LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Identify a range of health benefits associated with feeling happy; understand how to boost happiness.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 1: Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.

CASEL: Self-awareness, self-management

KEY VOCAB

contentment

capacity

Lesson Plan: Your Body on Happiness

If you’re happy and you know it, you’ll feel great all over!

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Your Body on Happiness,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

How can doing things that make you happy affect your mind, body, and mood?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Your Body on Happiness”; 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?

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:

Have students use their creativity to SPREAD THE JOY by making a collage that visually represents what makes them feel happy. To do this, they can use newspaper and magazine clippings, colorful paper, hand-drawn images, or even images found on the internet. The collage could be related to one main feel-good activity they do often or various activities and even people that bring a smile to their face. Have students share their collages in small groups to spread the joy!

Print the Lesson Plan

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