LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about and describe the benefits of strong emotions; describe ways to transform negative emotions into positive experiences

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 7: Analyze individual responsibility in maintaining health

CASEL COMPETENCY: Self-awareness; self-management

KEY VOCAB

empathetic, instinctual, diversion, monotony

Lesson Plan: The Upside of Feeling Down

Feeling down isn’t fun. But what if those bad feelings aren’t all bad? Read this article to hear from teens and adult experts about how to make those emotions work for you.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can I use unpleasant emotions to my advantage?

 CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS

  1. According to the article, is boredom necessarily a result of having nothing to do? Explain your answer. No. You may feel bored because your brain is used to constant stimulation, which can lead to feeling antsy or bored when you don’t have a source of diversion.
  2. How can your body’s reaction to stress or anxiety actually be helpful? Stress activates the fight-or-flight survival instinct. When you feel stressed, your body produces cortisol, which helps you focus and react quickly.
  3. List at least two reasons you should contact a trusted adult about feeling down. Possible answers: The bad feeling lasts a week or more; your sleep or appetite is affected; you’ve lost interest in things that usually bring you pleasure.

 CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS

  1. Do you have any proven strategies of your own for dealing with loneliness, stress, boredom, or anger? Share at least one. Answers will vary.
  2. Homework often creates a lot of stress, because you may not always be able to predict how much homework your teachers will give you. Write down at least two aspects you can control when it comes to weekly assignments. Answers will vary.
  3. Ask a trusted adult like a parent or teacher to share how they handle emotions like the ones from the article. List at least one strategy you learned from this person. Answers will vary.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

MAKING CONNECTIONS

NHES 7

CASEL Competency: Self-awareness

In the article, students read about a variety of emotions and coping strategies. Have them select one emotion mentioned in the article to track over the week, then complete a GUIDED JOURNAL ENTRY by answering some reflection questions and sharing their experience with another classmate or a small group. (Click here to see all your Skill Builders.)

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

NHES 2

CASEL Competency: Self-management

Individually or in small groups, have students plan and record a short 5-10 minute episode of A PODCAST FOR HAPPINESS to share ideas for dealing with common emotions. If they want, they can get creative by interviewing a guest or even adding sound clips. Once finished, students can listen to and reflect on at least one of their classmates’ episodes. (Click here to see all your Skill Builders.)

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