Lesson Plan : Mental Health and Stress Reduction
Teacher Name: | Miss Jayne Muller |
Grade: | Kindergarten |
Subject: | PE and Health |
Topic: | To educate the students about the importance of having a positive outlook on life, the importance of having strong self-esteem and to present them with some ways to cope with stress and make decisions. |
Content: | Self-esteem - how children preceive themselves and how they want to be; also related to what expectations they perceive others have for them Meeting Personal Goals - children stress about how to reach goals parents often place upon them that are too difficult Eustress - good stress; motivates people to attain their goals Distress - bad stress; physical/psychological overload; potentially harmful |
Goals: | My main goal for this lesson is that my students will better understand the importance of being optimistic and to have a positive outlook on life. Also, I hope they realize how important it is to have a positive self-esteem and realize that they are each special and unique in their own ways. In addition, I hope to convey the message to them that everyone experiences stress. It is important that they realize that there are appropriate ways to cope with stress and that it is ok to be scared sometimes. With this lesson I plan to teach them the Power Model for decision making that will in turn affect all other lessons in this portfolio. |
Objectives: | Students will: - Understand what it means to have a strong self-esteem and a positive outlook on life. - Analyze their personal strengths and weaknesses. - Share some specific things that make them each special and unique. - Discuss in groups the aspects they saw and heard in the examples that were shared with during class through the movie �Finding Nemo� and the book The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper. - create a picture of themselves to display for class that shows them completing a goal they wish to reach in the future to help build their self-esteem. - Be introduced to the Power Model for Decision Making and will be made aware of where it is displayed in the classroom. - Learn about the differences of eustress and distress. - Explore some positive ways to handle stress. |
Materials: | > Large Sheets of Plain White paper > Markers or Crayons > Construction Paper > Folders > TV and VCR > Walt Disney Movie "Finding Nemo" > Book The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper > Poster Board with the Power Model for Decision Making > Play-dough or Silly Putty |
Introduction: | 1. The lesson will be introduced by showing certain clips from the movie "Finding Nemo" that depict examples of someone who is scared and stressed, someone who has difficulty remembering things, and also someone who is accepted by others. Then I will introduce the topics of a self-esteem, stress and decision making. As a class we will discuss these topics along with parent's goals, being scared, and positive ways to cope with stress. |
Development: | |
Practice: | 2. Using construction paper and crayons or markers students will depict ways that they are special and unique in their own individual ways by constructing a special folder, that they will write their name on, for me to keep during the school year and share with them when they may be having a bad day and then they can have them at the end of the year. The folder will have 5-8 pages and on each page the student will write one thing they are good at or a special task they accomplished. On each page they will also illustrate and color the characteristic or accomplishment with pictures or drawings. |
Accommodations: | 4. The students will be introduced to the Power Model for Decision Making by the visual poster board prepared before class and they will take an active part in selecting where to display it in the classroom. |
Checking For Understanding: | 5. A class discussion will be held about stress, what it is, what good stress and bad stress is and how to handle stress. As a class we will brainstorm on the chalkboard or dry erase board what some examples of stress in daily life is. Then I will introduce some positive ways to cope with stress and will give them an example of an easy stress reliever, play-dough or silly putty. Squeezing the play-dough and kneading it in your hands helps relax some people and relieve some tension. I will also share with the students that will be available at our �time-out/thinking� chair when someone is in trouble so they can help calm down but if I see it being used as a toy that privilege might be taken away. |
Closure: | 6. To close the lesson I will read to the class the book The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. As a class we will discuss the aspects in the story that pertain to the lesson, such as the stress the little train felt, what the Shiny New Engine and the Big Strong Engine did that were mean, what was wrong with the Rusty Old Engine, and what strategy the Little Blue Engine used to climb the big mountain. I will use a decision story technique related to the book we read and ask the students the following question �What would you do if you were in a situation like the Little Blue Engine where you were faced with a task you thought was hard or scary like maybe how you felt on the first day of kindergarten?� The students could have a couple of minutes to think quietly then they could share their ideas with the class then I would split them up into groups of 2 or 3 to talk about their ideas. Then we would close the lesson with a review over the material we covered. |
Evaluation: | Student Evaluation or Assessment Students will be evaluated during this lesson with the following rubric that combines completion of the both projects, the folder and the drawing, group participation, sharing with the class, and behavior/paying attention during the lesson. The students will not understand the rubric but it will be made known to them that their grade depends on if they behave appropriately, if they participate in class and group activities and if they complete the projects to the directions. Exceptional Admirable Amateur Not in Class Completion of folder of special traits Student completed the folder to all requirements Student worked hard but didn�t do all requirements Student did not complete the task Was gone from class on day of this lesson Completion of self-portrait Student completed the portrait and shared it with the class Student worked hard but didn�t share with the class Student did not draw the portrait nor share with the class Was gone from class on day of this lesson Group and Class Participation Student shared ideas with group members, cooperated and listened to others Student did just one or the other: shared his/her ideas or listened to others Student neither listened to others nor shared his/her own ideas Was gone from class on day of this lesson Behavior and Attention during class Was attentive, respectful, kind, raised his/her hand and didn�t interrupt others Student only had to be reminded of proper behavior a couple of times during class Student disrupted class, was rude, had to go to the �timeout - thinking� chair Was gone from class on day of this lesson |
Teacher Reflections: |
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