-Pair-Share" — students think quietly about a time when they felt uncertain but used their conscience to make a decision, then share with a partner.

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3. Identifying Risks in Relationships (10 minutes)

• Briefly outline common risks in different relationships (friends, family, school peers).
• Use age-appropriate case studies/scenarios featuring relational challenges (e.g., peer pressure, bullying, respecting boundaries).
• As a class, identify what the risks are in each scenario.
• Highlight the importance of noticing risks early as part of protecting ourselves and others.

Visual Aid: Display scenarios on the board or projector.

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4. Protective Strategies Role-Play (12 minutes)

• Divide the class into small groups (4-5 students).
• Assign each group a scenario involving risk in relationships (e.g., someone being pressured to do something they don’t want to do).
• Task: Students create and role-play how they would use protective strategies, showing respect for dignity and conscience.
• Protective strategies might include: saying no assertively, seeking help, talking with a trusted adult, or walking away.

Teacher Note: Circulate and prompt groups to explain how conscience and dignity inform their responses.

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5. Reflection and Plenary (8 minutes)

• Regroup for a shared reflection.
• Discuss: "How does understanding our conscience and respecting ourselves and others help us make good decisions in relationships?"
• Capture key points on a "Relationships and Choices" anchor chart.
• Optionally, ask students to write or draw one protective strategy they will remember.

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Assessment & Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation of discussions and role-plays.
• Success criteria checklist used informally by teacher during activities.
• Collect exit slips where students name one risk and one protective strategy.

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Resources

• Scenario cards for risks in relationships (age-appropriate).
• Whiteboard or projector for displaying key concepts and scenarios.
• Anchor chart paper and markers.
• Exit slip sheets.

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Teaching Tips

• Use sensitive, inclusive language reflecting diverse family and friendship structures.
• Affirm student contributions and foster a safe learning environment for sharing.
• Connect examples to students’ real-life contexts but keep discussions age-appropriate.
• Incorporate Māori concepts of identity and collective responsibility aligned with Tō Tātou Whakapono and the NZ curriculum.

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This lesson directly aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh by integrating Health and Physical Education objectives with Religious Education values and concepts, emphasising critical thinking, identity, respect, and protective decision-making in relationships for Year 7 students.

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If you would like, I can provide further elaboration or printable materials for this lesson.