Stage 1: Identify Desired Results Grade Perspective: Sharing what it means to be healthy. Outcome(s)/Indicator(s): USC4.6- Assess healthy stress management strategies (e.g. Relaxation skills, stress control skills, guided imagery, expressing feelings, exercising).
Explore the responses one may experience as a result of stress (e.g. heart-rate increase, blushing, knots in stomach, butterflies in stomach, dry mouth, sleeplessness, loss of concentration).
Determine how and why people react differently to stress (e.g. cultural traditions, role models).
Analyze common coping strategies for managing stress.
Describe strategies (e.g. writing in a journal, seeking guidance from a trusted adult/elder, talking with a friend, participating in cultural ceremonies, reading a book about grief) for managing stress (including divorce, death, and loss).
Key Understandings: (‘I Can’ statements)
I can manage my stress in a healthy way.
I can identify the contributing factors that may cause someone stress.
I can explore responses one may experience as a result of stress.
I can describe strategies to manage stress.
Essential Questions:
How can I recognize stressful situations?
Why do people react differently to stress?
What are common coping strategies for managing stress?
Prerequisite Learning:
Students must already understand what stress is.
Students must have an idea about holistic health and First Nations perspective on it.
Instructional Strategies:
I will be using inquiry learning. Inquiry “provides children with opportunities to build knowledge, abilities, and inquiring habits of mind that lead to deeper understanding of their world and human experience” (Saskatchewan Curriculum, Health Education, pp.10).
“Health education is taught, learned, and evaluated using an inquiry approach to healthy decision making” (Saskatchewan Curriculum, Health Education, pp.11).
Stage 2: Determine Evidence for Assessing Learning
Observation: was the student able to contribute to the list of common coping strategies for managing stress? Was the student effectively participating in the activities?
I will be using formative assessment. My plan for the first 30-minute period was to ask the students if they know what stress and stress management are as well as any coping strategies for stress. We will compile three lists in small groups and then come back as a large group to see if there is anything else to add.
My plan for the second 30-minute period was to do two activities. One to make them feel tense and a little bit stressed, and the other to calm them down and relax their muscles. We will then compare the feelings they had after each activity.
Stage 3: Build Learning Plan Lesson One: 40 Minutes
Set (Engagement): Length of Time: 5 Minutes. “Good morning/good afternoon grade 4! Today, we are going to discuss stress and stress management, and we are going to think about different ways to cope with stress. We will create lists for each of these topics in small groups. Each group will be assigned a topic and then we will come together as a large group to share and discuss” Development: Time: 10 minutes I am pulling on the student’s prior knowledge of stress, stress management and coping strategies.
The students will get 10 minutes in their small groups.
Group A- will write down what they believe stress to be.
Group B- will write down what they believe stress management is.
Group C- will write down what they believe are some coping strategies for stress.
After 10 minutes, I will call the small groups back to the larger group. I will grab a large piece of chart paper and attach it to the board, with the categories “Group A, Group B, and Group C”. I then ask one or two people from each group to tell me the ideas they came up with. I will write down all of the ideas they came up with, corresponding with the groups. Time: 20-Minutes After I have written down all of their ideas, I will grab another piece of chart paper and pin it up beside our original one. I will then go through the definitions of stress, stress management, and coping strategies (with some examples). Explain: “stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid which can give you a stomach-ache or headache” (Kids Health, 2015).
“Okay students, after hearing what the definition of stress is, would you add anything else to your list?”
Explain: Stress management is how you deal with the uncomfortable or unsettling feelings so they don’t happen as much. Managing stress means to prevent it from happening in the long run.
“Now taking a look at stress management. You have heard the definition of stress management. Would you change/add anything to your list after hearing the definition?”
Explain: Coping strategies can reduce stress in the moment, but they don’t prevent it from happening in the future. Some examples of coping strategies are breathing exercises, yoga, playing a game. Coping strategies are like temporary distractions to get your mind off of the uncomfortable feeling in your body.
“After listening to me explain coping strategies and give a couple examples, would you add anymore to your list?”
If the students gave me more ideas to contribute, I would write them down on the second piece of chart paper. Now that we have talked about the western ways of dealing with stress and coping strategies. We need to touch on the ways Indigenous people handle stress and mental well-being. I will add a category on the chart paper for Indigenous stress management and I will ask the students if they have any ideas.
Student A says they have heard of something called smudging in one of their other classes, but they don’t know if it relieves stress.
