Healthy Habits For Teens Social Emotional Learning High School Life Skills Unit

Social-Emotional Learning Unit for High School, SEL Unit and Lesson Plans, Healthy Living, Social Skills, Life Skills, Secondary Social Skills, SEL High School, Mental Health & Wellness, Advisory Curriculum

Teaching Happiness 14 Week Secondary Unit: Healthy Habits for Happy Teens

In 2016 I published my book Birdseed: A Guide to Teaching Emotional Intelligence in the Primary and Secondary Classroom, which is endorsed by The Colorado Department of Education and by Positive Psychology guru and NY Times best-selling author Shawn Achor. After receiving so much positive feedback, I was inspired to create more resources for the classroom to make teaching social-emotional wellness practical for teachers and accessible for students. I'm passionate about designing relevant, rigorous, and life-changing curriculum and confident in saying this unit will change your students' lives for the better. It will also change your life for the better because for pennies a day, you can take the next 14 weeks OFF from planning!

• Engaging Project-Based 14 Week Unit on the Art & Science of Happiness
• Daily Lesson Plans Included & Aligned With ELA CCS Grades 9-12
• No Text Book Needed--Guided Research/Web Quest
• Ideal for In-Person or Remote Learning
• *Internet Access is Required for Guided Research

**THIS RESOURCE IS INCLUDED IN MY YEAR-LONG ELA MEGA BUNDLE! SAVE MONEY & FIND IT HERE

More Than 300 Pages of Resources:

Within this unit, students will be directed to follow more than 100 links to short videos, such as Ted Talks, and articles on the topic of happiness. BRIEF TEACHER SUMMARIES FOR EACH TEXT ARE INCLUDED, SO THERE'S NO NEED TO SPEND TIME READING/WATCHING THEM ALL YOURSELF!

Students are exposed to various perspectives on mental health and wellness from authorities in the fields of neuroscience, personal development, mindfulness, Positive Psychology, and emotional intelligence.

The final assignment in this project-based unit is for students to reflect on what they've learned and present a project to their peers that teaches and inspires others on the art and science of happiness.

The unit is structured around 70-90 minute class periods over the course of 14 weeks, but you can alter the daily lesson plans to align with your needs and time frame. Material is easily adaptable to online learning.

The majority of the assignments are completed independently, so this unit is ideal for distance learning, independent study, or self-paced learning. To support whole-group instruction, there is a guided weekly chat group activity, wherein students can reflect on their learning and collaborate on their final projects.

Detailed daily lesson plans are included, which include the ELA CCS for grades 9-12 on each and every day's plan. This means, zero planning for three months, unless of course you'd like to alter the content to suit your needs.

This unit is divided into seven sections that address healthy habits associated with joy and well-being. They are as followed:

The 7 Healthy Habits of Happy Teens:

1) Reexamine Your Role: Texts within this section explore the meaning and formation of identity and the possibility of recreating roles that better serve one’s self.

2) Master Your Mind ~ Manage Your Emotions: Texts within this section analyze the interdependent relationship between psychological wellness and healthy behaviors; emphasis is placed on the idea that changing outer reality requires a shift in inner reality.

3) Create Your Purpose: Texts within this section address the importance and process of recognizing strengths and interests and aligning them with a sense of purpose.

4) Plan & Pave Your Path: Texts within this section speak to the importance of creating short and long-term goals while developing discipline and taking action.

5) Contribute Your Gifts: Texts within this section emphasize the importance and benefits of service and altruism.

6) Love Yourself: Texts within this section provide strategies to develop self-awareness, self-love, and healthy relationships.

7) Commit to Happiness: Texts within this section reinforce the understanding that happiness is a conscious choice and a habituated way of being. Choosing and committing to daily habits that foster happiness is the foundation for long term well-being and success.

In addition to the master PDF document, you will be provided with a link to a student Google Doc, which allows students to easily access the curriculum and links to online videos and articles. *Internet access is required.

The following resources are included within this 333 page unit:

• Unit Introduction 1-9
• 14 Week Unit Calendar 10-16
• 100 + Teacher Summaries for Unit Texts 17-64
• About the Author 65-70
• Anticipation Activity 71
• Exit Ticket #1 72
• Pre/Post Assessment 73-75
• Weekly Chat Group Overview and Student Handouts 78-82
• Daily Oral Language Introduction (DOL) 83
• What the Heck is a Clause Handout 84
• DOL Teacher Key (60 DOL Paragraphs) 85-102 (THIS BEST-SELLING RESOURCE ALONE SELLS FOR 19.99 IN MY STORE)
• Student DOL (60 DOL Paragraphs) 103-121
• Student Introduction to Unit 122-124
• Student Unit Checklist 125
• Sample Summary & Reflection Paragraph 126
• Summary Rubric 127
• Mind Map Activity Guide 128
• Mind Map Rubric 129
• Reflective Essay Rubric 130
• Teaching Happiness Project Rubric 131
• Teaching Happiness Presentation Rubric 132
• Exit Ticket #2 133
• Final Project Guidelines 134
• Essay Structure Guides 135-137
• Final Student Reflection Handout 138
• Happiness Habits Check List Handout 139
• Student Links to Research Healthy Habits 140-157
• Journal Reflection Prompts on Healthy Habits 158-174
• Argumentative Essay Unit Intro: 175-178
• Comprehension Questions for Film Law of Attraction: 179-181
• Handout: Law of Attraction Summary of Principles: 182-183
• Handout: LOA Argumentative Structure Guide: 184
• Exemplar Argumentative Essay for the LOA: 185-189
• Argumentative Essay Rubric: 190
• 70 Daily Lesson Plans: 191-332
• Suggested Novel Resource: 334-336
  
  

More than a decade of teaching has allowed me to recognize the greatest epidemic plaguing today's youth. No, it's not drugs. It's not risky sex. It's not violence... It's sadness. So many of our kids are depressed, hopeless, and lack all sense of purpose. They don't realize (because many adults don't realize) that happiness is a life skill that can be learned, not an inherent trait that is fortuitously embodied by the lucky few. Neuroscientists and psychologists know that the brain can be rewired to operate from an optimistic, healthy, and proactive paradigm. Our kids should know this too. As parents and teachers, we must prioritize teaching Happiness above all else because it's the foundation, and ultimately the springboard, for any definition of success. 

This unit has been inspired by more than 20 years of research in the field of Positive Psychology, and I am proud to share it with educators and students around the world. 

As a gift, you will be guided to download my book Birdseed: A Guide to Teaching Emotional Intelligence int he Classroom, which is endorsed by the MTSS coordinator for The Colorado Department of Education and by NY Times best-selling Positive Psychology author Shawn Achor. Within the book, you'll find 365 inspirational writing prompts to use as daily bell-ringers.

Search Words to Help You Find Me: Online learning, remote learning, virtual learning, distance learning, digital curriculum, self-paced unit, healthy teens, effective teens, happy teens, habits for teens, Intervention curriculum, independent study from home unit, online curriculum high school, curriculum for at-risk youth, teaching happiness, healthy habits, Independent study, guided web quest, secondary unit for at-risk youth, Tier 1 intervention curriculum, Tier 2 intervention curriculum, Tier 3 intervention curriculum, Life Skills, Character Education, Guidance, Social-emotional learning, social-emotional curriculum middle school, social-emotional unit high school, PBIS, Project Based Unit Ideal for Secondary English Language Arts, Life Skills, Advisory Lesson Plans, Career and Tech Ed, Online Learning, Social-Emotional Learning, Independent Study, At-Risk Youth, & Home School Curriculum.