Managing Stress

Objective

By the end of the lesson, Year 11 students will have learned effective time management strategies and revisited tools for emotional regulation to manage stress and improve attendance.

Curriculum Area and Level

Health and Physical Education - Level 6
Key Competencies: Managing Self, Relating to Others

Lesson Duration

50 minutes

Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Printed handouts
• A timer
• Stress balls or fidget toys for demonstration
• A short video on time management

Lesson Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Greeting and Attendance (2 minutes)

   • Quickly take attendance while greeting students and making them feel welcome.

2. Icebreaker: Stress Meter (8 minutes)

   • Ask students to rate their current stress level on a scale of 1-10 using a quick poll. This will give an initial understanding of their stress baseline.

Time Management Strategies (15 minutes)

1. Discussion (5 minutes)

   • Initiate a discussion by asking students what they think are common causes of stress, especially related to school and attendance.
   • Write their responses on the whiteboard.

2. Interactive Activity: Daily Schedule (10 minutes)

   • Hand out templates of a daily schedule.
   • Guide students to fill in their typical school day, highlighting areas where they can manage time better.
   • Share real-life examples of effective time management.

Emotional Regulation Tools (15 minutes)

1. Stress Ball Activity (5 minutes)

   • Provide stress balls to students.
   • Demonstrate simple stress-relief exercises using the stress balls.

2. Breathing Techniques (5 minutes)

   • Teach a basic breathing technique to help manage stress: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds.
   • Encourage students to practice this technique during stressful situations.

3. Short Video (5 minutes)

   • Play a short video (~3 minutes) on time management and stress management techniques.
   • Hold a brief discussion about what they learned from the video.

Review and Recap (5 minutes)

1. Review of Key Points (3 minutes)

   • Summarise key takeaways: effective time management strategies and emotional regulation tools.
   • Reinforce the importance of managing stress for better attendance.

2. Q&A (2 minutes)

   • Allow time for students to ask questions or share additional tips they find useful.

Closing Activity (5 minutes)

1. Exit Ticket: Strategy Cards
   • Hand out index cards and ask students to write down one strategy they plan to use to manage their time or stress more effectively.
   • Collect the cards as they leave.

Assessment

• Participation during discussions and activities.
• Completion and thoughtfulness of the daily schedule and exit ticket.

Follow-Up

• Plan a follow-up session in a week to revisit the use of time management and stress management strategies.
• Collect feedback from students on which strategies were most helpful and adjust future lessons accordingly.

By engaging students with interactive activities and providing practical tools, this lesson aims to empower Year 11 students with strategies to manage stress and improve their attendance effectively, aligning with New Zealand education standards.