LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about two teens who struggle with anxiety; define anxiety and recognize some common symptoms of it; identify ways to manage anxiety.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 7: Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being of self and others.

 

CASEL: Self-management; self-awareness

KEY VOCAB

impulsively

perfectionists

proactive

Lesson Plan: We Have Anxiety

It’s normal to worry about things from time to time. Here’s how two teens deal when their fears get out of control.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “We Have Anxiety,” ask your students the following pre-reading questions:

What is anxiety, and how can it affect your health? 

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “We Have Anxiety”; 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 with vocabulary questions

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In WRITE TO REAL TEENS! students will write a half-page to one-page letter to either Tabor or Alexis. Have them start by explaining that they enjoyed reading about Tabor or Alexis’s experience in “We Have Anxiety” in this month’s Scholastic Choices magazine. If they want to, they can also tell Tabor or Alexis what they thought the most interesting or inspiring part of their story was, and why. From there, they should share the most important things they learned from reading the article, and thank Tabor or Alexis for sharing their story. Note: Forward your class’s responses to [email protected], and the Choices editorial team will make sure that Tabor and Alexis receive them!

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech