Grade 7 Health - Stress
Subject: Grade 7/8 Health Unit: Mental Wellness Topic: Stress
Time: 40 minutes
Learners:
This is a group of grade seven/eight students who midway through their health unit on mental wellness. This lesson focuses on stress. Today, students will learn about the difference between positive and negative stress as well as stress management and stressors.
Outcomes/ Objectives
K.4.7.A.2b
Describe the mental skills (i.e., goal setting, focusing, stress management, visualization, positive thinking) necessary to enhance performance, readiness, and satisfaction.
K.4.8.C.2
Explain how stress may have positive or negative consequences (e.g., fight or flight, productivity, illness...).
K.4.8.C.3
Examine the effects of stress (e.g., increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, muscle soreness, nausea...) and relaxation (e.g., low blood pressure and heart rate...) on body systems (e.g., digestive, cardiovascular, endocrine...).
K.4.8.C.4a
List healthy strategies (e.g., seeking support from others and community resources, positive self- talk, physical exercise...) and unhealthy strategies (e.g., smoking, alcohol misuse, isolation, fighting...) for dealing with stress and/or anxiety.
S.4.8.A.5
Apply stress-management strategies (e.g., progressive relaxation, deep breathing, guided imagery, focusing, positive thinking, self-talk, talking with others, humour...) in case scenarios related to stressful situations (e.g., coping with anger, sadness, defeat, loss, changes associated with puberty, illness, environmental destruction...).
Resources/ Materials:
Methods/ Procedure:
Evaluation:
Formative evaluation will be offered in terms of student participation during the “stress quiz” and the following class discussion during the rest of the period.
Time: 40 minutes
Learners:
This is a group of grade seven/eight students who midway through their health unit on mental wellness. This lesson focuses on stress. Today, students will learn about the difference between positive and negative stress as well as stress management and stressors.
Outcomes/ Objectives
K.4.7.A.2b
Describe the mental skills (i.e., goal setting, focusing, stress management, visualization, positive thinking) necessary to enhance performance, readiness, and satisfaction.
K.4.8.C.2
Explain how stress may have positive or negative consequences (e.g., fight or flight, productivity, illness...).
K.4.8.C.3
Examine the effects of stress (e.g., increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, muscle soreness, nausea...) and relaxation (e.g., low blood pressure and heart rate...) on body systems (e.g., digestive, cardiovascular, endocrine...).
K.4.8.C.4a
List healthy strategies (e.g., seeking support from others and community resources, positive self- talk, physical exercise...) and unhealthy strategies (e.g., smoking, alcohol misuse, isolation, fighting...) for dealing with stress and/or anxiety.
S.4.8.A.5
Apply stress-management strategies (e.g., progressive relaxation, deep breathing, guided imagery, focusing, positive thinking, self-talk, talking with others, humour...) in case scenarios related to stressful situations (e.g., coping with anger, sadness, defeat, loss, changes associated with puberty, illness, environmental destruction...).
Resources/ Materials:
- Stress quiz for each student
- Pencil
- Class discussion prompts (for teacher)
Methods/ Procedure:
- Begin lesson by telling the class that in today’s health class we are going to be discussing stress.
- Students will complete a “quiz” about stress to get them thinking about the causes of stress and about stress management. The questions from the quiz will be the foundation for directed class discussion for the lesson:
- First talk about what stress is. Then discuss good stress versus bad stress.
- Discuss the common physical and emotional symptoms of stress.
- Talk about what things that cause stress are called.
- Discuss healthy ways to deal with stress (stress management).
- Discuss how we need to find a balance in our lives in order to manage our stress.
- Discuss how we need to take care of ourselves in order to deter stress in the first place.
- Discuss next health assignment that students will need to complete for next health class. Students will need to write an anonymous “letter” stating what is stressing them out. They will be type out to ensure anonymity. Next health class, students will respond to 2-3 letters giving advice to their peers. A few examples of these letters will be read out to the class, time permitting.
Evaluation:
Formative evaluation will be offered in terms of student participation during the “stress quiz” and the following class discussion during the rest of the period.