Lesson Plan

Subject/Course: Counseling
Topic: Stress Management
Lesson Title: Stress Management and Increasing Resilience
Level: 4th-5th grade
Lesson Duration: 25-3o minutes

Lesson Objectives:
Students will learn strategies and tools that will help them to better manage their stress levels
and increase their level of resilience. Students will distinguish between healthy coping
strategies and unhealthy coping strategies.

Summary of Tasks/Actions:
1. Ask: What do you think resilience means? The ability to recover from difficulty.
Healthy/Unhealthy coping strategies? The things you do to deal with those difficulties.
(2-3 minutes)
2. Watch: Resilience video- (3 minutes) Before starting video, tell students to listen for
statements that stand out to them.
3. Video discussion: What stood out to you? How do these students show resilience?
How can you impact others with your actions? What are some things that cause you
stress and how do you deal with them? (5 minutes)
4. Activity: Groups of 4-5, table group: Come up with scenario and negative coping
strategy and positive strategy. Share ideas. –(5 minutes) play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4BXikJi7c8 while they work.
5. Group discussion- Ideas for strategies to manage stress levels-10 minutes.
6. Recap: Praise for effort and encourage use of positive coping strategies when facing
difficult situations.

Materials/Equipment:
connectwithkids.com/our-work/stories-that- inspire/ (Included on google slides)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4BXikJi7c8 (Included on google slides)

Scenario worksheet (attached pg. 2) print 7 copies
Pencil or marker
Promethean board

References:
https://connectwithkids.com/files/2016/08/Resilience.pdf

Take Home Tasks:

Use the strategies in order to decrease stress and the negative affects it can have on emotions,
mood, and productivity.
Scenario:

Healthy Coping Strategies: Unhealthy Coping Strategies:

Discussion Examples (for lesson facilitator)
Scenario: Bad grade, fight with friend, trouble at home, illness, death in the family

Healthy Coping Strategies: Unhealthy Coping Strategies:

Ask for help Isolating yourself

Hobbies Having an attitude
Journaling Showing anger
Talking to someone you trust Hopelessness
Focus on what you can Not talking with friends
control Yelling
Prepare Not participating in favorite
Take deep breaths Activities
Laugh Increased screen time
Art
Blow bubbles