Lesson Plan

Date: Mar 1, 2017

Subject: Wellness 10 Grade: 9-12
Topic: Essential Question (from unit, if applicable):

What is necessary for a Mental well-being?

How does someone get a mental illness?
How does mental health impact other aspects of health?
How does society react to mental illness?
What can I do to be mentally healthy?

Materials:
Questions to Guide Discussion on Mental Illness, Personal Attitudes towards Mental
Illness Survey, Stigma Handout

Stage 1- Desired Results you may use student friendly language

What do they need to understand, know, and/or able to do?
Students will recognize and understand what factors make up mental well-being and
what is necessary in their own lives for mental well-being? Understand mental fitness
factors including stress management strategies, cultivating a strong sense of humour,
talking to others. Students will understand and be able to discuss the reasons why there
is stigma attached to having a mental illness.

Outcome(s):
W4 Assess the impact of mental health on overall well-being of self, family and
community
Reflect on and discuss personal and community beliefs and biases about mental
health
Examine common misconceptions and negative stigmas related to both the area
and the language of mental illness (dangerous, sick, weak character)
Discuss ways to improve ones own mental health
Investigate the relationships between personal mental health and personal
wellness (feeling well, functioning well and being resilient, making positive
changes, being physically fit)
PGP Goals:
2.5 Knowledge of a number of subjects taught in Saskatchewan schools
3.2 using a wide variety of responsive instructional strategies and methodologies to
accommodate learning styles of individual learners and support their growth as social,
intellectual, physical and spiritual beings.
Whole or small group instruction
Stage 2- Assessment

Assessment FOR Learning (formative) Assess the students during the learning to help
determine next steps.
Students will verbally discuss their answers to questions about mental
illness on the survey seeing if they were correct in their understanding
about mental illness.
Students will record two things they were unaware of or learned on the
video

Assessment OF Learning (summative) Assess the students after learning to evaluate

what they have learned.
Students will describe several things they learned today about mental illness on
exit slip.
Stage 3- Procedures:
Motivational/Anticipatory Set (introducing topic while engaging the students)
5 min) Show cartoons. Ask for students opinions on the meaning of the cartoon. What
is it saying about mental illness?
What is Stigma?
How are these cartoons related to stigma?

(5 min) Talk about stigma using stigma sheet

Main Procedures/Strategies:
(10 min) Have poster board with MENTAL ILLNESS written in center
Hand out post it notes and have students brainstorm first thing that comes to mind
when they hear mental illness.

(5 min)Have students now group the post it notes into categories. What categories can
they come up with?
(myth: widely held but false idea, misconceptions, misunderstandings,
hurtful/disrespectful language, factual information, types of mental illness)

(5 min) Watch Video.

As you are watching the video write down at least two things that you did not know or
did not understand about mental illness
(removed video as it was too big to send)

(15 min)
Use Questions to Guide Discussion Sheet to guide discussion with students about
mental illness as well as the things that they wrote down while watching the video.
Has their perspective changed? How? What can they do to help?

***(Additional Work if Students are unprepared to engage in discussion or we move

through things very quickly)
(15 min) CASE STUDY
Students will read the case study of Frank Jones and answer the questions in partners or
in the groups at their tables.

Closing of lesson:
(5 min) Write down two things that you learned about mental illness today and one thing
you can do to help educate others about mental illness.

Personal Reflection:

Personal Reflection:
-I used this lesson with a group of students in a variety of ages (13-18) who are in
treatement for addiction.
There was a lot of engagement in the group discussion.
-in the future I would chose to deviate from my lesson if a pertinent issue was raised
(Some people fake mental illness). I did at the end of the lesson with the help from my
partner teacher.
I want to make sure my closing is better prepared. Instead of writing down, I would have
the students mention one thing that they learned.
-the video I showed was only on a computer (no tech in classroom) so it was too small to
be effective I think. I would have liked to have written down the statistics from the video
so we could discuss them as a class after. I will do that next time I teach this.
-as typical, I feel that my nervousness takes over the flow of my lesson and being able to
think on my feet. I hope that more practice begins to change that.
I did not like the case study portion. I think I would ensure that there was a more
relevant case study that my students could relate to in order to engage them in
converstation.
Questions to Guide Discussion on Mental Illness
Can anyone tell me what stigma is? possible answers include: labels like crazy, psycho;
stereotyping or discrimination.

What are some of the negative things you have heard about people with mental
illness? (Responses may include things like a link to violence, etc.) possible answers
include: labels like crazy, psycho; stereotyping or discrimination.

