Strategies for change
Students have the potential to be real change makers by coming up with strategies to tackle local issues affecting wellbeing. By looking at real-world examples and working together with their peers, they will discover that their voices matter and that they can make a difference in their communities.
Year level
7-8
Duration
30 minutes
Type
In class activity
SEL Competencies
Social awareness
Relationship skills
Responsible decision-making
Learning intention
Students will learn how to create change in their community and come up with practical strategies to address local issues, helping to improve mental health and wellbeing.
Key outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
identify effective strategies for creating change in their community to improve community wellbeing
recognise potential obstacles to implementing change and consider solutions.
Materials needed
A4 paper
Textas, pens, pencils
Whiteboard
Whiteboard markers
Interactive whiteboard/projector to play video
Mapped to
Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing (ACPPS073)
Plan and implement strategies for connecting to natural and built environments to promote the health and wellbeing of their communities (ACPPS078)
Investigate the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity (ACPPS079)
Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities
Critical and Creative Thinking:
Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
Analysing, synthesizing, and evaluating reasoning and procedures
Personal and Social Capability:
Social awareness
Social management
Ethical Understanding:
Reasoning in decision making and actions
NSW PDHPE Syllabus
Investigates effective strategies to promote inclusivity, equality and respectful relationships (PD4-3)
Examines and demonstrates the role help-seeking strategies and behaviours play in supporting themselves and others (PD4-9)
Demonstrates how contextual factors influence attitudes and behaviours and proposes strategies to enhance health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity (PD4-6)
Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Investigate the impact of transition and change on identities (VCHPEP123)
Plan and use health practices, behaviours and resources to enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of their communities (VCHPEP128)
Plan and implement strategies for connecting to natural and built environments to promote the health and wellbeing of their communities (VCHPEP129)
Activity 1
Power up
10 minutes
Watch Power up.
Ask students:
What strategies did Sophia use to create change?
Who did Sophia speak to, to create change?
Activity 2
Multiply and merge
20 minutes
Propose a hypothetical issue to students relevant to the wellbeing of their community. For example:
changing the school oval’s grass to artificial turf
providing a town bus
building a new school gym
providing healthy breakfast options at the canteen.
Hand a sheet of blank A4 paper to each student. Ask them to cut or tear the sheet into four strips.
Students individually write down four things (one idea per strip) for initiating this change, including people to talk to, strategies such as social media campaigns, petitions.
In pairs, students share their four ideas with each other and then negotiate to reduce their ideas to the ‘best four’.
Each pair then joins up with another pair. Both pairs share their ‘best four’ ideas and negotiate to reduce their combined eight ideas to a new ‘best four’.
Using their ‘final four’, ask students to discuss any obstacles or blocks that might get in their way if they decided to use their suggested strategies in a real-life situation.