“Great job! Indigenous people do use smudging to relieve stress.” “Does anyone know what smudging is? No? Smudging is a process in which people fan the smoke from herbs over their bodies to cleanse them of bad feelings” “Tradition suggests that smudging can literally lift one’s spirits to banish negativity. White prairie sage can be used as a remedy for treaty those uncomfortable feelings you get when you are worried” (Healthline, 2020).
Learning Closure: Time: 5- Minutes “Great work today students! Thank you for your contribution and participation. Now that we know what stress, stress management is and what coping skills are, and how First Nations people relieve their stress. Next class we will do an activity that will help us understand stress better.” Materials/Resources:
Chart Paper
Markers
Individual sheets of paper
Possible Adaptations/ Differentiation:
Give them an idea of what stress, stress management, and coping strategies are before sending them to small groups.
Management Strategies:
Observation.
Ask questions to make sure students understand their task.
Safety Considerations:
Appropriate language.
Lesson Two: 40 Minutes Set (Engagement): Length of Time: 5 Minutes. “Good morning/ good afternoon grade 4! Do we all remember what we learned last class? If not, we learned what stress is, what stress management is and we discussed a couple coping strategies for stress. Could someone please tell me if they remember what stress is?”
Student A will tell me what they think stress is based off of last class,
“Good work! Stress is that uncomfortable feeling you get when you are worried about something and it can cause stomach aches and headaches. Can someone else tell me what stress management is?”
Student B will recall our lesson from last class, the chart paper is hung up on the bulletin board in the classroom.
“Yes, thank you! Stress management is how you prevent that uncomfortable feeling from coming back. Lastly, could someone tell me what they remember about coping strategies?”
The students are having trouble remembering the difference between stress management and coping strategies.
“Remember grade 4, stress management is how we prevent stress in the long run. Coping strategies are temporary solutions to stress. They help in the moment, but not in the long run. Alright, moving on. Today we will be doing a little activity to help us better understand stress and its effects. After each activity I will ask you how you feel and how the activity made you feel.
Development: Time: 20 minutes
I am using the information we learned last class to get the students engaged in 2 activities that will truly help them understand stress.
I am going to act like there is 20 students in my class.
I am going to put the students into groups of 5 as there are 20 students in my class. I have 5 stacks of red solo cups. I will ask the students to pick a team name, once they have their team name I will write it down on the board. The objective of this first activity is for each team member to take turns unstacking and stacking the cups. For example, the first team member will begin by unstacking the cups and then immediately stacking them again, as fast as they can. Once they have finished this, it is the next persons turn on the team. We will continue this until every person on the team has had a turn. The four fastest teams will remain in the activity, and the slowest team will be eliminated. We will continue this trend until there is one winning team.
The purpose of this activity is to get students heart rates elevated, sweaty hands, butterflies in the stomach, so they can experience a little bit of stress. After the activity, I will ask students “how did this activity make you feel? Were you concerned about being the fastest team? Did you feel pressure to succeed?” I am going to write down their ideas on the board.
The next activity will be one that will hopefully calm them down, regulate their breathing and lower their heart rates. We are going to do a mini yoga session. Exercise is proven to ease stress and feelings of worry.
It is a four-minute guided yoga session that will hopefully relax the students. After this activity I will ask the students “how did this activity make you feel? Do you feel more relaxed? Do you feel more comfortable after stretching and relaxing your muscles?” I will then write their answers on the board, beside their answers for the previous activity. Next, we will compare their feelings based off the two exercises. I will explain to the students that “high-risk” situations will make you feel tenser and more uncomfortable and that “low-risk” situations such as guided breathing, yoga or even writing your feelings down in a journal will help you relax and rid you of that uncomfortable feeling. Learning Closure: Time: 5- Minutes “Great work today students. I hope after participating in these two activities you are able to tell the difference between when you are feeling stressed or relaxed. A great way to relax is through yoga, but if you didn’t enjoy it there are plenty of other things you can do to relax. Such as, writing in a journal, talking with friends or family, talking with an elder, or exercise in general.”
Materials/Resources:
Red solo cups
Desk or table
White board markers
Projector screen for the yoga video
Possible Adaptations/ Differentiation:
Could have made them do the cup activity twice. (e.g. go through the team cycle twice instead of once)
Management Strategies:
Observe the game/make sure I’m paying attention to who is the fastest so it is fair.
Call out the yoga activities and do it with them so they can watch me as well as the video if they want.
Safety Considerations: - Making sure the students have enough space. - Making sure they aren’t straining themselves during the yoga.