Beacon Lesson Plan Library
Relaxation Station
Farrah Milby
Orange County Schools
Description
The Relaxation Station teaches students how to C.O.P.E. with stress and anxiety. Students learn helpful strategies to use in a classroom center.
Standards
Florida Sunshine State Standards
HE.B.1.2.1
The student knows the importance of assuming responsibility for personal health habits.
HE.B.1.2.3
The student knows and uses stress-management skills.
HE.B.1.2.4
The student uses strategies for improving or maintaining personal health.
Florida Process Standards
Information Managers
01 Florida students locate, comprehend, interpret, evaluate, maintain, and apply information, concepts, and ideas found in literature, the arts, symbols, recordings, video and other graphic displays, and computer files in order to perform tasks and/or for enjoyment.
Materials
-Guidelines for the Relaxation Station (See Attached File)
-Relaxation Station Activity Sheet, one per student (See Attached File)
-C.O.P.E. classroom poster (See Attached File)
-Journals, one for each student
-Drawing paper for center
-Tape of soothing music for center
-Tape player for center
-Headphones for center
-Hall Pass for center
-Pencils, markers, crayons for center
-Overhead of the Sally Student scenario (See Attached File)
-Overhead of the Rubric for Relaxation Station (See Attached File)
-Overhead projector
Preparations
1. Set up the Relaxation Station with drawing paper, tape player, soothing music, headphones, pencils, markers, crayons, and a hall pass.
2. Make copies and transparencies of needed handouts.
Procedures
1. Write stress on the chalkboard.
2. Ask for students to give words and phrases that come to mind. After discussing the list, have students give examples of possible side effects of stress. (For example, feeling sick on your stomach and other mental and physical effects.)
3. Explain that today you will set up a center to deal with stress at school called the Relaxation Station. Relieving stress is important to overall mental, physical, and emotional health.
4. At the Relaxation Station, students use the strategy C.O.P.E. Concentrate on what's bothering you, Only you know your feelings, Pick a relaxation strategy, and Evaluate if you are feeling better. (See Attached File)
5. Step 1 is to concentrate on what is bothering you. Is it a test, quiz, family problem, problem with friends or something else? Students give some examples of problems or stress that a student their age might have.
6. Step 2 involves identifying what feelings you have. Students give examples of feelings.
7. Step 3 has students picking a relaxation strategy. The options are writing in a journal, drawing a picture, listening to music, breathing deep, or taking a short walk.
8. Step 4 allows students to evaluate whether or not they feel better. If they do, then the student can return to work. If they don't, then they need to speak to an adult. Have students give you examples of adults that they can talk to their problems about (teachers, parents, counselors, school nurses).
9. Go over Guidelines for the Relaxation Station. (See Attached File) The center may be used during non-instruction time by one person at a time for a limit of 10 minutes.
10. When at the center, students use the Relaxation Station Activity Sheet that walks them through the C.O.P.E. strategy. (See Attached File)
11. Students practice by completing a Relaxation Station Activity Sheet for the fictional character, Sally Student. (See Attached File) Place the Sally Student scenario on the overhead so students can refer to it as they work on the activity sheet.
12. Place the Rubric for Relaxation Station (See Attached File) on the overhead to allow students to see how they did.
Assessments
Students are given the Sally Student scenario (See Attached File) and they are to complete the Relaxation Station Activity Sheet for the fictional student. The Rubric for Relaxation Station will be used to assess the activity sheet. (See Attached File)
The teacher assesses students throughout the year in the form of a checklist. The checklist inlcudes observing students using stress relief strategies at the center and/or at their desk, communicating strategies with peers, and communicating any ongoing stress with an adult.
Extensions
The lesson and center could be extended to include related literature that students could read while at the center.
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