Learning objectives clearly define what students will know and be able to do as a result of each lesson. These objectives focus on developing functional health knowledge, building understanding related to the dimensions of health, and applying essential health skills to real-life situations. Every objective is designed to align with the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards, ensuring that instruction is comprehensive, skills-based, and promotes lifelong well-being.

The Goal: Students begin building foundational awareness of emotions by learning how to recognize, express, and respect feelings in themselves and others.

✅ Understand what emotions are and learn to name a wide range of feelings, helping students build emotional vocabulary and to begin identifying how they feel throughout the day.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #1 Build and Apply Functional Knowledge and #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

✅ Practice enriching ways to express emotions, including how to talk about feelings, use calming strategies, and seek help when needed.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #4 Interpersonal Communication, #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors, #8 Advocacy

✅ Explore what influences emotions, including how situations, people, and environments can impact how we feel and respond.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standard: #2 Analyzing Influences

✅ Learn how to show empathy and respect for other people’s feelings, helping students develop social awareness and build supportive relationships.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #4 Interpersonal Communication and #8 Advocacy

Functional knowledge refers to the essential health concepts students need to understand in order to build awareness of how emotional and mental health shows up in their lives. This knowledge helps students make informed choices and lays the foundation for managing this aspect of their well-being with intention and confidence.

💡 What Emotions Are
Students learn that everyone has feelings and that emotions are a natural part of being human. They begin to name a variety of emotions and recognize how those feelings show up in their bodies and behaviors.

💡 Different Ways to Express Emotions
Students explore healthy ways to share how they’re feeling, through words, actions, movement, art, and more. They begin to understand the difference between helpful and hurtful ways to express emotions.

💡 What Influences How we Feel
Students discover that things like situations, other people, places, and even our own thoughts can affect our emotions. They start noticing how their feelings change throughout the day and what might cause those shifts.

💡 What Empathy Is and How to Respect Other People’s Feelings
Students learn that empathy means trying to understand how someone else feels. They explore what it looks like to be kind, supportive, and respectful of others’ emotions, even when they’re different from their own.

Activities are health education learning engagements that help students explore, interact with, and build deeper understanding of the health topic. Each learning activity is designed to support a skills-based health approach and provide meaningful opportunities for students to explore the functional knowledge and practice the health skills.

🔎 Emotion Detective

Students become "emotion detectives" by observing facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice in pictures or role-play scenarios. They practice identifying and naming different emotions.

→ Connects to: What emotions are

🔎 Emotion Charades

Students take turns acting out different emotions using only facial expressions and body movements while classmates guess the feeling. This helps them explore the many ways people express emotions.

→ Connects to: Different ways to express emotions

🔎 Emotion Mapping

Students choose an emotion (e.g., happy, sad, nervous) and create a simple mind map showing what causes that feeling, how it’s often expressed, when/where they tend to feel it, etc. They can share their maps with the class or in small groups.

→ Connects to: What influences how we feel and how emotions are expressed

🔎 Empathy Matching

Students read or listen to simple scenarios (e.g., “A friend is left out at recess”) and match them with kind, empathetic responses (e.g., “Ask them to join your game”). This helps build social awareness and compassion.

→ Connects to: What empathy is and how to respect other people’s feelings

These project-based learning assessments are designed to measure both what students understand and how well they can apply their functional health knowledge and health skills in meaningful, real-world ways. Each health assessment idea aligns with the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards and offers students a practical, hands-on learning experience. By actively using health skills to navigate realistic scenarios, students demonstrate their ability to think critically, make informed decisions, and take ownership of their well-being.

📚 Emotion Playbook

Students will create a mini “playbook” that outlines common emotions, shows how it feels in their body, and lists enriching ways to express it. They can include drawings, words, or examples from their own life.

→ Assesses understanding of what emotions are and how to express them (SHAPE America Standards #1 and #7)

📚 Emotional Influence Report Card

Students reflect on different parts of their day (e.g., classroom, lunch, playground, home) and give each “place” a report card grade based on how it makes them feel and be able to manage their mental health. Then they share what people, situations, or activities influence those emotions.

→ Assesses understanding of what influences how we feel (SHAPE America Standards #1 and #2)

📚 Analyzing a Social Situation

Students are given a short, developmentally-appropriate scenario involving someone having a big emotion (e.g., frustration over losing a game). They identify how the person might be feeling and draw or describe a kind, empathetic response.

→ Assesses understanding of empathy and how to respect other people’s feelings (SHAPE America Standards #4 and #8)

Learning objectives clearly define what students will know and be able to do as a result of each lesson. These objectives focus on developing functional health knowledge, building understanding related to the dimensions of health, and applying essential health skills to real-life situations. Every objective is designed to align with the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards, ensuring that instruction is comprehensive, skills-based, and promotes lifelong well-being.

The Goal: Students build awareness of their emotions, develop strategies to manage stress, and begin to take ownership of their emotional and mental well-being.

