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Lesson Plan

Building Your Bounce Back Muscles

Students will be able to identify personal strengths and coping strategies to navigate challenges and build resilience.

Life throws curveballs, and learning to bounce back is a superpower! This lesson equips students with essential skills to face difficulties, grow from them, and thrive.

Audience

Middle School Students

Time

50 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, individual reflection, and practical activity.

Materials

Building Your Bounce Back Muscles Slide Deck, Resilience Reflection Journal, My Resilience Shield Activity, Pens/Pencils, Blank paper or cardstock for shields, and Art supplies (markers, colored pencils, crayons)

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Does 'Bounce Back' Mean?

5 minutes

Step 2

Exploring Resilience

15 minutes

  • Use Building Your Bounce Back Muscles Slide Deck (Slides 3-5) to guide a discussion on what resilience looks like and feels like.
    - Facilitate open sharing of examples (anonymous if preferred) of small challenges students have faced and how they dealt with them.

Step 3

Resilience Reflection Journal

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Resilience Reflection Journal.
    - Instruct students to spend time reflecting and writing about their personal strengths and existing coping mechanisms.
    - Encourage them to think about times they have 'bounced back' from something difficult.

Step 4

My Resilience Shield Activity

15 minutes

  • Introduce the My Resilience Shield Activity.
    - Explain that students will design a shield representing their personal strengths and strategies for overcoming challenges.
    - Provide art supplies and allow students to get creative.
    - Circulate and offer support and encouragement.

Step 5

Share and Cool-Down

5 minutes

  • Invite a few volunteers to briefly share their resilience shields or one insight from their journal.
    - Conclude by reinforcing the idea that everyone has resilience and it can be strengthened over time.
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Slide Deck

Building Your Bounce Back Muscles!

What does it mean to "bounce back" from something hard?

Welcome students and introduce the topic. Ask them to think about what 'bouncing back' might mean.

What is Resilience?

It's like having a superpower that helps you:

  • Get back up after a fall
  • Learn from challenges
  • Stay strong when things get tough

It's your 'bounce back' ability!

Explain that 'resilience' is our ability to recover from difficulties. It's like a muscle we can strengthen. Give a simple, relatable example.

Bouncing Back in Real Life

Think about:

  • A bad grade on a test
  • Losing a game
  • Having a disagreement with a friend
  • Forgetting something important

How did you, or someone you know, bounce back from it?

Ask students to share examples (without naming names) of times they've seen someone 'bounce back' from a small challenge, or a time they did. Focus on everyday examples.

Resilience Isn't About Being Perfect

It's okay to feel sad, frustrated, or angry when things go wrong.

Resilience means:

  • Acknowledging your feelings
  • Finding healthy ways to cope
  • Trying again or finding a new path

Discuss how resilience isn't about not feeling sad or upset, but about how we handle those feelings and keep going.

You Already Have Resilience Muscles!

Everyone has unique strengths and strategies that help them bounce back.

Today, we're going to:

  1. Think about our own 'bounce back' tools.
  2. Create a personal "Resilience Shield"!

Introduce the idea of 'resilience muscles' – things they already do or can learn to do. Transition to the journal activity where they'll identify their own strengths.

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Journal

Resilience Reflection Journal

Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________________________

Prompt 1: My Strengths

What are three things you are really good at, or three positive qualities you have? How do these strengths help you when you face a challenge?











Prompt 2: Bouncing Back Moment

Think about a time in your life when something didn't go as planned, or you faced a difficult situation. How did you react? What did you do to get through it? What did you learn from that experience?











Prompt 3: What Helps Me?

When you're feeling down or frustrated, what are some things that help you feel better or get back on track? (Examples: talking to a friend, listening to music, playing outside, drawing, reading, taking a break, asking for help). List at least three.





Prompt 4: One Small Step

What is one small thing you can do this week to practice your "bounce back muscles" when a challenge comes your way?




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Activity

My Resilience Shield Activity

Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________________________

Instructions:

Imagine you have a personal shield that protects you and helps you stay strong when things get tough. This isn't a physical shield, but a representation of your inner strengths and the strategies you use to "bounce back" from challenges.

Your task is to design your own Resilience Shield. On your blank paper or cardstock, draw a large shield shape. Then, divide your shield into different sections.

What to include on your shield:

  1. Your Strengths: In one section, draw or write about your personal strengths. What are you good at? What positive qualities do you have? (e.g., being a good listener, creative, persistent, kind, smart).

  2. Coping Strategies: In another section, illustrate or list the things you do to feel better when you're sad, frustrated, or angry. These are your "go-to" strategies (e.g., talking to a friend, listening to music, playing outside, drawing, deep breathing, asking for help).

  3. Positive Affirmation/Motto: In a prominent spot on your shield, write a short phrase or motto that reminds you to stay strong and keep trying when things are difficult (e.g., "I am strong," "I can do this," "Every challenge makes me stronger").

Use colors, symbols, and words to make your shield unique and meaningful to you!

Remember: Your Resilience Shield is a reminder that you have the power within you to face challenges and keep growing! It's a visual representation of your amazing "bounce back muscles".

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