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What's Your ZzzIQ?

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Margaret Webb

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

ZzzIQ Game Plan

Students will distinguish common sleep myths from facts through a team-based rapid-fire quiz, boosting their ‘ZzzIQ’ and empowering them to make healthier sleep choices.

Accurate sleep knowledge supports academic performance, emotional well-being, and long-term health. Busting myths helps students adopt better sleep habits.

Audience

10th Grade

Time

25 minutes

Approach

Team-based rapid-fire quiz

Materials

  • Myth vs Fact Slides, - Rapid-Fire Question Cards, - ZzzIQ Challenge Sheet, and - Myth Busters Answers

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

  • Print enough Rapid-Fire Question Cards for each team.
  • Copy ZzzIQ Challenge Sheet for every student.
  • Load Myth vs Fact Slides in presentation mode.
  • Review the answers in Myth Busters Answers.
  • Arrange student desks into teams of 4–5 for collaborative play.

Step 1

Introduction

3 minutes

  • Welcome students and introduce today’s goal: boosting your ZzzIQ by sorting sleep myths vs facts.
  • Explain game rules: teams earn points for correct answers; no points deducted for incorrect answers.
  • Display team assignments and scoring method on the board.

Step 2

Present Key Myths vs Facts

5 minutes

  • Advance through Myth vs Fact Slides to highlight 5 common sleep myths with supporting facts.
  • After each slide, invite a quick turn-and-talk: do you believe this myth? Why or why not?
  • Clarify any student questions before the quiz begins.

Step 3

Form Teams & Distribute Materials

2 minutes

  • Divide class into pre-arranged teams of 4–5.
  • Hand each team a stack of Rapid-Fire Question Cards.
  • Assign one student per team to record answers and keep time.

Step 4

Rapid-Fire Quiz Rounds

10 minutes

  • Teacher reads each question aloud from the top of the team’s card.
  • Teams have 20 seconds to discuss and show an answer card or call out.
  • Award 1 point per correct answer; record scores on the board.
  • After each response, reveal the correct answer and a brief explanation from the slides or Myth Busters Answers.

Step 5

Individual Reflection: ZzzIQ Challenge

3 minutes

  • Distribute the ZzzIQ Challenge Sheet to each student.
  • Prompt students to list one myth they believed, the corresponding fact, and one personal sleep goal.
  • Encourage honest reflection on current sleep habits.

Step 6

Wrap-Up & Debrief

2 minutes

  • Invite a few volunteers to share insights or sleep goals with the class.
  • Summarize top myths debunked and emphasize practical tips for better sleep.
  • Challenge students to track their sleep for one week and report back on improvements.
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Slide Deck

Myth vs Fact #1: Catching Up on Sleep

Myth: I can catch up on all my lost sleep by sleeping in on the weekend.

Fact: Sleep debt accumulates over days—extra weekend sleep helps a bit but can’t fully reverse brain fog and health effects of chronic sleep loss.

Reflection: Turn-and-talk: Have you ever slept late on weekends to “catch up”? How did you feel Monday morning?

Introduce the relevance: students often believe they can “bank” sleep. Emphasize that quality and consistency matter more than occasional long sleeps.

Myth vs Fact #2: Teenagers Need Less Sleep

Myth: Teenagers naturally need less sleep than younger kids or adults.

Fact: Teens require 8–10 hours per night for optimal learning, mood regulation, and growth—just as much or more than other age groups.

Reflection: Quick pair-share: How many hours do you actually sleep on school nights? How does that compare to the recommended amount?

Highlight teen biology: hormonal shifts delay sleepy feelings. Stress that peers need as much sleep as younger students.

Myth vs Fact #3: Screen Time Helps You Relax

Myth: Watching TV or scrolling social media before bed helps me unwind and fall asleep faster.

Fact: Screens emit blue light that suppresses melatonin and signals your brain to stay alert, making it harder to fall asleep.

Reflection: Turn-and-talk: What bedtime routines help you wind down without screens?

Explain blue light’s impact on melatonin. Encourage a 30-minute screen-free wind-down routine.

Myth vs Fact #4: Naps Replace Nighttime Sleep

Myth: A quick nap during the day can fully substitute for a poor night’s sleep.

Fact: Short naps (20–30 minutes) can restore alertness but can’t replace the deep REM and slow-wave sleep you get at night.

Reflection: Pair up: When do you nap, and how long? Do you feel fully refreshed afterward?

Clarify that naps can boost alertness but won’t replace deep REM sleep cycles. Suggest ideal nap lengths (20–30 min).

Myth vs Fact #5: Caffeine Wears off Quickly

Myth: If I drink coffee or energy drinks early afternoon, it won’t affect my sleep at night.

Fact: Caffeine’s half-life is 5–7 hours—stimulant effects can linger and delay sleep onset, even if you don’t feel jittery.

Reflection: Quick think-pair-share: What’s your typical caffeine cutoff time? How does caffeine affect your sleep quality?

Discuss caffeine’s half-life. Recommend avoiding caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime.

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Game

Rapid-Fire Question Cards

Use these 20 cards in your team-based quiz. Each card has a prompt on the front and the correct answer on the back. Shuffle and distribute evenly among teams.

