Lesson Plan
Mind Matters: Keep Calm! Lesson Plan
Students will be able to define mental health and emotional health, identify the difference between mental and emotional health, and apply at least two practical strategies for maintaining mental and emotional well-being.
Understanding and practicing mental and emotional health is crucial for navigating daily challenges, building positive relationships, and developing resilience. This lesson provides foundational skills for lifelong well-being.
Audience
6th Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, direct instruction, and practical application.
Materials
Prep
Review Materials
10 minutes
- Review the Mind Matters: Keep Calm! Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm!, Teacher Script: Mind Matters: Keep Calm!, Warm-Up: How Are You Really Feeling?, and Cool-Down: My Well-being Tool Kit.
- Ensure projector or whiteboard is ready for slides.
Step 1
Warm-Up: How Are You Really Feeling?
5 minutes
- Distribute the Warm-Up: How Are You Really Feeling? worksheet.
- Instruct students to silently reflect and write down one emotion they are currently feeling and why.
- Collect responses or have a few volunteers share briefly (teacher's discretion based on class comfort).
Step 2
Introduction to Mental & Emotional Health
10 minutes
- Present Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! (Slides 1-3).
- Use the Teacher Script: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! to guide the discussion on defining mental health and emotional health, and their importance.
- Facilitate a brief class discussion using questions like: "What does 'mental health' mean to you?" and "How do our emotions affect our day?"
Step 3
Strategies for Well-Being
10 minutes
- Continue with Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! (Slides 4-6).
- Introduce and explain practical strategies for managing feelings (e.g., deep breathing, talking to a trusted adult, physical activity).
- Have students briefly practice one strategy (e.g., a 30-second deep breathing exercise).
- Encourage students to share other healthy coping mechanisms they already use.
Step 4
Cool-Down: My Well-being Tool Kit
5 minutes
- Distribute the Cool-Down: My Well-being Tool Kit worksheet.
- Instruct students to list at least two strategies they learned or reinforced today that they can use to support their mental and emotional health.
- Collect cool-down responses as an exit ticket.
Slide Deck
Mind Matters: Keep Calm!
Understanding Your Mental and Emotional Health!
Welcome students and introduce the topic with an engaging tone. Explain that today we'll be talking about something really important for how we feel and act every day.
What is Mental Health?
- How you think
- How you feel
- How you act
- How you handle stress
- How you relate to others
Explain that mental health isn't just about not being sick. It's about how we think, feel, and act every day. Emphasize that everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health.
What is Emotional Health?
- Understanding your emotions
- Expressing your feelings in healthy ways
- Coping with challenges and changes
- It's okay to feel ALL emotions – happiness, sadness, anger, fear!
Discuss how emotional health is about understanding and managing our feelings. Connect it to mental health by explaining that our thoughts (mental) often influence our feelings (emotional). Give examples of different emotions.
Why Does It Matter?
- Helps you do your best in school
- Builds stronger friendships
- Makes daily challenges easier to handle
- Allows you to feel good about yourself!
Ask students why they think mental and emotional health is important. Relate it to school, friendships, and home life. Stress that learning these skills now will help them throughout their lives.
Keep Calm! Strategies
- Deep Breathing: Take slow, deep breaths to calm your body and mind.
- Talk It Out: Share your feelings with a trusted adult (parent, teacher, counselor).
- Get Moving: Physical activity can release stress and boost your mood.
- Creative Expression: Draw, write, or listen to music to process emotions.
Introduce different strategies. Model a simple deep breathing exercise (e.g., 4-7-8 breathing). Encourage students to brainstorm other healthy ways they cope when they're feeling strong emotions.
Your Well-being Tool Kit!
You have the power to take care of your mental and emotional health!
What tools will you add to your kit today?
Conclude by empowering students to use these tools. Reiterate that it's a journey and they have support. Transition to the cool-down activity.
Warm Up
Warm-Up: How Are You Really Feeling?
Instructions: Take a moment to check in with yourself. In the space below, write down one emotion you are currently feeling and briefly explain why you are feeling that way.
My Emotion:
Why I'm Feeling This Way:
Cool Down
Cool-Down: My Well-being Tool Kit
Instructions: Think about the strategies we discussed today for mental and emotional health. In the space below, list at least two strategies that you think would be most helpful for you, and briefly explain why you chose them.
Strategy 1:
Why I chose it:
Strategy 2:
Why I chose it:
Script
Teacher Script: Mind Matters: Keep Calm!
## Warm-Up (5 minutes)
Teacher: "Good morning, class! To start our day, I have a quick warm-up activity for you. Please take out the Warm-Up: How Are You Really Feeling? worksheet I just handed out. Your task is to silently reflect and write down one emotion you are currently feeling, and briefly explain why you are feeling that way. There are no right or wrong answers, just an honest check-in with yourself."
