Lesson Plan 2

Livie Jacobs
Lesson Description
● Content Area:​ Mental Health
● Title:​ Support Systems
● Grade Level:​ Grades 4-6
Objectives
Students will be able to:
● identify and/or create their support system, and know how to utilize it when needing
emotional support.
● understand the limits of a supportive peer or adult.
The goal of the lesson is for students to recognize the positive effects of talking to a supportive
person about one’s emotions.
Standards
● MH 5.10 Describe the contribution of a personal support system to good mental health.
Students compile a list of people available in the family, school, and community to help
with decisions, to be a friend, or to ask advice
Essential Questions
● Why are social networks of support important to our mental health?
Materials and Tools
● Powerpoint Presentation on Support Systems
○ Discussion questions following the Presentation
● Building Support Network worksheet
○ http://accessproject.colostate.edu/assets/PDFs/building_support_network.pdf
● Role-play Cards
○ http://teentalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mental-Health-Role-Plays_TeenTa
lk-2012.pdf
Adaptation for Diversity
The Powerpoint lecture will be varied in that it will incorporate both video and visuals
alongside the auditory lecture. The activities combine individual, partner, and
group/performative work for all learners.
Procedures
● Introduction (5 min): ​The teacher reminds the students that in the last couple classes, we
have reviewed how to self-soothe with coping skills. Now, we will learn about how to
utilize other people as yet another tool to stay emotionally sound.
● Presentation (10 min): ​The teacher presents the information in the Powerpoint
slideshow, touching on the human need for social connections, how to identify support
people, having different support people for different areas of our lives, and how to be an
effective support person for someone else. After the presentation, the teacher poses the
following questions to the class for a group discussion:
 ○ Identify a time in which you felt supported by someone else and why? In contrast,
name a time in which you didn’t feel supported by another person and why?
○ How can someone recognize when they’re at their support limit? How can we set
healthy boundaries?
○ Are there different types of people we would want to support us in different areas
of our lives?
● Activities (20 min):
1. (10 min) Building a Support Network: The teacher hands out the worksheet called
“Building a Support Network” and asks the students to take 5 minutes to fill out
their worksheet with the people in their life they feel are most supportive to them.
Afterwards, we spend five minutes working with a partner and explaining why we
chose the support people we did.
2. (10 min) Peer-to-Peer Roleplay & Discussion: The teacher hands out “roles” to
each student based on the cards handed out. For each scenario, the teacher
instructs the roleplayers to come to the front of the room and read their cards
aloud. One student provides support for the other student in a short conversation.
The teacher continues calling the students up by scenario until all have finished.
Reflective Assessment and Evaluation
Students’ understanding will be formally assessed based on their responses to the
reflection paper for homework.
● Homework (10 min): ​The teacher explains that students will be asked to write a two to
three page reflection paper with a clear introduction and conclusion on the topic of their
personal support system. Detailed examples of a time in which the student felt supported
or hopes to feel supported should be given. The assignment is due next class. The teacher
asks if the students have any questions about the assignment.
Closure (5 min)
The teacher reminds the students of the resources at the school (counselor, nurse, peers,
etc.) they should be utilizing if they have a problem, in addition to the support network they just
established.