Beano KS2 Lesson 4 Plan – Understanding Stress

Date: Key Stage: 2 Teacher:

Learning  To understand what stress is and how it can feel

Objectives  To think of ways to cope with stress

Intro Show the introductory video

Pupils will understand what stress feels like; how it affects our emotions and our
Lesson
bodies and understand that this can be different for different people. They will start to
Intention
build a repertoire of coping strategies.

 PowerPoint Slide 1: Ask the children to think about a time when they have
felt a negative emotion like worry, anger, fear, sadness, nervousness etc. If
some pupils are willing, ask them to share their example to help give others
ideas.
Starter Activities
 PowerPoint Slide 2: Set a cup on your table and explain that this represents
our class’ mind! You could draw a brain on the side for fun! Put some slips of
paper on each table. Ask the pupils to write their emotion example on a slip
10 mins
and just fold it once (these will remain anonymous), then come up and put
their folded paper into your cup/jar. They are free to share their example with
the class if they would like to. Keep going until the cup fills up and the paper
starts to spill over the top and everyone has added their slip.

 PowerPoint Slide 3-4: Explain that just like our cup, our minds sometimes
get so full of emotions that we can struggle to keep control of them. Establish
that this feeling can be called stress.

 PowerPoint Slide 5-6: “What does stress feel like?” Give pairs a few
minutes’ discussion then come together as a class to establish that stress can
make you want to shout, scream, lose your temper, or even do the opposite
and become very quiet and withdrawn. Each person can react differently. If
possible, share your own reactions to stress with the class and encourage them
to consider their own reactions.

 PowerPoint Slide 7: As a class, come up with some ways we could cope

Main Activity 15 mins with stress. Have a thought shower on the board. Pick some children to write
each idea in the middle of a large piece of paper and stick these around the
room. For example, ‘Talk to a friend’, ‘Go for a walk’, ‘Write a diary’.
Ensure ‘Do something else’ is an option for those who would like a different
coping mechanism to those suggested.

 Give some other volunteers some sticky tac and ask them to come and take a
stressful situation out of the mind cup, read it to the class and then stick it on
the coping technique around the room that would best help in that scenario.
 If Things
more timeto is
consider
available, encourage all pupils to take a situation from the
mind cup and stick it on the most appropriate poster so that the cup is left
When delivering this lesson, you our
empty, mightmindtrigger feelings
is eased of its in children that they find
stresses.
difficult to cope with.
Extension Work
and Further  Pupils to write a comic strip using the Extension Worksheet to show a time
Activities when they
Different children may respond very felt a negative
differently to emotion
the sameand felt stressed
content. by it. They could use the
It’s really
important to think about howone these
they wrote for themight
individuals cup orbea new
bestone. Can they
supported. ‘change’
Ensure thatthe ending of the
scenario and draw a new one for their comic strip that
there is an adult that the child can talk to if they are finding the session too difficult involves a good coping
technique so that their character feels better
and a safe space (somewhere else) for them to go if they want to sit things out. at the end?

It is really important to adhere

Recaptowhat
the normal
stress issafeguarding procedures
and how we might of the
recognise school
it in others and ourselves.
you are working in. Your school
Establish that when we deal with our emotions, and haveclear
will have a Designated Safeguarding Lead and tricks up our sleeves
procedures to follow if youtoare
copeworried aboutour
with them, theminds
safetybecome
of a child in like
freer, yourthe
care.
cup, and we feel better.

 Establish that it is natural and ok to feel negative emotions and to feel

stressed when they become overwhelming but it is not ok to let them run out
of control. We can’t ignore our feelings as they are our way of processing
Plenary 5 mins
things – so, we need to deal with them as best we can. Encourage self-
assessment with hand signals – do the pupils feel more able to recognise
stress in themselves and others and do they have some ideas as to how to deal
with it positively?

 Share comic strips if this activity was completed. Consider helpful ‘endings’
together.

Observing, question and answers, contribution to discussion and written responses.

AfL Self-assessment – encourage the pupils to consider whether they feel more confident
understanding the negative feelings they may experience and of developing more
positive responses to them.

 PSHE (As recommended by the PSHE-Association)

Pupils should have the opportunity to learn:
o H1. What positively and negatively affects their physical, mental and
emotional health.
English o H6. To deepen their understanding of good and not so good feelings,
Curriculum Links to extend their vocabulary to enable them to explain both the range
and intensity of their feelings to others.
o H7. To recognise that they may experience conflicting emotions and
when they might need to listen to, or overcome these.
o R1. To recognise and respond appropriately to a wider range of
feelings in others.
Key Words stress
Through questioning and mixed ability pairings. Less able pupils may need support
Differentiation
with the written tasks and more guidance in the discussions.
Resources/
PowerPoint, slips of paper, small paper cup/jar, large poster paper and board pens,
Preparation
sticky tac, extension worksheet.
Needed

Evaluation For teacher to complete: