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 lesson...
Health Smart Virginia
Ending the Silence on Mental Illness
To end the silence on mental illness, groups research a mental illness. They then create a scene-by-scene script, cast parts, and record a video that details the symptoms, causes, and treatment of the disorder. They also include what...
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...
Mental Health Literacy
Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide - Version 3
A 171-page curriculum provides educators with the information they need to help and support high schoolers' mental health. The curriculum targets five domains: learning how to maintain good mental health, learning about mental disorders...
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.
Curated OER
Helping Adolescents Deal with Peer Pressure
Designed by a mental health center, this presentation is meant to educate educators how to help teens face peer pressure. Tips are provided for identifying at-risk youth and bullying situations. This would be a poignant topic to include...
Nemours KidsHealth
Depression: Grades 6-8
Over two lessons, scholars examine depression—what it is, signs of it, and ways to cope. Through discussion, reading articles, writing a resource, and completing worksheets, participants make their way through the learning process,...
Health Smart Virginia
Mental Health/Social Emotional Skills
A 7-page packet of activity ideas, lesson plans, and information resources provides instructors of high school freshmen a wealth of materials to support teaching the concepts in a Health Smart unit.
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...
Curated OER
Depression
Students review what they know about clinical depression. In this personal health activity, students research depression and treatments for it. Students then create information posters that feature factual information about depression.
Health Smart Virginia
Mental Health/Social Emotional Skills
Looking for social-emotional resources? Check out this seven-page packet that includes activity and lesson ideas, as well as links to information resources that support the social and emotional development of tenth graders.
Curated OER
Mental Health Scenarios
Students define various mental disorders and list some of their signs and symptoms. They identify mental disorders after being given hypothetical scenarios. They share their results with the class.
Curated OER
Good Mental Health Word Search
In this word search worksheet, students identify fifty words related to good mental health in a word puzzle. Examples include hormones, self esteem, and depressed.
Health Smart Virginia
Tinkle Times
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...
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
My Life My Plan
Being a teenager is harder today than it's ever been. Guide high schoolers through the last few years before adulthood with a resource that encourages them to reflect on their lives and passions, and to make a healthy plan going forward.
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
"Cures" Chart
Students chart the "cures" for people with disabilities. In this disabilities lesson, students compare and contrast the care and treatment of people with disabilities in the past and present. Students write accurate summaries presented...
Nemours KidsHealth
Suicide Prevention: Grades 6-8
Suicide prevention—a heavy topic but an important one. Over two lessons, pupils gain knowledge about suicide, particularly in teens, and how to advocate for a friend who feels suicidal or depressed. After researching the topic, scholars...
Curated OER
Key to Good Health: Sleep and Mental Relaxation
Young scholars 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....
Curated OER
"What Is Depression?"
Students examine the topic of depression and how it relates to their own lives. They watch and discuss a video, complete a worksheet about their own experiences, and in small groups design and display a poster.
Health Smart Virginia
Suicide Prevention - Finding the Words
Acknowledge, Care, Tell! Freshmen learn how to ACT to help a friend demonstrating warning signs for depression and suicide in a carefully scaffolded, scripted lesson. Scholars also learn positive coping skills, information about support...
Curated OER
Feelings Are Very Important
Here are some ways you can help your students understand and cope with their feelings. This presentation provides ways to deal with anger and sadness through calm times, self talk, daily affirmations, and replacement thoughts. Note: This...
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 instructional activity helps high schoolers learn positive coping skills, role-play how to support...
Health Smart Virginia
Surviving High School Awareness Campaign
To demonstrate what they have learned in the Health Smart unit, sophomores design a resource for incoming ninth-graders that includes what they consider the most important information they gleaned from one of the eight topics studied.