🌅 Karakia & Cultural Opening
"Kia kaha te tinana" - May the body be strong
Opening Protocol (5 minutes)
- Honoring Our Bodies: Acknowledging our tinana (body) as taonga (treasure) that carries us through life
- No Judgment Space: Setting intention that all bodies are different and valuable - no body shaming or comparison
- Holistic Connection: Remembering that physical health connects to and supports mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing
🎯 Learning Intentions & Success Criteria
By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:
- Explain: How major body systems work together to maintain health
- Identify: The three pillars of physical wellbeing (nutrition, exercise, sleep)
- Assess: Their own current physical health habits honestly
- Analyze: Real barriers to physical wellbeing and practical solutions
- Create: One realistic SMART goal for physical health improvement
Success Criteria - Ākonga will demonstrate:
- ✓ Understanding of at least 3 body systems and their functions
- ✓ Knowledge of teenage-specific health needs
- ✓ Honest self-assessment of physical wellbeing
- ✓ Identification of personal barriers and solutions
- ✓ Specific, measurable physical health goal
Kupu / Vocabulary: taha tinana, body systems, nutrition, exercise, sleep, hydration, hauora, wellbeing.
Media Anchor (8 mins)
Video: The Significance of Te Whare Tapa Whā
- Which taha needs the most support in your current wellbeing map, and why?
- What body-based signal should you track this week as an early wellbeing indicator?
Activity 1: Body Systems Carousel (10 minutes)
Explore How Our Bodies Work
Station rotations + gallery walkSetup (Before Class):
Create 5 stations around the room with chart paper labeled with each body system. Provide markers at each station.
The 5 Stations:
Station 1: Circulatory System
Heart & blood vessels
Station 2: Respiratory System
Lungs & breathing
Station 3: Digestive System
Food & nutrients
Station 4: Muscular/Skeletal System
Movement & support
Station 5: Nervous System
Brain & signals
Activity Flow (7 minutes):
- Divide class into 5 groups (one per station)
- Groups spend ~1.5 minutes at each station writing:
- What this system does
- Why it matters for health
- One way to keep it healthy
- Rotate groups through all stations
- Quick gallery walk to see all responses (2 min)
💡 Extension: Ask advanced students to identify connections between systems (e.g., circulatory brings oxygen from respiratory to muscles)
Activity 2: The Big 3 - Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep (15 minutes)
Three Essential Pillars of Physical Health
Direct instruction + discussion💚 Pillar 1: Nutrition (4 minutes)
- What: Balanced diet with variety - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein, healthy fats
- Why: Fuel for energy, growth, brain function, immune system
- Teen Needs: 2000-3000 calories/day (depending on activity), extra calcium & iron for growth
- Kai Māori: Traditional foods like kūmara, fish, seafood are nutrient-dense
- Hydration: 6-8 glasses of water daily, more when exercising
- Real Talk: Healthy eating doesn't mean perfect - it's about good choices most of the time
💪 Pillar 2: Exercise (4 minutes)
- What: 60+ minutes of physical activity daily for teenagers
- Why: Strengthens heart/lungs, builds bones/muscles, improves mood, better sleep
- Types: Aerobic (running, swimming), strength (weights, push-ups), flexibility (yoga, stretching)
- Real Talk: Exercise doesn't have to mean sports - walking, dancing, gardening all count!
- Māori Perspective: Traditional activities like waka ama, kapa haka, haka build fitness + cultural connection
😴 Pillar 3: Sleep (4 minutes)
- What: 8-10 hours per night for teenagers (yes, really!)
- Why: Brain consolidates learning, body repairs/grows, hormones regulate, immune system strengthens
- Teen Reality: Your brain is wired to stay up later and sleep in - that's biological, not laziness
- Sleep Hygiene: Dark room, no screens 30-60 min before bed, consistent schedule
- Real Talk: Most teenagers are chronically sleep-deprived - this affects mood, learning, immune system
Quick Poll (3 minutes):
"Which of the Big 3 is hardest for you?"
Thumbs up = nutrition, sideways = exercise, down = sleep
Brief discussion: Why are these challenging? (Most teens will struggle with sleep!)
⚠️ Important Teaching Points:
- Frame as information to empower, not to create guilt
- Acknowledge barriers are real (poverty, family situation, mental health)
- Progress matters more than perfection
- Bodies have different needs - individualize approaches
Activity 3: Physical Health Reality Check (15 minutes)
Honest Self-Assessment
Individual reflection + tracker worksheet📄 Handout: Distribute the Physical Wellbeing Tracker so ākonga can log daily movement, kai, and energy. Model how to complete the first line together.
