LEAN MEAN COPING MACHINE
GRADE 11 LESSON 23
Time Required: 30-45 minutes
Content Standards: AA.S.9 Students will understand safety and
survival skills and apply coping strategies.
Indicators (Students will…): AA.PSD.11.9.01 Identify stressors
common to young adults and describe appropriate stress management
techniques.
GOAL: Students will identify stressors in their lives and identify coping strategies
to reduce stress including a decision making process.
Activity Statements: Students will learn to prioritize what’s important to them, employ
decision making, problem solving and learn about other stress reduction techniques.
Materials:
1. Handout 1 “Tips for Coping with Stress”
2. Handout 2 – “Your Choice”
3. Flip Chart Paper/Markers
And/Or
4. Chalk/Whiteboard
5. Pen/Pencil/Paper
Procedures and Discussion:
Opening statement: How does one become an effective decision maker/problem solver when
feeling overwhelmed and decisions need to be made in life?
1. Whole Group Discussion (utilizing the board for topic questions and answers students
come up with)
a. How do you go about making important decisions?
b. What determines how important a decision is?
c. How would you rely on coping skills to help you deal with the pressure of making
important decisions?
LEAN MEAN COPING MACHINE
GRADE 11 LESSON 23
2. Distribute Handout 1 “Tips for Coping with Stress” Ask students to take turns reading or
paraphrasing each tip. You may want to cut the tips into strips, number each one, pass
out to various students. Call each number and have the student having that number
read that tip.
3. Tell students they are going to practice one of the techniques—prioritizing.
4. Distribute Handout 2 “Your Choice”
a. Have the students pick five of the ten items they consider to be the most
important.
b. Then have the students rank their top five from most important (1) to least
important (5).
c. Ask students to volunteer to share their ideas and justify their reasoning.
d. Ask students which half of each statement would lead to the least stress and
accomplish their goal to succeed.
Additional Resources:
Coping Mechanisms for Positive Attitudes http://www.nationaljewish.org/diseaseinfo/wellness/stress/Stress-Relief-Cpng-Strtgs-Pstv-Atttds.aspx
Guide to Decision Making
http://www.twu.edu/o-sl/counseling/SelfHelp022.html
Extension Activities:
Practice writing in your daily planner. Talk to your parents about your stresses and ask for
help prioritizing your responsibilities.
Activity:
Have students read and discuss the article “Relax! Learn Stress Management”. Students
can record their stressors and techniques to relax in their Journal.
Advisors: Record notes from advisement meetings in students’ advisement logs.
Schedule new meetings, as needed, to keep all students on track.
LEAN MEAN COPING MACHINE
GRADE 11 LESSON 23
Adapted from:
Missouri Comprehensive Guidance Center
http://missouricareereducation.org/curr/cmd/guidanceplacementG/elearning
Grade 7 Unit 3 Lesson 2