Health Smart Virginia
So Stressed, Now Stress Less
Carrot, egg, or tea? A parable gets teens thinking about how, when faced with the same adversity, people respond differently. As the lesson progresses, class members learn about how stress is regulated by the sympathetic and...
Health Smart Virginia
Networking
Sometimes it really is about who you know. High School freshmen engage in a series of activities to learn about the importance of networking.
Health Smart Virginia
Parachute Stress
Stress isn't necessarily a bad thing. The key, however, is learning how to appreciate eustress and manage distress. "Parachute Stress," a lesson designed for high school freshmen, has them identify 10 major stressors as well as the...
Health Smart Virginia
Face of Mental Illness
To develop an understanding of the stigma surrounding mental health problems and the impact stigma and discrimination have on those who would seek help, groups investigate the symptoms of and risk factors associated with eight different...
Health Smart Virginia
Cyber Tattoo
Designed to inform high school freshmen about the ramifications of sharing personal information through social media, this lesson focuses on sexting. Investigators first check the validity of websites using a Website Evaluation Tool....
Health Smart Virginia
Socially Conscious Social Networking
A powerful, award-winning video launches a lesson about socially conscious social networking. After watching the video and engaging in a full class discussion, individuals share their ideas about healthy social networking in a podcast or...
Health Smart Virginia
Shake It Off
It requires more than a twitch to shake off stress. But with the help of the stress management strategies taught in a very dynamic lesson, freshmen can learn to do so. Class members watch videos, examine an infographic, read an article,...
Health Smart Virginia
Stepping Up to Depression and Suicide
Health Smart provides a lesson plan that shows middle schoolers how they can step up and help someone exhibiting self-harming behaviors. After learning the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide, teams research local resources...
Health Smart Virginia
Decision Making
Researchers have discovered that when making decisions, teens' brains function differently than the brains of adults. After reading an article about this research, middle schoolers learn about a five-step decision-making process and...
Health Smart Virginia
Social Awareness: Empathy
As part of the unit on social, emotional health, seventh-graders examine the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Pairs then engage in an activity that analyzes a scenario and role play resolution strategies that show...
Health Smart Virginia
Summative Assessment
As a summative assessment of the Health Smart unit, middle schoolers create a five-chapter autobiography demonstrating what they have learned about self and social-awareness, decision-making, and communication skills.
Health Smart Virginia
Mindful Yoga Introduction
Middle schoolers apply what they learned in the previous lesson about mindful yoga to design a project to help a teen cope with a stressful situation in a healthy way. Groups role play explaining the benefits of their approach and...
Health Smart Virginia
Mindfulness Yoga
Standing pose, tree pose, warrior pose, easy pose. Middle schoolers learn several basic yoga exercises and poses that can help them relax. They also keep a four-week stress log to track stressful situations and how they dealt with them.
Health Smart Virginia
Mindfulness Breathing
The more you practice, the better you get. That's the big idea behind a lesson plan for middle schoolers about using mindfulness breathing techniques to reduce stress. Class members practice Star Breathing and Rainbow Breathing exercises...
Health Smart Virginia
Stressors, Coping Strategies, Mindfulness breathing
After discussing the benefits of positive coping strategies, class members practice the stress management and stress reduction technique of Mindfulness Breathing.
Health Smart Virginia
Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee
As part of the Health Smart social and emotional learning unit, seventh graders are taught the T.R.A.I.N Method (Talk to others, Resilience, Accept it, Inspiration from others, Need to be prepared) of coping with disappointment and...
Health Smart Virginia
Mental and Emotional Health
The first activity in a social and emotional health unit is designed to help seventh graders develop the skills they need to cope with disappointment and manage stress. Groups practice stress reduction techniques and share ideas for how...
Nemours KidsHealth
STDs: Grades 9-12
After gathering information about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), high schoolers engage in two activities designed to educate themselves and others. They begin by using what they have learned to write a speech for a friend who...
Nemours KidsHealth
Obesity: Grades 9-12
High schoolers take on the role of the nation's first Teen Nutrition and Fitness Czars and create tips that can be texted to other teens to remind them about healthy eating and exercising. Groups read articles to gather background...
Health Smart Virginia
Mental Health Journals
Eight prompts, designed to accompany the Health Smart series of lessons, provide high schoolers an opportunity to reflect on and learn from the issues raised by the various activities.
Health Smart Virginia
Building Self-Esteem and Self-Image
The ninth activity in the Health Smart series is designed to get high schoolers to understand the factors that make them feel the way they do about themselves, their bodies, and their self-worth. Pupils watch a video about teens and body...
Health Smart Virginia
Suicide Prevention: Finding the Words
Provide young people with the information they need to identify the warning signs for depression and the risk factors for suicide. The lesson helps high schoolers learn positive coping skills, role-play how to support friends who may be...
Health Smart Virginia
Fitting In and Setting Healthy Boundaries
Saying "No" isn't easy. Setting healthy boundaries and sticking to them takes practice. A series of exercises enables sophomores to practice these skills and reflect on the difference between fitting in and belonging.
Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Healthy Relationships
Teach tweens and teens how to prevent dating and domestic violence with a unit on healthy relationships. The unit begins with class members taking a relationships survey. As the unit progresses, class members engage in activities that...