Model Honest Assessment (2 minutes):
Individual Assessment (10 minutes):
Students assess their current habits in each area:
Nutrition Check:
- Rate eating habits 1-10
- Water intake daily?
- Eating regular meals?
- What's working? What could improve?
Exercise Check:
- Rate activity level 1-10
- Minutes of movement daily?
- Variety of activities?
- Do you enjoy it?
Sleep Check:
- Rate sleep 1-10
- Hours per night on average?
- Wake up feeling rested?
- Sleep quality good?
Reflection Prompt: Which area do you most want to improve?
💙 Pastoral Care Note: Circulate and observe (without reading over shoulders). Watch for concerning patterns - extreme dieting, over-exercising, very low ratings across all areas. Follow up privately with support resources.
Activity 4: Barriers & Solutions Workshop (15 minutes)
Problem-Solving for Real Life
5 min brainstorm + 6 min small groups + 4 min sharingBrainstorm Barriers (5 minutes):
As a class, list common barriers on the board. Validate that these are REAL challenges:
Nutrition Barriers:
- Cost of healthy food
- Busy family schedules
- Lack of cooking skills
- Food deserts in neighborhood
- Cultural food differences
Exercise Barriers:
- Lack of time
- No safe spaces
- Self-consciousness
- Disability or injury
- No transport to facilities
- Expensive equipment
Sleep Barriers:
- Homework load
- Family responsibilities
- Anxiety/stress
- Phone/social media
- Noisy/unsafe living situation
- Early school start times
Small Group Problem-Solving (6 minutes):
In groups of 3-4:
- Choose 2-3 barriers that feel most relevant to your group
- Brainstorm creative, realistic solutions
- Focus on what's in your control (not systemic changes but individual strategies)
Share Solutions (4 minutes):
Quick popcorn sharing - groups call out their best solutions. Record good ideas on board.
Sample Solutions to Highlight:
- Nutrition: Seasonal vegetables, bulk buying, community gardens, simple cooking, water > soft drinks
- Exercise: YouTube workouts, walking/biking to school, dancing at home, playing with siblings, active video games
- Sleep: Better time management, no homework in bed, communicate with teachers if overwhelmed, weekend catch-up
Whakamutunga - Goal Setting & Closure (10 minutes)
Introduce SMART Goals (2 minutes):
Teach goal framework:
- Specific - What exactly will you do?
- Measurable - How will you track it?
- Achievable - Is it realistic for you?
- Relevant - Does it matter to your wellbeing?
- Time-bound - When will you do it?
Example:
❌ Bad goal: "Get healthier"
✅ Good goal: "Drink 6 glasses of water every day this week"
Set Personal Physical Health Goal (5 minutes):
Students write ONE goal for the next week. Must include:
- What exactly will I do?
- How often?
- How will I know if I succeeded?
Good Goal Examples:
- "Go for a 20-minute walk 4 times this week"
- "Eat breakfast every school day this week"
- "Be in bed by 10pm on school nights this week"
- "Do 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups every morning"
- "Put phone away 30 minutes before bed for 5 nights"
Exit Ticket (3 minutes):
Accountability Partner: Share your goal with one classmate - check in with each other next week!
Tracker kōrero:
Show learners how to store their Physical Wellbeing Tracker safely (kete, whānau folder, device). Set expectation: one row per evening, bring it to Lesson 3 for Kai Check-in.
🏠 Homework / Extension
Required: Track Your Physical Health Goal (Week-long)
For the next 7 days, complete your Physical Wellbeing Tracker each evening:
- Record your movement, kai, hydration, and energy level
- Note barriers or supports in the final column
- Tick whether you met your SMART goal for the day
- Share one insight with whānau by the weekend
Bring the tracker to Lesson 3 for the kai reflection circle.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this hauora resource to build holistic wellbeing knowledge, connecting te ao Māori perspectives on hauora with personal, social, and environmental dimensions of health.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain key hauora concepts using their own words and personal examples.
- ✅ Students can connect te ao Māori frameworks (e.g. Te Whare Tapa Whā) to real wellbeing contexts.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, graphic organisers, and entry-level tasks to scaffold access. Offer extension challenges for capable learners to address a range of readiness levels.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary (hauora, wairua, tinana, hinengaro, whānau). Allow students to draw or respond in their home language as a first step.
Inclusion: Hauora topics can be sensitive — create a safe learning environment. Neurodiverse learners benefit from choice in how they demonstrate wellbeing understanding. Use accessible, non-threatening language.
Curriculum alignment
- Health & Physical Education: Understand that wellbeing is a dynamic state determined by physical, social, mental/emotional, and spiritual dimensions of health.
- Social Sciences: Understand how people participate individually and collectively to support community wellbeing.