What are some of the positive things you have heard about mental illness?
(Responses may include things like a link to creativity.) While this may be seen as
positive, remind students that generalizing can also be a form of stereotyping. Some
people say those with mental illness are creative and artistic. While this may seem
positive, you may want to remind students it is also a form of stereotyping.

Why do you think people with mental illness are stigmatized? (Possible answers include
They are seen as being different and People dont really know the facts about mental
illness.)

Can you think of any other health conditions or social issues that have been stigmatized
throughout history? (Possible answers include same-sex relationships, leprosy, AIDS,
unwed motherhood, divorce.)

What factors have contributed to changing public attitudes about some of these
conditions or issues? (Possible answers include education, public policy, open dialogue,
scientific research, changing social mores.)

What do you think influences perceptions about mental illness? (Possible answers
include the media, films, news, newspaper headlines and stories that associate people
with mental illness with violence, the fact that people with mental illness sometimes
behave differently and people are afraid of what they dont understand.)

How do you think stigma affects the lives of people with mental illness? (Possible
answers include people deciding not to get help and treatment even though they would
benefit from it, unhappiness, inability to get a job or find housing, losing their friends,
stress on the whole family.)

Why would people fake having a mental illness?

Do people ever get over having a mental illness? If not, what does this mean for
their future? How do they manage mental illness throughout life?

What are some types of mental illness? (depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia,
oppositional defiant disorder, autism, alcoholism, eating disorder, obsessive-
compulsive disorder, drug dependence, dyslexia, epilepsy, PTSD, panic disorder,
psychosis, mood disorder, intellectual disorder, ) ARe some more stigmatized than
others? Why?
 How do these differ from a physical illness? Are there similarities? Do mental
illnesses have a physical component?
STIGMA SHEET
Defining Stigma
The following are definitions of stigma taken from different sources and different
historical periods.
A mark or sign of disgrace or discredit; a visible sign or characteristic of
disease.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1990
An attribute which is deeply discrediting.
Erving Goffman, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, 1963
A distinguishing mark or characteristic of a bad or objectionable kind; a
sign of some specific disorder, as hysteria; a mark made upon the skin by
burning with a hot iron, as a token of infamy or subjection; a brand; a
mark of disgrace or infamy; a sign of severe censure or condemnation,
regarded as impressed on a person or thing.
The Shorter Oxford Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 1993
The Stigma of Mental Illness
Stigma refers to a cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that
motivate the general public to fear, reject, avoid and discriminate against
people with mental illnesses. Stigma is not just a matter of using the
wrong word or action. Stigma is about disrespect. It is the use of
negative labels to identify a person living with mental illness. Stigma is a
barrier. Fear of stigma and the resulting discrimination discourages
individuals and their families from getting the help they need.

Stigma is not just a matter of using

the wrong word or action. Stigma is
about disrespect.
Terms Related to Stigma
Stereotype: A person or thing that conforms to an unjustly fixed impression or
attitude.
Stereotypes are attitudes about a group of people (e.g., All people with mental
illness are dangerous.).
Prejudice: a preconceived opinion Prejudice is agreeing with the stereotypes
(e.g., I think people with mental illness are dangerous.).
Discrimination: unfavourable treatment based on prejudice
Discrimination is the behaviour that results: I dont want people with mental
illness around me; therefore, I discriminate against them by not hiring them, not
being friends with them, etc.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1996
Case study
PURPOSE:
To illustrate different ways we treat people with mental versus physical
illnesses and the impacts our attitudes and assumptions have on other
peoples lives.
MATERIALS: Handout: Case Study and discussion guide on the following
pages
TIME: 1015minutes.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Hand out the Case Study to the students and give them five to ten
minutes
to read it. Students will take turns reading or (if they are not
cooperative today or there are some dynamics that are hindering
group work) I will read to the class.

When students have read the hand out they will use these questions to
explore different assumptions made by community members,
employers, medical personnel and family members toward Franks
versus Alices illness.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

1) If both suffer from chronic biological illnesses, why did Frank lose his
job, his apartment and his friends while Alices situation remained
relatively unchanged?

2) What kinds of assumptions underlie the actions of health

professionals, family and friends in each situation?

3) Are friends, work, independence, recreation and family support

equally important for people with mental illness and people with other
chronic illnesses?
Below are some alternate handouts and ideas to use depending on the class and group level due to
the fact that I am working with 12-18 year old students.
Keep track of your feelings throughout the day. Make six recordings each day for one week
and describe how you are feeling and what event or thinking happened before you started
to feel this way

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesda Thursday Friday Saturday

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