LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify a range of health risks associated with excessive phone use; distinguish facts about phone use from myths; describe a variety of ways to avoid health risks associated with excessive phone use.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

 

CASEL: Self-management 

KEY VOCAB

addictive

sedentary

migraines

Lesson Plan: Your Body on…Your Phone

What’s all that scrolling and swiping doing to your body and mind?

Table of Contents:

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

3. Building Comprehension and Vocabulary

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

1. Preparing to Read

Before you read the article “Your Body On... Your Phone,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

How does excessive phone use affect your mind, body, and mood?

2. Reading and Discussing

  • Have your students read the article “Your Body On... Your Phone” independently; read the article out loud to them; or have students  partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed?
  • Next, have your students answer the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking questions, either working in small groups or independently.


Close-Reading Questions
The following questions can be shared in printable or interactive form from the Resources tab. 

  1. Why might your eyes tend to get itchy and sore while you’re looking at your phone?
  2. What is “text neck,” and what can you do to prevent it?


Critical-Thinking Questions

  1. How do you feel when you look at your phone frequently throughout the day? Have you ever experienced any of the symptoms mentioned in the article? Explain. 

  2. What are some healthy ways to relax before bed that don’t involve phone use? 

3. Building Comprehension and Vocab

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Quiz

  • Vocab Builder

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In TAKE A BREAK, have students select some strategies from the article to put into practice for one week to help them feel less attached to their phones. Then, have them reflect on which of the strategies worked best for them. 

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