Structure of each card:

  • Type: True/False or Multiple Choice
  • Prompt: Read aloud
  • (MC Only) Options: Teams choose one
  • Answer: Reveal immediately after teams respond

Cards (Front & Back)

  1. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: You can fully reverse sleep debt by sleeping in on the weekend.
    Answer: False
  2. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Habitually losing an hour of sleep per night is no big deal if you catch up later.
    Answer: False
  3. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Which statement is true about sleeping in on weekends?
    Options:
    1. It restores most sleep debt but can't reverse all effects.
    2. It has no effect on sleep debt.
    3. It fully reverses chronic sleep loss.
      Answer: It restores most sleep debt but can't reverse all effects.
  4. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Catching up on sleep with weekend lie-ins can:
    Options:
    1. Completely overcome weekday sleep loss.
    2. Slightly reduce sleep debt but not fully reverse effects.
    3. Make you immune to future sleep deprivation.
      Answer: Slightly reduce sleep debt but not fully reverse effects.
  5. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Teenagers need less sleep than elementary school children.
    Answer: False
  6. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Most teens need at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
    Answer: True
  7. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Recommended nightly sleep for teens is:
    Options:
    1. 6–7 hours.
    2. 8–10 hours.
    3. 10–12 hours.
      Answer: 8–10 hours.
  8. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Which factor contributes to teens staying up late?
    Options:
    1. Increased melatonin early in the evening.
    2. Lower homework load.
    3. Natural circadian shift delaying sleepiness.
      Answer: Natural circadian shift delaying sleepiness.
  9. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Using screens before bed has no impact on sleep quality.
    Answer: False
  10. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Blue light from devices suppresses melatonin production.
    Answer: True
  11. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: To improve sleep, experts recommend turning off screens at least:
    Options:
    1. 10 minutes before bed.
    2. 1 hour before bed.
    3. 30 minutes before bed.
      Answer: 30 minutes before bed.
  12. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Which activity is a better screen-free bedtime routine?
    Options:
    1. Scroll social media.
    2. Read a book or journal.
    3. Watch an action TV show.
      Answer: Read a book or journal.
  13. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: A 20–30 minute nap can fully replace a night of poor sleep.
    Answer: False
  14. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Long naps over an hour are ideal for boosting sleep quality.
    Answer: False
  15. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: An effective nap length to improve alertness is:
    Options:
    1. 5 minutes.
    2. 20–30 minutes.
    3. 2 hours.
      Answer: 20–30 minutes.
  16. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Which is a benefit of a short daytime nap?
    Options:
    1. Complete REM sleep replacement.
    2. Quick energy boost without sleep inertia.
    3. Eliminates need for nighttime sleep.
      Answer: Quick energy boost without sleep inertia.
  17. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Drinking coffee in early afternoon won't affect your sleep at night.
    Answer: False
  18. Type: True/False
    Prompt: True or False: Caffeine's half-life is about 5–7 hours in the body.
    Answer: True
  19. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: To minimize sleep disruption, it's best to avoid caffeine at least:
    Options:
    1. 2 hours before bed.
    2. 6 hours before bed.
    3. Right before bedtime is fine.
      Answer: 6 hours before bed.
  20. Type: Multiple Choice
    Prompt: Which drink has the highest caffeine content?
    Options:
    1. Herbal tea.
    2. Espresso.
    3. Decaffeinated coffee.
      Answer: Espresso.
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Quiz

ZzzIQ Challenge Sheet

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Answer Key

Myth Busters Answers (Answer Key)

This key provides guidance and sample ideas to help teachers evaluate students’ open-response answers on the ZzzIQ Challenge Sheet. Use the “key points” to check for understanding rather than as a rigid checklist.

Question 1: Which sleep myth did you believe before today’s lesson? Explain why you thought it was true.

Key Points to Look For:

  • Identification of one of the common myths (e.g., “I can catch up on sleep by sleeping in on weekends,” “Screen time before bed helps me relax,” “Short naps fully replace lost nighttime sleep,” “Caffeine early afternoon has no effect on my sleep,” “Teens need less sleep than younger kids”).
  • A clear, personal reason why the student believed it (e.g., seeing friends oversleep, feeling rested after weekend lie-ins, habit of scrolling social media to unwind).

Sample Student Response:
“Myth: I thought a 20–30 minute nap could fully make up for a bad night’s sleep because I sometimes feel alert right after I wake up from a short nap.”







Question 2: What factual information debunked that myth? Summarize it in your own words.

Key Points to Look For:

  • Reference to the underlying science (e.g., sleep debt accumulates; REM and deep slow-wave sleep cannot be replaced by naps; blue light suppresses melatonin; caffeine’s half-life is 5–7 hours; teens need 8–10 hours).
  • A concise, accurate summary in the student’s own words.

Sample Student Response:
“Short naps restore alertness but can’t give you the deep REM and slow-wave sleep your brain needs. So they’re helpful for a quick boost, but they don’t erase sleep debt from a bad night.”







Question 3: Based on what you’ve learned, set one personal sleep goal to achieve this week. Be specific and realistic.

Key Points to Look For:

  • A specific, measurable goal (e.g., “No screens after 9 p.m.,” “Stop drinking caffeine by 3 p.m.,” “Go to bed by 10:30 p.m. on weeknights to get at least 8 hours”).
  • Evidence the goal addresses a myth they held or a habit they want to change.

Sample Student Goals:

  • “I will turn off all devices by 9:30 p.m. each night and read a book for 20 minutes before lights out.”
  • “I won’t drink any caffeinated drinks after 2 p.m. so I fall asleep faster.”
  • “I will aim for at least 9 hours in bed on weeknights by going to bed by 10 p.m.”






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