Grade 09: Values and life skills

In this unit, 'Values and character', you learn to describe values and how they guide choices. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen and talk: hear a short story, text or example linked to 'Values and character' and say what it means in your own words.
• Connect: name one place in your own day where it applies.
• Use it: describe values and how they guide choices. Practise with care and respect, in class and at home.
• Reflect: what went well, what was hard, and one thing you will do next time.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Describe values. Values are the beliefs that matter most to a person, such as honesty, kindness, fairness, courage and responsibility. They act like an inner compass when choices are hard. Write down five values you care about.
2. Step 2, Rank your values. Put the five in order, from the most to the least important to you. Ranking is hard because values can conflict, such as honesty with a friend and kindness to a friend. Your top three guide most decisions.
3. Step 3, Link values to a case. You find a wallet with 20 in cash and a student card. If honesty ranks high, you return it. If fairness ranks high, you think how you would feel if it were yours. Values point to the same action.
4. Step 4, See what character is. Character is the pattern of how you act, built by repeating choices. Returning the wallet once is an act; doing the right thing again and again makes it part of who you are.
5. Step 5, Describe values when they conflict. A friend asks you to keep a secret that could harm them. Honesty and loyalty clash. Weigh the harm: safety usually comes first, so you tell a trusted adult and explain why with care.
6. Step 6, Your turn: pick one value and describe in two sentences how it guided a recent choice. Answer: I valued honesty, so I admitted I had not finished my work, and that let my teacher help me catch up.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Describe values and how they guide choices: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Mental health and resilience', you learn to name stress signs and coping skills. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen and talk: hear a short story, text or example linked to 'Mental health and resilience' and say what it means in your own words.
• Connect: name one place in your own day where it applies.
• Use it: name stress signs and coping skills. Practise with care and respect, in class and at home.
• Reflect: what went well, what was hard, and one thing you will do next time.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Name stress signs. Stress is the body's response to pressure. Body signs include a fast heartbeat, headaches, tight muscles and poor sleep. Feeling signs include worry, irritability and feeling overwhelmed. List three signs you notice in yourself.
2. Step 2, Know that stress can be useful. A little stress before a test can help focus. It becomes a problem when it lasts for weeks or stops you from sleeping, eating or enjoying things. Time and strength of stress matter.
3. Step 3, Learn a breathing skill. Box breathing: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold 4, breathe out 4, hold 4. One round takes 16 seconds, so 4 rounds take 64 seconds. Do it sitting, and stop if you feel dizzy.
4. Step 4, Learn more coping skills. Move your body, sleep about 8 to 10 hours (needs vary), break big tasks into small steps, limit news and screens, and talk with someone you trust. Pick two skills that suit you.
5. Step 5, Know when to ask for help. If stress or low mood lasts about two weeks or more, or you feel unsafe, speak to a parent, teacher, school counsellor or doctor. Asking for help is a strength. Resilience means recovering, and it grows with support.
6. Step 6, Your turn: name two stress signs before exams and two coping skills you could use this week. Answer: fast heartbeat and poor sleep; box breathing for 4 rounds and a 20-minute walk each evening.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Name stress signs and coping skills: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Community action', you learn to plan a project for a real need. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen and talk: hear a short story, text or example linked to 'Community action' and say what it means in your own words.
• Connect: name one place in your own day where it applies.
• Use it: plan a project for a real need. Practise with care and respect, in class and at home.
• Reflect: what went well, what was hard, and one thing you will do next time.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Find a real need: Grade 9 students notice many bikes are leaned against the school wall and some fall over. They survey 30 students about it to see whether the need is real, instead of assuming.
2. Step 2, Read the evidence: 21 of 30 say there is no safe place to leave their bikes. 21 divided by 30 is 0.7, which is 70 percent. A clear majority shares the problem, so the project has a real purpose.
3. Step 3, Define the goal: The team aims to create a bike area for 20 bikes within 4 weeks, asking permission from the principal and the facilities team. They state a goal, a number and a deadline.
4. Step 4, Plan roles and time: One learner asks permission in week 1, a second learner measures the wall space in week 1 (20 bikes at 0.6 metres each needs 12 metres), a third learner designs signs in week 2, and the whole group paints lines in week 3.
5. Step 5, Check the maths: 20 times 0.6 is 12 metres, so the team measures 12 metres of wall. The wall has only 9 metres, so they plan 15 bikes in 9 metres, since 9 divided by 0.6 is 15. They adjust the goal honestly.
6. Step 6, Review after launch: In week 4 they count 14 bikes parked tidily and 0 fallen. They survey again, find 24 of 30 satisfied, and note the area is short by a few places. Real community action needs permission, evidence and honest review.
7. Your turn: 18 of 24 students say the water fountain is often broken. Percentage and first step? Model answer: 18 divided by 24 is 75 percent, a strong need; first step is to report it to the facilities team and propose a check list.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Plan a project for a real need: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Digital ethics', you learn to apply ethics to online sharing. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen and talk: hear a short story, text or example linked to 'Digital ethics' and say what it means in your own words.
• Connect: name one place in your own day where it applies.
• Use it: apply ethics to online sharing. Practise with care and respect, in class and at home.
• Reflect: what went well, what was hard, and one thing you will do next time.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Situation: At the football match the first learner takes a photo of a friend, the second learner, crying after missing a penalty. It is funny to some friends, and the first learner wants to post it in a group with 40 classmates.
2. Step 2, Ethical questions: The first learner asks four questions: Did the second learner agree? Could it hurt him? Is it true and fair? Could it be shared widely? He knows a post in a group of 40 can be copied and sent to many more.
3. Step 3, Consider consent: The second learner did not agree, and the photo shows him in a private, sad moment. A person's consent matters before sharing images that identify them. Without consent, the post is likely to be unkind.
4. Step 4, Weigh results: If the first learner posts, the second learner may feel humiliated and others may mock him, and it may be hard to delete once 40 people saw it. If he does not post, the only loss is a few laughs.
5. Step 5, Decide and act: The first learner deletes the photo and says to the second learner, 'Sorry about the penalty, you played well.' The second learner thanks him. An alternative is sharing a team photo where everyone agreed to be included.
6. Step 6, Rule of thumb: Before sharing ask for consent, check harm, and consider permanence. If someone else has posted it, report it and support the person. Ethics online is the same as offline, only faster and wider.
7. Your turn: A friend sends you an embarrassing video of a classmate and says forward it. What do you do? Model answer: do not forward, delete it, tell the sender it is unfair, and report if it spreads, because the classmate has not consented.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Apply ethics to online sharing: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Kind and safe

