Two activities spotlight the concept of bullying. The first activity begins with defining and identifying characteristics of bullying. Small groups then role-play scenarios in which they practice techniques to handle a bully. The second...

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...

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...

The more you practice, the better you get. That's the big idea behind a lesson for middle schoolers about using mindfulness breathing techniques to reduce stress. Class members practice Star Breathing and Rainbow Breathing exercises and...

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.

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...

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.

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...

Teach your freshmen stress management techniques that help them cope with distress and stress. Class members create a Relaxation Station where they practice the C.O.P.E strategy for dealing with stress. They then choose from a menu of...

Sometimes it really is about who you know. High School freshmen engage in a series of activities to learn about the importance of networking.

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....

The big idea in the last lesson 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 short video and...

Middle schoolers are offered an opportunity to use what they have learned about effective communication in a "Do-over." First, they create a storyboard of an argument they had with a friend or family member that wasn't productive. Then,...

Tweens and teens learn how to be a lifesaver and help a peer who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. They identify risk factors and warning signs, and strategies to get an individual to seek help.

Inclusion is the focus of a lesson that looks closely at how to make equal groups in cooperative settings. Using physical education activities, scholars are challenged to create groups quickly and inclusively. After several activities,...

Partnering with someone new may be daunting. Here a lesson encourages young peers to work collaboratively in physical activity settings. Following a whole-class discussion, scholars participate in several cooperative activities that...

A list of seven ideas designed to boost social-emotional learning provides ample opportunity for identifying and expressing feelings. Activities include ice-breakers, role-playing, thoughtful discussions, and more. 

The final lesson in a three-part healthy living series has class members examine five thinking traps that distort how they perceive themselves and/or situations. They also learn strategies that help stop the downward spiral and get them...

Tweens and teens learn coping skills to help manage strong emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness with a lesson that asks them to generate a list of self-calming strategies they use and to consider the suggestions in a short video and...

RESPECT! High schoolers learn what it means, how to earn it, who deserves it, and why in the first of five lessons in this section of the Overcoming Obstacles course. After brainstorming a list of people they think to deserve respect and...

Just like becoming proficient at playing an instrument or sport requires practice, so too does developing the skills to overcome life's obstacles. That's the big idea in the first lesson in a life skills course. To begin, participants...

As eighth-graders move on to high school, strong time management skills become critical. As part of a career Planning & Management unit, scholars learn how to analyze their time and consider how their choices impact their ability to...

Future job seekers interview adults who love their work and ones that dislike their work. After reflecting on what they learned in a whole-class discussion, participants create a mission statement that details what they want and don't...

Rent, food, utilities, gas, clothing, taxes! It all adds up. As part of a career planning and management unit, high school sophomores learn about financial planning and budgeting.