Health Smart Virginia
Shark Tank - Mental Illnesses
Young entrepreneurs research and develop a Shark Tank-style pitch for a solution to help people who have a mental illness. After the presentations, research groups complete a rubric for each product and vote for the one product they feel...
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.
TeenMentalHealth
Know Before You Go Teacher’s Guide
A 124-page guide provides instructors with what they need to know before launching a seven-lesson thematic unit designed for high school seniors on issues they will face after graduation. Topics covered include mental health and...
Nemours KidsHealth
Screen Time: Grades 6-8
How much screen time is too much screen time? Even before COVID, tweens were spending hours watching TV, playing video games, and connecting with their friends by smartphone and computers. Two activities from Kids Health get young...
Nemours KidsHealth
Obesity: Grades 6-8
Screen time and fast foods, sugary drinks and greasy fries have lead to one-third of tween and teens being overweight or obese. As part of the Health Problems Series scholars analyze the nutritional value of the school food services menu...
Health Smart Virginia
Stepping Up to Depression and Suicide
Health Smart provides a activity 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
Compliment a Character
Compliments are true, specific, and positive. Crafting those compliments can be a challenge. Graciously accepting a compliment can also be a challenge. The first lesson in the Health Smart series designed for sixth graders provides them...
Curated OER
Why Be Active?
What are some of the benefits of physical activity? Young learners take a look at not just the physical benefits, but also the emotional and social benefits of being physically active. There is a heart rate activity to count their...
Curated OER
Character Traits - Who are We?
Sixth graders examine character traits. In this character education lesson, 6th graders set goals to strengthen particular personal character traits. Students watch their instructor model the character trait journaling strategy prior to...
Curated OER
Puberty/Adolescence, Day 2: "Who AM I? Where Am I Going?"
A great unit! There is a lot of content that is personal so make sure you have created a safe zone in your classroom before doing this lesson. It will have much more meaning if your learners share their life with others in the class....
Curated OER
Character and Citizenship Education
Students analyze the importance of being a socially healthy citizen. In this character education instructional activity, students brainstorm personal traits that they think make the world a better place. Students compile their ideas as a...
Curated OER
Using Facebook with Literature
Young scholars use online social networking to learn about characters in literature. In this literature and technology lesson, students visit Facebook website and set up character profiles for a piece of literature they've read.
Curated OER
What Are Friends For?
Students develop an awareness of the behaviors signaling that a friend may be in trouble with alcohol or drugs of abuse. They practice ways to encourage a friend to seek out adult help by viewing a video, role-playing situations, writing...
Curated OER
Back to School (Secondary)
Welcome your class back to school! They will participate in a character education lesson plan in order to build community at the school. First they identify needs of new students by putting themselves in their shoes and create welcome...
University of California
Breathing Boards
Instill the importance of mindfulness with six breathing exercises. Scholars trace shapes using their fingers, following arrows that tell them when to breathe in and when to breathe out. Exercises increase by counts of breath in and out.
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 3: Decision Making
By way of group discussion, reading, and role-play a series of six activities encourage scholars to make responsible decisions. Following an online introduction, pupils review the concept of volition and answer questions. Middle...
Just Health Action
What Makes a Community Healthy?
Young people have an opportunity to make it a beautiful day in their neighborhoods with an activity that asks them to identify what is healthy and unhealthy in their community and develop some ideas about what they can do to fix the...
Inner Health Studio
Stress Management
Learners practice identifying their individual causes of stress, as well as finding healthy coping skills to deal with stress, in a series of short-answer response worksheets.
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 4: Learning About Disease
Communicable diseases are the focus of a instructional activity that primarily uses discussion, a hands-on activity, and a worksheet to drive their point home. Lotion and glitter create a strong visual for communicable diseases. A...
Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment
Managing Influences and Making Decisions
Does patience help people become more responsible? Class members explore the topic with a What's It To Do With Me? quiz to assess their personal responsibilities. They engage in a whole-class discussion about pros and cons of instant...
Nemours KidsHealth
Peer Pressure: Grades 9-12
Peer pressure is not always negative. It can also inspire, encourage people to get involved, and help push change. Class members select a quotation from a provided list and craft a paragraph about the meaning of the statement, how it...
Nemours KidsHealth
Smoking: Grades 9-12
The increase in the number of restrictions placed on smoking represents a clear shift in the understanding of the dangers of both the short term and long term consequences of tobacco use. But people still light up. Three activities help...
Nemours KidsHealth
Sportsmanship: Grades 6-8
Losing isn't any fun. It is, however, a part of competing. Two activities encourage middle schoolers to consider what good sportsmanship is, how they can be a good sport, and ways to handle situations when some are acting...
Curated OER
Economy's Stuck, but Business is Booming at Therapists' Offices
Learners explore the concept of the economy and mental health. In this economy and mental health lesson, students read an article about how the mental health community is booming due to the poor economy. Learners discuss ways to deal...