This unit study contains a list of resources and activities for you to use in your studies. Choose those that will best suit your students, time, and learning environment. My hope is that you will enjoy the process of learning and not feel constricted by the timeline or activities. I do recommend that you read at least one book aloud together from each unit as it is something you can experience and enjoy together. Make changes as they suit your needs and enjoy your time learning together!
Contents:
Books
Games
Videos
Writing
Activities
Mental Health & Wellbeing Unit for Grades 6-12
Books
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis.
Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens By Paula Nagel
This easy-to-understand, engaging guide arms teens with healthy thinking habits and coping strategies for staying on top of their mental health. Using tried and tested therapeutic techniques, readers are given the tools to build their own personalized mental health 'workout' to boost their emotional resilience and wellbeing.
Informed by the experiences of teens themselves, this friendly guide gives practical tips and strategies on how to overcome everyday stresses and ditch negative thinking 'frenemies' before they develop into more serious issues. Teens will be better equipped to recognize negative thoughts and emotions, monitor their mood and behavior, and flex their positive thinking muscles in order to combat the mental health blips we all face sometimes.
Games
Anxiety
Anxiety is a beast. Try to survive and thrive while enduring breathing difficulties, sleeplessness, and intense worry and dread. Try to get through the entire deck without your Panic Level reaching 20 to win the game!
This is a solitaire card game that takes 15-30 minutes to play. 2-5 player cooperative rules are available.
Or try:
Depression
Learn more about using games for learning here.
Videos
The Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center is partnering with Forefront Suicide Prevention Center & DBT in Schools to bring you a 16-lesson online curriculum for DBT STEPS-A and 2 Q&A sessions with the trainers.
This series is part of The Well-Being Series - Connections During COVID-19: Mental Wellness Webinars for Families and Educators. Click here to learn more about our series of webinars for kids, parents, and educators, focusing on mental wellness and suicide prevention.
You can find the series here: https://mhttcnetwork.org/centers/northwest-mhttc/student-life-skills-survive-thrive-during-covid-19-beyond
There are a total of 21 videos if you watch them all.
Writing
Write a book review for Turtles All the Way Down.
Write in your Mental heath workbook (above) and really think through each lesson.
Activities
Play a game about mental health
Discuss the game play and how it emulates real life mental health issues and area in which the games misses the mark.
Establish a healthy self care routine. The Kiddo and the Tot have a nightly puzzle time with classical music to unwind and recenter. I like to build an animal habitat each night in Planet zoo, read a book, or enjoy an nice quiet cup of tea. Find something that helps you care for yourself and make it a daily thing.
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