✅ Understand what mental health is and how it relates to overall well-being, including how emotions, stress, and coping skills influence how we feel and function each day.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #1 Build and Apply Functional Knowledge, #2 Analyzing Influences, and #7 Practice Health Enhancing Behaviors

✅ Use the Mental Health Bucket as a personal check-in, helping students recognize how emotions, stress, and coping strategies affect their mental and emotional state.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #1 Build and Apply Functional Knowledge and #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

✅ Practice healthy coping strategies to manage big emotions and tough moments, including grounding techniques, movement, creative expression, and asking for help.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #4 Interpersonal Communication, #5 Decision Making, and #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

Functional knowledge refers to the essential health concepts students need to understand in order to build awareness of how emotional and mental health shows up in their lives. This knowledge helps students make informed choices and lays the foundation for managing this aspect of their well-being with intention and confidence.

💡 What is Mental Health and Why It Matters

Students learn that mental health is a core part of overall well-being. They explore how mental health affects how they think, feel, act, and relate to others.

💡 How to use the Mental Health Bucket to Understand Their Well-being

Students are introduced to the Mental Health Bucket as a visual tool to help them recognize the relationship between stress, emotions, and coping skills. They learn to assess when their bucket feels full and what might be draining or filling it.

💡 What Coping Skills Are and How to Use Them

Students explore a variety of healthy coping strategies, like movement, creativity, mindfulness, and connection, and learn how these tools can help them manage stress and emotional challenges.

Activities are health education learning engagements that help middle school students explore, interact with, and build deeper understanding of the health topic. Each learning activity is designed to support a skills-based health approach and provide meaningful opportunities for students to explore the functional knowledge and practice the health skills.

🔎 Mental Health Matching

Students match terms and examples related to emotional and mental health, such as emotions, stressors, and coping strategies. This helps students see how different parts of mental health connect and why it’s important to care for the whole picture.

→ Connects to: What mental health is and why it matters

🔎 Mental Health Bucket Puzzle [Mental Health Bucket Video Clip]

Students complete a puzzle-style activity where they sort real-life scenarios into three key components of the Mental Health Bucket: stressors (what fills the bucket), mental health level (how full or empty the bucket is), and coping mechanisms (what drains the bucket). This hands-on task helps students visualize how everyday experiences impact their mental health and reinforces the importance of using healthy strategies to stay balanced.

→ Connects to: How to use the Mental Health Bucket to understand their well-being

🔎 Coping Strategies Charades

In small groups, students act out different coping strategies (e.g., taking deep breaths, exercising, talking to someone) while classmates guess the strategy. This helps reinforce healthy tools and makes learning fun and memorable.

→ Connects to: What coping skills are and how to use them

These project-based learning assessments are designed to measure both what students understand and how well they can apply their functional health knowledge and health skills in meaningful, real-world ways. Each health assessment idea aligns with the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards and offers students a practical, hands-on learning experience. By actively using health skills to navigate realistic scenarios, students demonstrate their ability to think critically, make informed decisions, and take ownership of their well-being.

📚 Mental Health Self-Portrait

Students create a self-portrait that represents their emotional and mental health. Around the portrait, they include words, symbols, or images that show how they’re feeling, what influences their mental health, and what helps them cope.

→ Assesses awareness of emotional well-being and influences (SHAPE Standards #1 and #2)

📚 Mental Health Bucket Analysis For a Fictional Character [Mental Health Bucket Video Clip]

Students choose a fictional character from a book, movie, or show and analyze what their Mental Health Bucket looks like. They identify what’s filling the character’s bucket (stressors and responsibilities) and what’s draining it (coping mechanisms), then make recommendations for how the character could better manage their mental health.

→ Assesses understanding of the Mental Health Bucket model and ability to recognize influences on mental well-being (SHAPE Standards #1 and #2)

📚 Coping Mechanisms Toolbox

Students create a “toolbox” of at least five personalized coping strategies that they can use when dealing with stress, anxiety, or big emotions. For each tool, they describe how it helps, when they would use it, and why it works for them.

→ Assesses ability to identify and apply coping strategies for mental well-being (SHAPE Standards #5 and #7)

Learning objectives clearly define what students will know and be able to do as a result of each lesson. These objectives focus on developing functional health knowledge, building understanding related to the dimensions of health, and applying essential health skills to real-life situations. Every objective is designed to align with the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards, ensuring that instruction is comprehensive, skills-based, and promotes lifelong well-being.

The Goal: Students deepen their understanding of mental health and develop the skills needed to manage their own well-being, support others, and challenge harmful narratives.

✅ Develop deeper awareness of mental health and mental illness, including the difference between everyday emotional experiences and diagnosable mental health conditions.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #1 Build and Apply Functional Knowledge

✅ Build confidence and competence in accessing valid information and mental health services, learning how, and where to find support when it’s needed.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #3 Accessing Valid Information and #8 Advocacy

✅ Use the Mental Health Bucket to assess and manage personal mental health, identifying sources of stress and practicing coping strategies to protect emotional well-being. [Mental Health Bucket Video Clip]

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #5 Decision Making and #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

✅ Recognize and reflect on mental health stigma and bias, and actively work to rewrite personal and cultural narratives around mental health.

