Connecting with Your Teachers wellbeing lesson plan
A wellbeing lesson for Years 6 to 7 that helps Australian teachers introduce practical strategies for building strong, respectful relationships with teachers, through a structured, ready-to-teach lesson. Students learn how to communicate clearly, understand teacher expectations and boundaries, and practise respectful ways to ask for help or work through misunderstandings at school.
Healthy Relationships & Communication
Snapshot
Connecting with Your Teachers
The lesson gives teachers a structured way to help students build confident, respectful communication with their teachers. Feedback: 4.3/5 from 235 teacher ratings
Prep time:
5 to 10 minutes
Lesson length:
45 to 50 minutes
Key Focus
Building respectful, communicative relationships with teachers
Lesson Format
Teacher-led discussion and structured activities
What students will learn
By the end of the lesson, students will be supported to:
Recognise
recognise what respectful communication with a teacher looks like
recognise how tone and timing can affect how a message is received
recognise the signs of a positive, supportive teacher-student relationship
Understand
understand why clear communication supports academic confidence and success
understand that teachers have expectations and boundaries that support a safe classroom
Practise
practise using respectful language when asking for help or raising a concern
practise responding calmly to feedback from a teacher
practise identifying a trusted adult to speak with if a relationship feels difficult
Who this lesson is for?
The lesson is designed for students in Years 6 to 7 who are building the communication skills needed for stronger relationships with teachers, including during the move into secondary school.
It is suitable for:
upper primary and lower secondary wellbeing lessons
Health or PDHPE teaching
pastoral care, advisory or homeroom sessions
transition programs between primary and secondary school
class culture and communication skill building
Suitability should be based on more than age alone. Teachers should consider the lesson focus, student maturity, cohort needs, classroom culture, existing discussion norms and available support pathways.
Best used when
Use this lesson when students need clear, practical language for recognising unkind behaviour and knowing what to do next.
Introducing the topic Use when students are building early skills for respectful communication with teachers.
Preparing for transition Use when students are moving into secondary school and meeting new teachers for the first time.
Reinforcing classroom expectations Use when revisiting expectations around respectful communication and classroom relationships.
Supporting academic confidence Use when students need strategies for asking for help or responding to feedback from a teacher.
Building classroom culture Use when strengthening a positive, respectful tone between students and teachers.
Practising safe help-seeking Use when students need to understand how and when to speak with a trusted teacher or adult.
The lesson can be used proactively with the whole class. It does not need to follow a specific incident.
Why this lesson matters
Strong relationships with teachers help students feel safe, understood and motivated to learn. Students who feel comfortable communicating with their teachers are more likely to ask for help early and engage confidently in class. Connecting with Your Teachers gives students practical language for building these relationships, rather than waiting for a difficulty to arise. It helps students understand that respectful communication is a skill they can practise, not something that happens automatically. The lesson supports a positive classroom culture by helping students see teachers as approachable and helpful, and by building the confidence to ask questions, raise concerns and work through misunderstandings respectfully.
How this lesson supports wellbeing
This lesson supports student wellbeing by building practical social and emotional skills students can use in everyday school life. It helps students develop:
Capability How the lesson supports it
Communication Students practise clear, respectful language for talking with teachers.
Self-awareness Students consider how their own tone and approach affects communication.
Relationship skills Students build strategies for maintaining positive, respectful teacher relationships.
Help-seeking Students learn how to ask a teacher for help or clarify expectations.
Academic confidence Students connect communication skills with feeling supported in their learning.
Resilience Students practise working through misunderstandings calmly and respectfully.
For teachers and school leaders, the lesson contributes to broader wellbeing, respectful relationships, child safety and pastoral care goals in Australian primary schools.
Teaching notes & Delivery Considerations
This lesson includes content about unkind behaviour, exclusion and asking adults for help. It should be taught with calm, clear discussion norms.
Before teaching
Remind students not to name individual teachers or share personal stories about specific staff
Frame discussion around general scenarios and examples, not individual accusations
Make clear that the lesson is about building communication skills, not resolving a specific issue
Identify trusted adults students can speak to if a relationship feels difficult
During delivery
Use general, relatable examples such as asking for help or responding to feedback
Give students time to practise respectful phrases aloud or in pairs
Reinforce that most relationship difficulties can be worked through with calm, respectful communication
Allow students to respond through discussion or written reflection depending on confidence
Supporting safe discussion
Keep examples general rather than about a specific teacher or classmate
Reinforce that asking for help is a responsible, positive choice
Be prepared to follow your school's child safety, wellbeing or child protection procedures if a student discloses harm or says they feel unsafe.
Adaptation options
Use pair or small group discussion for confident classes
Use written reflection for quieter students
Spend more time on identifying trusted adults if students need extra support
