Lesson Plan

Stress Detective Blueprint

Students will read a story about feeling overwhelmed, identify signs of stress, share personal experiences, and practice a bubble‐breathing technique to begin managing anxiety.

Building stress awareness and introducing calming strategies helps students recognize emotions early, communicate about anxiety, and develop lifelong self‐regulation skills.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

Step 2

Reading

10 minutes

Step 3

Discussion

8 minutes

Step 4

Cool-down

5 minutes

Slide Deck

Feeling Overloaded?

Welcome, Stress Detectives! Introduce today’s journey: we’ll learn what stress feels like, read a story, spot stress clues, chat about our experiences, and finish with a calming bubble-breath practice.

What Is Stress?

Ask students to share times they’ve felt tense or worried. Highlight that stress is a normal reaction but important to recognize.

Story Time

Distribute or project [The Day My Brain Buzzed](#the-day-my-brain-buzzed). Invite volunteers to read aloud. Remind students to listen for stress clues.

Spot the Clues

Encourage students to annotate the text or draw quick sketches showing the character’s feelings. Walk the room to offer support and prompt observations.

Stress Spotting Chat

Arrange students in pairs or small groups. Use gentle pacing to ensure each student shares. Celebrate honest observations.

Transition to a calm atmosphere. Dim lights if possible. Model the breathing slowly before inviting students to follow the video/audio.

Lesson Plan

Stress Detective Blueprint

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

Step 1

Introduction

Step 2

Reading

Step 3

Discussion

Step 4

Cool-down

Slide Deck

Feeling Overloaded?

What Is Stress?

Story Time

Spot the Clues

Stress Spotting Chat

Reading

Discussion

Cool Down

Feeling Overloaded?

Shannon