Overview

This 90-minute lesson is the first in an 8-lesson unit titled "Wellbeing: Mind and Body" designed for Year 10 students (age 14-15). It focuses on understanding emotional wellbeing by defining it, discussing its importance, and identifying factors that influence mental health. This is grounded in the National Curriculum for England’s Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education framework, specifically addressing mental health and wellbeing.

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National Curriculum Links

PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) statutory guidance (2020)

• Mental health and emotional wellbeing as part of the Health and Wellbeing strand
• Pupils should learn:
  • "how to recognise and talk about their emotions, including having a varied vocabulary of words to use when talking about their own and others’ feelings"
  • "how to recognise the triggers that cause feelings of anxiety and fear and how to manage them"
  • "how to recognise and respond to bullying, including cyberbullying"
  • "how to recognise mental health concerns in themselves and others, and where to seek help and advice"
  • The importance of strategies for developing emotional resilience and wellbeing

Key Stage 4 (age 14-16) PSHE objectives:

• Develop understanding of mental health challenges and factors influencing positive mental wellbeing
• Express understanding of how emotional wellbeing impacts decision-making and relationships

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define emotional wellbeing clearly and explain why it is important in everyday life.
2. Identify and discuss internal and external factors that affect emotional wellbeing.
3. Reflect on their own emotional wellbeing and recognise some personal triggers and coping mechanisms.
4. Collaborate in group discussions, express their ideas, and listen actively to others' perspectives.

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Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector and laptop for slides
• Sticky notes and pens
• Emotional wellbeing scenario cards (realistic situations impacting mental health)
• Student handout summarising key points about emotional wellbeing
• Emotion vocabulary list (calm, anxious, stressed, etc.)
• Self-reflection worksheet
• Timer/stopwatch

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 mins)

• Warm-up activity: Emotion word bank
  • On the board, write 5 emotions (happy, sad, angry, anxious, calm).
  • Ask students to shout out more words describing feelings; add these to the board.
  • Brief discussion: Why do we need many words to describe feelings?
• Teacher defines emotional wellbeing: "How you understand and manage your feelings and stress, maintain relationships, and deal with everyday life."

2. Class Brainstorm – Importance of Emotional Wellbeing (10 mins)

• In pairs, students discuss why emotional wellbeing is important to their lives.
• Prompt questions: How does feeling emotionally well or unwell affect school, family, friendships?
• Pairs share ideas; teacher records key points on flip chart/whiteboard.

3. Mini Presentation and Group Q&A (15 mins)

• Teacher presents 5 key factors affecting emotional wellbeing:
  • Sleep and physical health
  • Relationships (family, friends)
  • Academic pressures and stress
  • Social media and external environment
  • Coping strategies and support systems
• After each factor, pause for student questions and add examples from their lives.

4. Scenario Role-Play Activity (25 mins)

• Divide students into 5 groups of 3.
• Each group receives a scenario card describing a person facing an emotional wellbeing challenge (e.g., exam stress, bullying, feeling isolated).
• Groups discuss: What factors are affecting the person’s wellbeing? How might they respond or seek help?
• Groups role-play a short dialogue demonstrating positive coping or problem-solving.
• Each group performs role-play to the class; teacher and students give positive feedback.

5. Self-Reflection and Personal Action Plan (15 mins)

• Students complete a worksheet answering:
  • What factors impact my emotional wellbeing?
  • What feelings do I experience in stressful situations?
  • What healthy coping strategies do I use or want to try?
• Volunteers can share reflections briefly with the class (optional).

6. Plenary and Assessment (15 mins)

• Recap key ideas using quick-fire quiz (oral or quiz app) on definitions and factors.
• Students write 2-3 sentences answering: Why is emotional wellbeing important for me?
• Collect and review these as informal assessment of understanding.

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Assessment

• Formative: Observation of group discussions, quality of contributions during brainstorming, and role-play engagement.
• Written: Self-reflection worksheet and end-of-lesson written response.
• Oral: Participation in Q&A and plenary quiz.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide emotion vocabulary lists to support students with language needs.
• Use mixed-ability groups for role-plays to support peer learning.
• Allow students preferring not to perform role-plays to support peers as note-takers or commentators.
• Mindful of mental health sensitivities: reassure students participation is voluntary, provide information about support services.

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Extension Activities and Homework Suggestions

• Keep an emotional wellbeing journal for one week—note daily feelings, triggers, and coping methods.
• Research and present on one aspect of emotional wellbeing for subsequent lessons.
• Prepare two questions about emotional wellbeing they want to discuss in next lesson.

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Teacher Reflection

• How engaged were students in discussing and sharing feelings?
• Did students grasp the link between emotional wellbeing and everyday experiences?
• What challenges arose during group work or role-play?
• How can activities be adapted to better support students’ emotional expression?

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Additional Request: Employee Rights Questions

I will also provide 30 multiple choice questions and 10 written questions for the "King’s Trust" programme on "rights of an employee and resolving disputes at work." These materials will be in a separate document/file that you can share with students, ensuring these meet PSHE and Citizenship curriculum guidelines relating to employment rights and responsibilities as per National Curriculum for England.

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If you would like, I can produce that full question set next — please confirm!