Promoting Active Communities

Overview

This is lesson 2 of 15 in Kiwi Tag: Get Active!. Students explore health promotion as a planned process that supports hauora and participation in physical activity. They examine how access, culture, confidence, safety and social support affect different groups’ participation, then apply their understanding to Kiwi Tag.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• define health promotion in a physical activity context
• identify factors that encourage or restrict participation for different groups
• explain how physical activity can support taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau and taha wairua
• suggest realistic strategies to make Kiwi Tag more inclusive and accessible
• use respectful discussion and evidence to justify their ideas

Success criteria

• I can explain health promotion using my own words.
• I can identify barriers and enablers affecting participation.
• I can connect a physical activity strategy to hauora.
• I can justify how a change could improve participation for a particular group.

Curriculum links

• New Zealand Curriculum Health and Physical Education: understandings about hauora, wellbeing and healthy communities.
• Health and Physical Education: health promotion and the socio-ecological perspective.
• Values and key competencies: equity, inclusion, participation, managing self, relating to others, and thinking.
• Supports informed decision-making and the application of strategies that enhance wellbeing in a physical activity setting.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook: Who gets to be active? Teacher displays a striking image of a busy community recreation space and a closed or inaccessible facility using the opening hook slide, then asks: “Is physical activity equally available to everyone?” Students complete a silent think, then share one factor that might influence whether a person joins in.

2. 5–13 min · Establish the concept. Teacher uses the health promotion teaching slides to introduce health promotion as actions that enable people and communities to improve wellbeing and influence the conditions affecting health. Explain that health promotion is more than telling individuals to make healthy choices: it can change environments, opportunities, attitudes, rules and support. Students record a working definition on the health promotion investigation worksheet and link one example to hauora.

3. 13–25 min · Participation investigation. Teacher places students in five groups of five and assigns each group a profile: a new migrant student developing confidence in English, a student with a mobility impairment, a student balancing work and whānau responsibilities, a student who feels anxious in competitive settings, or a student whose cultural or religious commitments affect participation. Students use the worksheet to identify possible barriers, existing strengths or supports, and the likely effects on taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau and taha wairua. Remind students to avoid assumptions and distinguish between a possible barrier and a guaranteed experience.

4. 25–34 min · Jigsaw sharing. Teacher asks one student from each group to form new mixed groups and provides the prompts on the group discussion slides: “What could the school, class or community change?” and “Who needs to be involved?” Students explain their profile, compare perspectives and record two health-promotion actions from other groups. Encourage strategies at more than one level: individual support, peer or whānau support, organisational changes, and wider community or policy changes.

5. 34–44 min · Apply to Kiwi Tag. Teacher explains that the class must prepare Kiwi Tag so more people can participate safely, confidently and meaningfully. Each original group chooses one profile and designs three changes, such as modifying rules, offering varied roles, changing space or equipment, using cooperative scoring, providing clear demonstrations, or creating culturally respectful team structures. Students complete the “strategy test” on the worksheet: name the action, identify the group it supports, connect it to hauora, and justify why it could improve participation. Groups prepare a 30-second verbal pitch.

6. 44–48 min · Pitches and peer response. Teacher invites three or four groups to present, ensuring a range of profiles and strategies. Students listen for the participation barrier, proposed change and hauora connection, then offer one “strength” and one question. Teacher checks that suggestions are practical, inclusive and not tokenistic.

7. 48–50 min · Exit reflection. Teacher displays the final prompt on the plenary and exit prompt slide: “Health promotion works best when…”. Students complete the final two questions on the worksheet: define health promotion and name one change they would make to Kiwi Tag, with a brief justification. Collect responses to plan the next lesson.

Resources

• the health promotion slide deck
• the health promotion investigation worksheet
• Five printed participation profiles
• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector or interactive display
• Open classroom space for group discussion
• Pens or pencils
• Timer

Assessment

• Listen during the concept discussion for accurate understanding that health promotion includes action on environments and conditions, not only individual choices.
• Check group worksheets for identification of barriers, enablers, hauora connections and justified strategies.
• Use exit responses to identify misconceptions and select examples to revisit next lesson. Evidence of progress is a clear definition plus a realistic, inclusive Kiwi Tag improvement.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “A barrier may be…”, “This could affect taha… because…”, and “A useful change would be…”.
• Allow students to contribute through speaking, writing or presenting; assign group roles such as facilitator, recorder, equity checker, resource manager and speaker.
• For students needing support, provide a word bank including barrier, enabler, access, inclusion, equity, hauora, wellbeing and health promotion, and read profiles aloud.
• Extend confident students by requiring strategies at two different levels of the socio-ecological perspective and asking them to evaluate possible unintended effects.
• Use people-first, non-stereotyping language. Do not require students to disclose personal health, cultural or family experiences; students may discuss the provided profile instead.