Navigating Relationships

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Overview

Unit Title: Respectful Relationships Unpacked
Lesson: 6 of 6
Lesson Title: Navigating Relationship Changes
Key Stage: 3
Year Group: Year 9
Duration: 55 minutes
Class Size: 3 students
Curriculum Area: PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)
UK National Curriculum Link: Relationships Education – Secondary – Respectful relationships, including friendships

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Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, students will be able to:

• Identify different types of relationship changes and transitions (e.g. friendship drift, ending of a relationship, shifting social groups).
• Describe emotional responses that may arise when relationships change.
• Develop and evaluate personal coping strategies for managing changes in relationships in a respectful, emotionally aware manner.
• Reflect on the key learning from the "Respectful Relationships Unpacked" unit and express new insights about themselves and their relationships.

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Learning Objectives

Knowledge:

• Understand why relationships change over time.
• Recognise and respect differing emotional reactions to relational shifts.

Skills:

• Use empathy to explore perspectives during relationship transitions.
• Employ strategies such as assertive communication and self-reflection to navigate change.

Attitudes:

• Appreciate the value of mutual respect during relational transitions.
• Be open to growth and learning from personal experiences.

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Materials and Preparation

• Printed “Relationship Scenarios” cards (3-4 cards per student)
• Reflection Journals or exercise books
• Flipchart paper or large sheets of A3
• Coloured pens
• "Three Chairs" self-reflection setup (explained below)
• Unit Reflection Bookmark Template (small card prints)

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Lesson Outline

🌟 Starter (5 minutes) – Emotional Temperature Check

Activity:
Students are welcomed and offered three colours of sticky notes:

• 💚 Green – Feeling ok/happy today
• 🟡 Yellow – Unsure/a bit off
• ❤️ Red – Feeling sad, anxious or low

Each colour is placed anonymously onto the wall chart titled "How are we arriving today?"

Purpose: Creates emotional awareness; teacher takes note of overall group climate for trauma-informed teaching response.

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🔍 Introduction (5 minutes) –Framing the Session

Teacher-Led Discussion:

• “Relationships sometimes change or even end. That’s part of growing up. But how we experience and handle those changes can shape how we grow as people.”
• Briefly outline objectives for today, linking it to previous units: consent, communication, boundaries and digital respect.

Interactive Question:
“What’s one word that comes to mind when you hear the phrase: changing relationships?”

(Students write on whiteboards and hold up. Quick discussion.)

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🎭 Main Activity 1 (15 minutes) – Scenario Carousel

Activity: Relationship Dilemmas in Motion

• Each student receives printed relationship scenarios (tailored for Key Stage 3). Examples:
  • “You realise your closest friend is spending more time with a new group, and you feel left out.”
  • “Someone you thought was your friend starts spreading rumours about you online.”
  • “You’re finding that your values are growing apart from a friend you’ve known since primary school.”

Process:

1. One by one, students read a scenario aloud.
2. Whole group discusses:
   • What feelings might the person have?
   • How might they stay respectful?
   • What could be a healthy response?
3. Teacher scribes key phrases on board (e.g. “Name your feelings,” “Ask questions before assuming,” “Let go without blame,” etc.)

Extension Idea (if time allows):

• Students can role-play one positive and one unhelpful response to the situation.

Purpose: Builds empathy, develops problem-solving, and reflects real-life situations relevant to their age group.

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💡 Main Activity 2 (15 minutes) – Three Chairs Reflection

Setup: Three chairs are placed at the front, slightly apart, labelled:

1. Who I was
2. Who I am
3. Who I'm becoming

Instructions:

• Each student is invited (if comfortable) to sit in each chair briefly and reflect out loud or privately write 2–3 sentences in their journals:
  • Past self: “How did I used to view friendships or relationships at the start of this unit?”
  • Present self: “What do I now understand that I didn’t before?”
  • Future self: “How will I treat people differently going forward?”

Alternative for shy students: Create an abstract drawing or colour code to represent their development journey on a blank A4 sheet.

Purpose: This powerful, symbolic reflection promotes emotional intelligence and consolidates learning into internalised growth.

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🧠 Plenary (10 minutes) – End-of-Unit Reflection

Activity: Build-a-Bookmark

• Students each create a “Respectful Relationships Bookmark” using a printed template with the following prompts:
  1. One thing I’ve learnt about myself.
  2. One thing I’ll remember about how to treat others.
  3. One word I’ll carry forward into future relationships.
  4. My "relationship golden rule".

Students decorate and personalise these as keepsakes.

Optional Sharing:

• Students present their bookmarks to each other if comfortable.
• Teacher celebrates contributions and gives verbal feedback.

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Assessment for Learning

Formative assessment through:

• Scenario discussion contributions
• Quality and depth of insights in the “Three Chairs” activity
• Completed bookmarks and reflection journals

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Differentiation & Inclusion

• Small group size allows 1:1 scaffolding and deeper support for emotional engagement.
• Offer additional time or sentence starters for students who may have processing delays or social communication challenges.
• Emojis and visual aids used frequently for accessibility.
• Trauma-informed approach: students reminded they can pass, draw, or write instead of speaking aloud.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• English: Communication skills, narrative empathy.
• Drama: Role-play elements encourage performance-based learning.
• Art: Creative expression through bookmark activity.

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Teacher Notes

🟢 Golden Opportunity:
Encourage continued integration of respectful communication practices in tutor time or class debates across all subjects.

⚠️ Sensitive Topics Alert:
Be attuned to disclosures or emotional shifts. Remind students of the school's safeguarding policy and provide access to pastoral support if needed.

📘 Further Learning Journal Prompt (Optional): “Write a short story or poem where a character experiences a shift in a close relationship – how do they change?”

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Final Thought

This reflective, emotionally-rich session wraps up six weeks of learning not just about relationships — but about the self. This is about giving young people the tools to navigate complex social terrain with respect, maturity, and a deeper sense of self-awareness.

Let’s make this final chapter one they remember.