Length
45-60 minutes
Materials
- Note cards
- Lined notebook paper
Curriculum Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.8
Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.9
Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
Instructions
- Begin by watching the Study.com video lesson Where Does Stress Come From?, pausing at 0:30.
- Ask students to name stressors that a student or worker might encounter. Create a list of stressors on the board.
- Finish playing the video. Ask the students to add to the list of stressors. Encourage them to include environmental stressors and internal stressors that were learned from the video.
- Watch the Study.com video lesson Coping With Stress: Techniques, Attitudes & Reducing Exposure, pausing at 0:40.
- Direct the students back to the list of stressors. Ask the students to identify ways to effectively deal with those stressors. Create a list of coping mechanisms on the board.
- Finish playing the video. Ask the students to add to the list of coping mechanisms. Encourage them to include techniques and strategies that were learned from the video.
- You should now have a list of stressors and coping mechanisms that will look something like the following:
- Stressors: test anxiety, speech anxiety, math anxiety, perfectionism, procrastination, self-criticism, long meetings, new or unexpected projects, harsh boss, heavy workload, conflict with a coworker, busy schedule, short deadlines, bad weather ruins your plans, homesick at college, argument with a friend
- Coping Mechanisms: eat lots of fruits and vegetables, eat a healthy breakfast, avoid eating junk food, look for positives, take a step back, ask for help, visualize a beautiful scene, get a massage, go for a walk, get enough sleep, don't sleep too much, prepare for a test, establish a routine, avoid too much caffeine, talk with a friend, speak with a trusted adult, prioritize your work tasks, organize your work space, don't linger on a test question, review your notes the night before a test, write down questions to help study for a test, identify the problem, ask questions, exercise, laugh, pace yourself
Activity
- Divide students into groups of four and give 40 note cards and four sheets of lined notebook paper to each group.
- The note cards will become playing cards. Instruct the students to write down a different stressor on 10 of the note cards and a different coping mechanism on the remaining 30 note cards. Ask the students to shuffle the cards as they would a deck of playing cards and place the deck face down in reach of each student in the group.
- The notebook paper will become each student's individual game board. Instruct the students to put the words COPING MECHANISM on the top line (i.e. line one) of the notebook paper and the word STRESSOR on the 10th line of the notebook paper. Next, instruct the students to put the word START in the middle line (i.e. line six).
- The object of the game is to be the first student to reach the COPING MECHANISM line.
- Have the students take turns picking up a note card. If the card contains a coping mechanism, the student moves up one space by placing an X on the line above 'START.' If the card contains a stressor, the student moves down one space.
- Play continues until one of the students picks enough coping mechanism cards to reach the COPING MECHANISM line.
Extensions
- Divide the students into groups of two and have students role play; one student will assume the role of a counselor and the other the role of an office worker. Have the office worker pick a stressor from the list created during class discussion. The counselor will choose a coping mechanism and explain to the worker how it can be effective in dealing with stress. Have the students switch roles.
- For continued discussion, you could also ask students to identify unhealthy ways people cope with stress (i.e. drugs, alcohol, etc.).
