Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Picture your first week

25 minutes

Find Out: Strategies for what’s next

20 minutes

Take Action: My First-Term Action Plan

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

learn practical strategies that will support a successful transition to high school
understand how preparation and resilience support confidence and adaptation to new environments.

Success criteria

Students can:

practise problem-solving common transition scenarios, and develop habits and routines that increase confidence
create a personal plan for the first term of high school.

Tune In: Picture your first week

Step 1

Explain that this lesson is designed to help students feel prepared to start high school.

Invite students to sit comfortably, close their eyes or lower their gaze, and listen carefully. Read aloud the following visualisation slowly, pausing between sentences:

Imagine it is your first week of high school.
You are walking through the school gates for the first time.

Look around. What do you see? Notice the buildings, the people, the spaces around you.

You are heading to your first class.
What is happening around you?

Think about the people you might meet.
Are you with friends or meeting new people?

Now notice how you are feeling.
Are you excited, nervous, curious, unsure, or something else?

Take a moment to notice all of these thoughts and feelings.

Pause briefly, then ask students to open their eyes and to record their thoughts in their workbooks. Encourage them to include both situations they might experience and emotions they might feel.

Step 2

Bring the class back together and elicit some of the situations students imagined.

Record responses on the board, grouping similar ideas where possible. For example:

getting lost
meeting new teachers
making new friends
managing homework
finding classrooms.

Once a range of ideas has been captured, guide students to think more deeply about their experiences by asking:

Which of these situations might bring big feelings?
What emotions might show up in these moments?

Encourage students to identify a range of emotions, such as excitement, nervousness, uncertainty, confidence or curiosity. Remind them that there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ emotions – emotions are simply there to help them understand how they are feeling.

Highlight that different people may feel different emotions in the same situation.

Step 3

Build on this discussion by focusing on the connection between emotions and preparation.

Emphasise that the transition to high school can bring a mix of emotions, and that this is a normal part of experiencing change.

Highlight that feeling nervous or unsure often means something is important, and that these feelings can be a sign that students care about doing well and belonging.

Ask: What might help these situations feel easier or more manageable? Take a few responses to introduce the idea of preparation.

Step 4

Point out that while some situations may feel challenging, there are practical things that can be done to prepare. Preparation does not remove every challenge, but it can help people feel more confident and ready to respond.

Explain to students that the rest of this lesson will focus on identifying strategies, habits and supports that can help them navigate their first term of high school with confidence.

Find Out: Strategies for what’s next

Step 1

Outline that preparation can reduce uncertainty and help people feel more confident when facing change.

Provide each student with several sticky notes and then pose the question: What are some things you already do that help you feel prepared or organised?

Instruct students to think independently, then write their responses on sticky notes and stick them on the wall or whiteboard where everyone can see.

Group responses together, such as:

planning ahead
staying organised
asking for help
practising routines
checking instructions.

Highlight that many of these strategies are already being used and that building on them can support a smoother transition to high school.

Step 2

Explain that students will now develop practical strategies for common high school situations.

Organise the class into small groups of 3–4 students and set up scenario stations around the room using the High School Scenario Labels.

Provide each group with a High School Scenario Worksheet to complete as they work their way around the room. Give groups several minutes at each station to complete their discussion and reflection before inviting them to rotate to the next station.

Each station focuses on a common transition challenge:

Organisation and homework
Meeting new people
Asking for help
Managing big feelings

At each station, instruct students to

read the scenario
identify what might feel challenging
suggest 2–3 practical strategies that could help in this scenario.

Encourage students to think about

what they could do
what they could say
who could support them.

Step 3

At the end of the activity, bring the class back together and invite each group to share 1 strategy from a station.

Record responses on the board. As ideas are shared, emphasise that

preparation creates options
small strategies can make a big difference
there are often multiple ways to respond to the same situation.

Step 4

Explain that students will now apply their strategies to a realistic high school scenario.

Divide the class into different groups from the previous activity, and provide each group with a common Year 7 challenge. These can be selected from the list below or elicited from students.

Possible Year 7 challenges:

Getting lost while looking for a new classroom
Feeling overwhelmed with the transition to high school
Not understanding homework
Making new friends and feeling unsure where you fit in
Feeling left out during recess or lunchtime
Forgetting materials or bringing the wrong books to class
Being late to class because you are unsure where to go
Feeling nervous about speaking in front of a new class
Not knowing who to ask for help
Managing a busy timetable with different teachers and subjects
Feeling pressure to act a certain way to fit in
Feeling tired or overwhelmed by the increased workload

Instruct groups to create a short 2–3 minute drama sequence that shows

the beginning (the situation)
the challenge (something feels difficult or goes wrong)
the response (using 1 or more strategies discussed).

Encourage students to

keep scenarios realistic
apply strategies from earlier
show how the situation can improve.

Organise a simple performance space and invite the class to watch as an audience. Remind the class about respectful listening and celebrate each group’s effort with a round of applause.

Step 5

Bring the class back together at the end of the activity and invite students to reflect on what they observed, using these debrief questions:

How did using a strategy change what happened in the situation?
Which strategies seemed most helpful?
How did the response affect how the situation ended?

Recap that

starting high school can bring big feelings, and this is completely normal
the goal is not to get rid of these feelings, but to notice them and understand what is happening
when people pause and choose how to respond, they are more likely to make helpful and positive decisions.

Emphasise that practising problem-solving and using strategies helps build confidence over time – the more students practise noticing what they are feeling, naming it, and choosing how to respond, the more prepared and confident they will feel when facing new challenges.

Take Action: My First-Term Action Plan

Step 1

Explain to students that while challenges are normal, having a plan can help them feel more confident and ready, making the transition to high school feel more manageable.

Step 2

Outline that students will now create a simple plan to support their transition into high school.

Provide students with the My First-Term Action Plan Worksheet or ask them to set up a page in their workbooks with the following headings:

If I feel unsure or overwhelmed, I will…
If I don’t understand something, I will…
When meeting new people, I will…
A habit I will practise each day is…

Encourage students to draw on

strategies discussed in the lesson
ideas from the scenario stations
their own experiences and strengths.

Step 3

Remind students that thoughts can influence how people respond to challenges. Invite students to add 1–2 mindset statements to their action plan. Provide examples if needed:

‘I can figure this out.’
‘It is okay to ask for help.’
‘I don’t have to get everything right straight away.’
‘I can take this 1 step at a time.’

Encourage students to choose statements that feel meaningful and helpful to them.

Step 4

Reiterate that preparation also includes knowing who to go to for support. Ask students to add to their action plan a trusted adult they can go to and/or a friend or peer who can support them.

Encourage students to think about different types of support, such as someone who can listen, give advice or help solve a problem.

Step 5

Invite students to share 1 part of their plan with a partner. Ensure respectful listening and positive feedback.

Bring the class back together and highlight that

everyone’s plan will look different
preparation helps build confidence
asking for help is an important part of being ready for change.

Explain that this plan is something students can continue to build on as they approach starting high school.

Reflection

Bring the lesson to a close by asking students to complete the following reflection sentence in their workbooks: One thing I will do to feel more prepared for high school is…

Allow students time to write independently.

Once students have written their response, invite them to share with a partner, then open it up to the class. Encourage students to notice similarities and differences in each other’s ideas.

Close the lesson by reinforcing that starting something new can feel uncertain, but having strategies, a plan and people to support you can help make that change feel more manageable.

Ready for What’s Next

Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning