Pain Tracker Lesson Plan
Students will learn to create and use a structured pain-tracking spreadsheet—including date, class, time in, pain level (0–10), location, meds taken, notes, and time out—to accurately record and monitor their pain.
Tracking pain systematically empowers students to communicate needs clearly, inform staff of trends, and make data-driven decisions about their well-being.
Hands-on guided spreadsheet creation.
Prep
Review Materials
5 minutes
- Download and open the Pain Tracker Spreadsheet Template.
- Ensure each student has access to a device with spreadsheet software (e.g., Google Sheets or Excel).
- Familiarize yourself with each column’s purpose and example entries.
Step 1
Introduction & Purpose
5 minutes
- Briefly discuss why tracking pain matters for health and learning.
- Explain each column: date, class coming from, time in, pain level (0–10), pain location, meds taken, notes, and time out.
- Show a sample filled row to illustrate how data is recorded.
Step 2
Template Walk-Through
5 minutes
- Share your screen or project the Pain Tracker Spreadsheet Template.
- Highlight header row and discuss expected input for each field.
- Model entering one sample entry together with the student.
Step 3
Guided Spreadsheet Creation
15 minutes
- Have the student duplicate the template sheet for practice.
- Guide them to enter three hypothetical entries, varying classes and pain levels.
- Circulate questions: Is the date format clear? How do you choose a pain level? Where would you note medication dose?
- Provide immediate feedback on accuracy and completeness.
Step 4
Reflection & Next Steps
5 minutes
- Review the student’s entries and address any confusion.
- Discuss how often they should log data during their school day.
- Agree on a plan for sharing the completed log with staff and scheduling check-ins.