Notes: Show one kind action and state one safe rule, such as telling a trusted adult when worried. Notes: role-play sharing a toy; learners name three trusted adults and practise saying clearly, stop, I do not like that.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Feelings and honesty

Notes: Name four feelings and say why telling the truth matters. Notes: use a feelings chart for happy, sad, angry and scared; read a short story of a broken cup and let learners practise saying what happened and offering to help fix it.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Friends and small savings

Notes: Settle a small disagreement by listening and save a small amount regularly. Notes: practise the sentence I feel ... when ...; for money, save 10 from a weekly 50, which reaches 80 after 8 weeks, and learners say what they would plan to buy.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Choices, budget and online safety

Notes: Weigh choices, keep a simple budget and protect personal information online. Notes: use stop, think, choose; split an income of 200 into needs 120, wants 50 and savings 30, which adds back to 200. Learners list four things never to share online.

This course: Grade 09 Values and life skills is at this level. Its units include Values and character; Mental health and resilience; Community action; Digital ethics.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Wellbeing and responsibility

Notes: Plan study, rest and sleep, and give a respectful no under peer pressure. Notes: teenagers usually need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep, so waking at 6:30 means bed by 21:30 for 9 hours. Learners plan one week and rehearse a calm refusal in pairs.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Ethics and behaviour evidence

Notes: Evaluate ethical frameworks and psychology evidence on habits, stress and decision making. Notes: compare consequence, duty and character approaches on one dilemma. Practice: 1,000 saved at 5 per cent a year for 10 years compounds to about 1,628.89; learners say why early habits matter.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Design a wellbeing programme

Notes: Design and critique an evidence-based wellbeing or ethics programme with safeguarding and evaluation. Notes: survey 120 pupils before and after; 78 positive (65 per cent) rising to 96 (80 per cent) is a 15-point rise. Learners state limits, such as no comparison group, and how consent is protected.