Kōkiri Learn

Week 3 of 5

Pressure, facts and saying no

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Session 1 · THRIVE: Relationships

Facts, not fear

  1. 10 minAnonymous class check: how many young people do you think vape every day? Write a guess on a slip. Then reveal the real figure: most don't.
  2. 15 minRead 'Vaping, alcohol and energy drinks: the facts'. Myth or fact card sort in pairs.
  3. 15 minWhere does pressure come from? Map places and people (older cousins, parties, the bus, online videos) and what makes it harder to say no.
  4. 10 minWhy do some people use substances even when they know the risks? Discuss: to fit in, to cope with stress, curiosity. What else meets those same needs?

Session 2 · THRIVE: Relationships

Refusal skills lab

  1. 10 minLearn five refusal moves: a clear no, a reason, a different idea, the broken record, and walking away. Add one: blame it on someone ('Mum would kill me').
  2. 25 minRole-play in threes with scenario cards: one asks, one refuses, one observes and gives one piece of feedback. Swap roles. You can script instead of act.
  3. 10 minPause and rehearse: which line would you actually say? Practise it three times until it feels natural.
  4. 5 minWhere could you go and who could you call if a situation felt unsafe? Write it inside your book.

Session 3 · THRIVE: Improve

Stress in the body

  1. 10 minRead 'Stress: your body's alarm system'. Label a body outline with the signs of the stress response: heart, breathing, muscles, stomach, thoughts.
  2. 15 minPulse lab (opt-in): count your resting pulse for 30 seconds, then hear a surprise ('in two minutes you'll each give a talk…' which is then cancelled). Count again.
  3. 15 minTry long, slow out-breaths for two minutes. Count your pulse a third time. What changed?
  4. 10 minChallenge or threat? Sort situations by how you might see them, and talk about how the same event can feel different to different people.

Getting started

Provide script cards with refusal lines so students can read rather than invent under pressure.

Stretch

Write a scenario where the pressure comes from a close friend, not a stranger, and work out a response that protects both you and the friendship.

Checkpoint

Each student can state two accurate facts about vaping or alcohol, name the stress signs in their own body, and has practised at least one refusal line aloud.

Activities for this week

Useful this week