Lesson: Life Under Lockdown

Watch a video to introduce stress and ways to manage it.

• Show the original video, “Voices from Quarantine,” to hear students from across the country share their experiences coping with the stress of staying home during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Ask students: How did these students’ experiences compare to your own? What were some of the emotions you experienced during the pandemic? Have students share in small groups and then discuss as a class.

Express how different emotions make people act, look, and feel.

• Share the “How Are You Feeling?” skills sheet with “stressed” as the emotion in the circle in the center. Model a high-quality response for students, filling the boxes with detailed writing. Then ask each student to fill out the skills sheet with a difficult emotion of their choice (e.g., worried, upset, or frustrated). Collect their work.

Summarize the article and connect it to students’ lives.

• Read the pre-reading question in the upper left corner on page 11: “As you read, think about how you dealt with your emotions during the pandemic.” Read the article aloud to students, stopping after each section to summarize.

• Return to the “Fight or Flight?” sidebar on page 11. Ask students to point to each organ on their bodies as you read.

• Tell a personal story about a time your body reacted to stress during the pandemic, referring to the sidebar as needed. Encourage students to share how they have felt their body react to a stressful experience during the pandemic or another time. Have them add new information or ideas from the article to their “How are You Feeling?” skills sheet.

Investigate how exercise and deep breathing affect heart rate.

• Have students complete the “What’s Your Pulse?” investigation, in pairs if possible. Introduce the activity by drawing students’ attention to the illustration showing pulse points on wrist and neck. Demonstrate how to find your pulse. Tell them that sometimes it helps to press gently and close their eyes to focus. Possible modifications: If a student can’t find their pulse, they can become a timekeeper. Students can run in place instead of doing jumping jacks. Consider doing the relaxation or meditation together to minimize distractions.

Explain key ideas about stress by responding to critical thinking questions.

• Have students complete the “Think It Through” skills sheet, ideally in pairs or small groups. Discuss their answers.

⇨ Learning Journey: Make a poster about your favorite stress-relief activities. If you’re stressed, try one of those activities!