→ Related SHAPE America Health Standards: #1 Build and Apply Functional Knowledge, #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors, and #8 Advocacy

Functional knowledge refers to the essential health concepts students need to understand in order to build awareness of how emotional and mental health shows up in their lives. This knowledge helps students make informed choices and lays the foundation for managing this aspect of their well-being with intention and confidence.

💡Understand the Difference Between Mental Health and Mental Illness

Students explore the spectrum of emotional experiences, from everyday stress and sadness to diagnosable mental health disorder. They learn that feeling anxious or down is part of being human, but persistent or severe symptoms may require professional support. This builds a foundation for recognizing when to seek help and how to support others.

💡Develop Literacy Around Mental Health Information and Services

Students gain tools to critically evaluate mental health information, including understanding who creates and endorses it, what makes a source valid, and where to find trustworthy services. This includes practicing the PROVE It method and ACT skill cues to identify key local, school, and national support systems.

💡Apply the Mental Health Bucket Model

Using the Mental Health Bucket as a personal check-in and self-management tool, students assess how full or drained their mental bucket feels. They identify stressors, then apply effective, personalized coping strategies to drain and protect their emotional reserves. This model promotes proactive self-management.

💡Understand Mental Health Stigma and Bias

Students learn what stigma and bias around mental health look like, both in society and in their personal lives. They explore how media, cultural beliefs, and lived experiences can shape negative attitudes toward mental illness and emotional struggles. This includes identifying subtle ways stigma shows up (like using dismissive language or avoiding help) and reflecting on how these perceptions impact their own views, choices, and willingness to seek support. By developing this awareness, students are better equipped to challenge stigma and foster a more supportive environment for themselves and others.

Activities are learning engagements that help students explore, interact with, and build deeper understanding of the topic. Each activity is designed to support skills-based learning and provide meaningful opportunities for students to practice and apply what they’re learning.

🔎 Mental Health vs. Mental Illness Sort
Students work in pairs or small groups to sort real-life examples, scenarios, and symptoms into two categories: everyday mental health experiences vs. diagnosable mental illnesses. Follow up with a discussion about how to recognize when support is needed.

→ Aligned with SHAPE Standard #1: Build and Apply Functional Knowledge

🔎 Mental Health WebQuest
Students complete a guided WebQuest to explore valid mental health websites, hotlines, and school/community resources. Tasks include applying the PROVE It strategy to evaluate sources and practicing how to make a call or write a message asking for support (ACT Skill Cues). 

→ Aligned with SHAPE Standard #3: Access Valid Information and #8: Advocacy

🔎 Mental Health Bucket Media Scavenger Hunt
Students identify characters in books, TV shows, movies, or online content who demonstrate either a drained or full Mental Health Bucket. They describe what’s draining/filling the bucket and suggest realistic coping strategies the character could use.

→ Aligned with SHAPE Standard #5: Decision Making and #7: Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

🔎 Spotting Stigma Activity: “That’s Not It”
Display a variety of quotes, headlines, and social media posts that reflect common forms of mental health stigma or bias (e.g., "They’re just doing it for attention," "He’s crazy," etc.). In small groups, students identify what’s harmful or inaccurate, then rewrite the statements to reflect understanding and respect.

→ Aligned with SHAPE Standard #1: Functional Knowledge and #8: Advocacy

These project-based learning assessments are designed to measure both what students understand and how well they can apply their functional health knowledge and health skills in meaningful, real-world ways. Each health assessment idea aligns with the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards and offers students a practical, hands-on learning experience. By actively using health skills to navigate realistic scenarios, students demonstrate their ability to think critically, make informed decisions, and take ownership of their well-being.

📚 “Did You Know?” Awareness Poster CampaignStudents design educational posters for a school-wide campaign to clearly explain the difference between mental health and mental illness. Each poster should include facts, examples, and misconceptions to address, helping to build a more informed and supportive school culture.

→ Assesses SHAPE America Standards: #1 Build and Apply Functional Knowledge, #8 Advocacy

📚 Access Project: Interviewing Mental Health ServicesIn pairs or small groups, students are assigned a specific mental health disorder and tasked with contacting a related mental health organization, hotline, or service provider. They ask guided questions (e.g., What support do you offer? How does someone access your services?) and present their findings to the class.

→ Assesses SHAPE America Standards: #3 Accessing Valid Information, #8 Advocacy

📚 Personalized Mental Health BucketStudents create a visual representation of their own Mental Health Bucket, identifying what fills and drains their bucket. They include personal coping strategies and supportive routines. Optional: Add a weekly check-in log to track real-life usage of the tool.

→ Assesses SHAPE America Standards: #5 Decision Making, #7 Practice Health-Enhancing Behaviors

📚 Stigma & Bias Self-AnalysisThrough a private written reflection or guided journaling activity, students explore where they’ve encountered or internalized mental health stigma or bias. Prompts guide them to examine messages from media, family, and culture, and reflect on how these perceptions influence their thoughts and actions.

→ Assesses SHAPE America Standards: #1 Functional Knowledge, #8 Advocacy