Purdue University
Healthy Body Image: A Lesson Plan for Middle School Students
This is a very valuable lesson for middle schoolers on the importance of maintaining a healthy body image through diet, exercise, and positive mentality. The resource includes four lesson plans. The first two plans outline the physical...
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
My Life—My Mental Health
Between peer pressure, an onslaught of hormones, and brand new responsibilities, the teenage years can be emotionally volatile. Equip young adults with coping mechanisms and a safe place to discuss their feelings with a guided...
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
What is Health?
Many indicators of health are beyond a teenager's control, but there are many changes they can make in their daily life that can improve their health. Middle schoolers think about their physical, social, and mental health status before...
Health Smart Virginia
Mental and Emotional Health
The first lesson 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 to...
Health Smart Virginia
Tinkle Times
The big idea in the last instructional activity in the Health Smart series is that individuals must practice emotional first aid, that just as we take care of physical injuries, we must take care of emotional injuries. Scholars watch a...
Curated OER
Too Large to be a Lunatic Asylum: South Carolina’s Mental Health
Eighth graders examine the history of South Carolina's mental institutions. In this South Carolina history activity, 8th graders discover details about asylums built in the state in the 1800's. Students analyze primary sources about...
National Institute of Drug Abuse
Nurturing My Mental and Emotional Health
One exercise does not necessarily work for all! A resource from the National Institutes of Health provides tweens and teens with exercises to help them cope with anxiety and stress. Participants note their stress levels before and after...
Curated OER
"Cures" Chart
Students chart the "cures" for people with disabilities. In this disabilities lesson plan, students compare and contrast the care and treatment of people with disabilities in the past and present. Students write accurate summaries...
Health Smart Virginia
Mental and Emotional Health
Middle schoolers learn about stressors, effective stress management techniques, and the role of resilience and tolerance in handling stress. Individuals then create a personal mind map that includes their own mental/emotional management...
Curated OER
Careers in Health
Middle schoolers will identify several professions in the healthcare field along with the characteristics of effective healthcare providers. They will also consider if any of the occupations covered in class are appropriate career paths....
Curated OER
Key to Good Health: Sleep and Mental Relaxation
Students investigate the effect good sleep and rest has on the human body. In this health lesson, students discover the different stages of sleep and discuss ways they can ease their own tension through exercise or meditation. Students...
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
How Fast Are You?
Students explore constructive ways of handling conflict. In this conflict resolution instructional activity, students brainstorm things that make them angry, sad, happy, etc. Students listen to a story and identify ways the characters...
Curated OER
Treatment Works!
Students consider the goals of a treatment plan for persons who have had the way they think, feel, or behave changed because of mental illness. PET images are utilized to support the evidence of changes in the activity and functioning of...
Curated OER
The Stigma Within
Students role play the part of someone with a mental illness and the families they are members of. They act out the scenes from cue cards and other students can state their questions and comments.
Curated OER
Autism Help Through PowerPoint
Pupils investigate the effects of autism by creating a slide-show presentation. In this special needs lesson, students define autism and the mental health problems it can cause young people afflicted with it. Pupils create a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Striking Out Stress- A "Gallery Walk" Activity
Students discuss ways to cope with stressful situations. In this mental health lesson, students identify stressful situations and how they would respond to them. Students discuss their feelings.
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 7: Revisiting the Circle of Life
Scholars revisit the Circle of Life to examine positive character traits—mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional. Pupils discuss how those character traits could help them make responsible decisions and not contract HIV/AIDS. Learners...
Health Smart Virginia
Stressed Out
Stress, eustress, distress. A step-by-step plan leads middle schoolers through a lesson plan about coping with stress. To gather background information, scholars watch a presentation, examine a list of positive coping skills, and read...
Scholastic
Recovery From Drug Addiction
Are there factors that put some individuals at a higher risk for drug addiction than others? Learn more about the risk factors that may make some people more susceptible to addiction, as well as protective factors that help prevent...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 2: Learning About Adolescence
The Native American symbol, The Circle of Life, represents life's spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional well being. By way of deep discussion, and two games, the instructional activity uses the Circle of Life to explore the stages...
Curated OER
Life of a Soldier after the Civil War Lesson Plan: What's in a Name
Students explore the concept of institutional bias. In this Civil War lesson, students read case studies on the treatment of Irish and African-American veterans who did not receive their pensions from the war. Students discuss their...
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...
Curated OER
Health (General Wellness)
Seventh graders explore their personal health by completing a worksheet. In this healthy living lesson, 7th graders examine the health triangle and research ways to prevent at risk behavior. Students complete a health survey based on...