(Give students about 3-4 minutes to complete the warm-up.)
Teacher: "Thank you for completing that. This exercise helps us connect with our emotions. We won't share all responses, but would anyone like to briefly share one feeling they wrote down?"
(Allow 1-2 students to share if comfortable. Transition smoothly.)
## Introduction to Mental & Emotional Health (10 minutes)
Teacher: "Today, we're going to talk about something incredibly important that affects all of us every single day: our mental and emotional health. This is a topic that sometimes people feel a little uncomfortable discussing, but it's just as important as our physical health!"
(Advance to Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! - Slide 1: "Mind Matters: Keep Calm!")
Teacher: "Our lesson today is called 'Mind Matters: Keep Calm!' because our minds truly do matter, and learning to keep calm is a powerful skill. So, let's dive into what mental health actually means."
(Advance to Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! - Slide 2: "What is Mental Health?")
Teacher: "When we talk about mental health, we're talking about how you think, how you feel, and how you act. It's about how you handle stress, make choices, and relate to other people. Just like we all have physical health, we all have mental health! It's not about being 'sick' or 'well'; it's about the state of your overall well-being. Can anyone give me an example of what it might look like to have good mental health?"
(Allow 1-2 student responses. Guide them to ideas like being able to focus, managing worries, feeling motivated.)
(Advance to Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! - Slide 3: "What is Emotional Health?")
Teacher: "Closely related to mental health is emotional health. This is all about understanding your emotions – like happiness, sadness, anger, and fear – and expressing them in healthy ways. It's also about how you cope with challenges and changes in your life. It's totally okay to feel ALL emotions; they are all a part of being human. The important thing is what we do with those emotions."
Teacher: "How do you think our emotions affect our day? Imagine you wake up feeling really frustrated. How might that impact your morning?"
(Facilitate a brief discussion, connecting thoughts, feelings, and actions.)
## Why Does It Matter? (5 minutes)
(Advance to Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! - Slide 4: "Why Does It Matter?")
Teacher: "So, why is understanding and taking care of our mental and emotional health so important? As the slide shows, it helps you do your best in school, builds stronger friendships, makes daily challenges easier to handle, and allows you to feel good about yourself! These skills are not just for adults; they're for you, right now, as you navigate 6th grade and beyond."
Teacher: "Can anyone think of a time when taking a moment to calm down or understand your feelings helped you in a situation?"
(Allow 1-2 student volunteers to share.)
## Strategies for Well-Being (10 minutes)
(Advance to Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! - Slide 5: "Keep Calm! Strategies")
Teacher: "Great! Now that we know what mental and emotional health are and why they're important, let's talk about some practical strategies – what I like to call 'tools' – that we can use to 'Keep Calm!' and support our well-being."
Teacher: "One simple yet powerful tool is Deep Breathing. When you feel stressed, angry, or anxious, taking slow, deep breaths can actually calm your body and mind. Let's try it for 30 seconds. Everyone, sit up straight, place one hand on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold for a count of seven, and then slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. Let's do three rounds."
(Lead a quick 30-second deep breathing exercise.)
Teacher: "How did that feel? Even a short exercise like that can make a big difference. Another key strategy is to Talk It Out. This means sharing your feelings with a trusted adult – a parent, a teacher, a counselor, or another trusted family member. You don't have to carry your feelings alone."
Teacher: "Get Moving is another fantastic strategy. Physical activity, like playing outside, dancing, or even just stretching, can release stress and boost your mood. And finally, Creative Expression through drawing, writing, or listening to music can be a great way to process your emotions without having to say a single word."
Teacher: "Are there any other healthy coping mechanisms or strategies that you already use when you're feeling strong emotions?"
(Allow students to share their own strategies, like listening to music, reading, playing with pets, etc.)
## Cool-Down (5 minutes)
(Advance to Slide Deck: Mind Matters: Keep Calm! - Slide 6: "Your Well-being Tool Kit!")
Teacher: "Excellent ideas, everyone! Remember, you have the power to take care of your mental and emotional health, and you're building your very own 'well-being tool kit' right now. To wrap up our lesson, I'm handing out the Cool-Down: My Well-being Tool Kit worksheet."
Teacher: "Please list at least two strategies you learned or reinforced today that you can use to support your mental and emotional health, and briefly explain why you chose them. This will be your exit ticket for today."
(Collect cool-down responses as students finish.)
Teacher: "Thank you all for an insightful discussion today. Remember to use these tools and never hesitate to reach out if you need support!"