LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about a teen who wrote a comic book to raise awareness about depression; understand depression; explain how to deal with depression.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 8: Advocate for personal, family, and community health.

CASEL: Social awareness, self-management, relationship skills

KEY VOCAB

therapy

cliché

Lesson Plan: Mental Health Superhero

Naomi Sacks wrote a graphic novel to raise awareness about depression.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Mental Health Superhero,” ask your students the following pre-reading questions:

What is depression, and how can you feel better if you are experiencing depression?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Mental Health Superhero” 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

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

  • Comprehension Quiz and Vocabulary Review

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In TEENS HELPING TEENS, have your class work in groups to prepare and present posters to raise awareness of issues related to teen depression. First, they should work together to choose a title that reflects their poster’s unique focus, such as “When Should You Seek Help for Depression?” or “How Schools Can Help Teens with Depression.” Remind them that they should also use trustworthy sources and a range of materials to make their posters as informative and eye-catching as possible. Encourage any artistically inclined students to include comic strip elements in their poster to create extra engagement with the class. Consider having the class interact with one another’s finished work through presentations or a gallery walk.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech