LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify ways in which fears and phobias can impact your mental health; distinguish between a fear and a phobia; describe a variety of common fears and phobias and explain how to face them.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 7: Demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.

CASEL: Self-management, self-awareness

KEY VOCAB

rational

justified

strategy

Lesson Plan: What Are You So Scared Of?

Everyone gets the willies sometimes, but fear doesn’t have to take over your life.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “What Are You So Scared Of?” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

How do fears and phobias impact your mental health, and how can you deal with them?

READING AND DISCUSSING

  • Have your students read the article “What Are You So Scared Of?” 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 questions. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION AND VOCAB

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

  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Vocab Builder

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following writing prompt:

In NAME YOUR FEARS, students will write a two- to three-page script of a podcast episode using what they learned reading the article. After introducing themselves and their show to the audience, have them explain the difference between fears and phobias, and describe some of the common ones they learned about. From there, they should share their own story of a time they felt scared, and tell how they dealt with that feeling in a healthy way (or what they would do next time to deal with it more effectively). Encourage them to get creative too, perhaps by including a “listener email” segment where they read listeners’ questions about fears or phobias and respond to them using the information they learned from the article. Give interested students the option to record their episode for extra engagement!

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