Grade 9 Sample Lesson: Mental Health and Technology

Considerations for Lesson Planning

Location: Classroom

Strand: Healthy Living

Topic: Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

Students:

  • Student with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    • Consideration: Recognize and incorporate resources and supports needed for a student with ADHD to engage in the learning and ensure they feel supported and included in all activities.
  • Students who are gender diverse

    • Consideration: Create an inclusive environment in which gender diverse students feel their identity and lived experiences are acknowledged, respected, and included. 

  • Students from low-income families
    • Consideration: Ensure necessary learning materials are available to support equity of access and discussions about access to technology, creating a respectful and supportive environment.

Supports: None

Lesson: Mental Health and Technology

Lesson Overview

Through engagement in diverse activities and discussions, students analyze the effects of technology on mental health to determine their position on the issue.

Overall and Specific Expectations 

C1: C1.2; C3: C3.4

Learning Goals

  • We are learning to identify benefits and risks of technology use.
  • We are learning to explore the relationship between technology use and mental health and well-being.
  • We are learning to make safer decisions for our mental health with our technology use.

Materials

  • Access to a shared document (for example, chart paper and markers, online interactive tool) to create a Graffiti Board
  • Teacher Resource: Recordable Anecdotal Recording Chart
  • Voting tool for Dotmocracy (for example, stickers, markers, pencil crayons, bingo dabbers)

  • Writing tools (for example, pencils, pens, markers)

Assessment for Learning  

Use the Teacher Resource: Recordable Anecdotal Recording Chart to observe student conversations and responses on their Plus Minus Interesting (PMI) chart to assess their understanding of the relationship between technology and mental health and decisions they might make related to their use of technology to support their mental health.

Minds On 

Share the learning goals with the class and co-construct success criteria with students. Consider posting the success criteria in the learning space for reference throughout the lesson.

Remind students of general group rules, including the importance of showing respect for others’ ideas and opinions.

Divide students into groups of three to four, considering individual student needs and relationships. Provide writing materials and access to a Graffiti Board (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions). Provide groups with topics related to mental health and technology and have them record their assigned topics on their Graffiti Board. Observe and circulate to groups to ensure student understanding and provide clarification as needed.

Using the following teacher prompt, have students record as many ideas as they can about their assigned topic on their Graffiti Board.

Teacher Prompt: “Your group will be given a topic to reflect upon related to the topic of mental health and technology. Individually, write down as many ideas as you can about your topic on your board.”

Topics:

  • Connections between personal and digital well-being
  • Positive effects of technology on mental health
  • Negative effects of technology on mental health

Once groups have had sufficient time to write their ideas, have groups rotate their Graffiti Boards to another group. Have students add their own ideas to the topic on their new Graffiti Board. 

Repeat the process until each group has contributed their ideas to each topic. 

Action

Have groups post their Graffiti Board for other students to reference.

Have students travel around the classroom on a Gallery Walk (consult Teaching Strategy Descriptions) to make connections to the similarities and differences between their own contributions and those of others. Invite students to share their ideas with the other students in their group as they travel. Encourage students to continue to add their ideas to the class-generated Graffiti Boards.

Once groups have completed the Gallery Walk, use Dotmocracy (consult the Notes to Teachers section for a description of the strategy) to have students vote on what they think is the most important idea on each topic of the class-generated Graffiti Boards.

Using a whole group discussion and the following teacher prompt, ask students to share their ideas on what the class identified as the most important ideas and, if they are comfortable, what they think are the most important ideas. 

Teacher Prompt: “From your observations during the Gallery Walk and the results of the voting, what were the most important ideas about each of the topics? Are there other ideas that you found most important?”

Student responses may include:

  • Connections between personal and digital well-being:
    • “Too much screen time can harm sleep and energy.”
    • “Using devices wisely helps relationships and mental health.”
    • “Creating rules like device-free zones for balance can be helpful.
  • Positive effects of technology on mental health:
    • “Apps can teach relaxation and mindfulness.”
    • “Staying in touch with friends and family is important.”
    • “Games and social media can be fun.”
  • Negative effects of technology on mental health:
    • “Spending too much time online can cause stress and anxiety.”
    • “Social media can make people feel insecure or compare themselves too much.”
    • “Cyberbullying hurts mental health.”

Consolidation

Using the Examine Both Sides (EBS) strategy (consult the Notes to Teachers section for a description of the strategy) and the responses shared on the Graffiti Board, the results of the Dotmocracy, and the class discussion, co-create Side 1 and Side 2 of the argument for the effects of technology on mental health. Ensure the arguments are posted for the class to reference. 

Student responses may include:

  • Side 1: Technology Positively Affects Mental Health
    • “Mental health apps provide tools for mindfulness, relaxation, and therapy support, making care more accessible.”
    • “Social media allows individuals to connect with supportive communities and share experiences.”
    • “Video games and creative tools can reduce stress and promote self-expression.”
    • “Technology has revolutionized access to mental health resources through teletherapy and online counselling.”
    • “Wearable devices help individuals monitor and manage mental health by tracking sleep, heart rate, and stress levels.”
  • Side 2: Technology Negatively Affects Mental Health
    • “Excessive screen time can lead to sleep disruption, stress, and anxiety.”
    • “Social media fosters unhealthy comparisons and feelings of inadequacy due to curated content.”
    • “Cyberbullying has severe impacts on mental well-being, especially among young people.”
    • “Constant connectivity can result in burnout and an inability to disconnect or relax.”
    • “Overuse of technology may reduce face-to-face interactions, weakening real-world relationships.”

Using the PMI strategy (consult the Notes to Teachers section for a description of the strategy), have students individually or in pairs complete a PMI chart for each side of the argument.

Using their completed PMI chart as a guide, students will then choose which side of the argument to take and explain their reasoning. Provide students with a choice of formats to express their position (for example, persuasive paragraph, recorded elevator pitch, Think Pair Square, comic strip). 

Notes to Teachers

Dotmocracy

Dotmocracy is an instructional strategy used for group decision-making and prioritization. It allows participants to express their preferences in a visual and democratic way. It involves allocating a limited number of points (often represented by stickers or marks) to different options. The points are distributed freely amongst the options on offer (either all to a single option or spread out) by each member of the group.

How It Works:

  1. Generate Ideas: Participants brainstorm and write down ideas or options on large sheets of paper, sticky notes, or a board.
  2. Display Options: The ideas are posted in an area for everyone to reference.
  3. Vote with Dots: Each participant receives a set number of dot stickers or markers. They place their dots next to the ideas they support the most.
  4. Analyze Results: The options with the most dots indicate the group's preferred choices, guiding discussion and decision-making.

Examine Both Sides (EBS) 

EBS is an instructional strategy that encourages students to examine the world from different perspectives.

How it Works:

  1. Present the class topic and develop points for both sides of the issue to the students.
  2. Students can then decide which side to take and explain why.

Plus Minus Interesting (PMI) 

Plus Minus Interesting is an instructional strategy that allows students to sort and organize information about a particular topic into its corresponding categories (for example, Plus, Minus, Interesting).

How it Works:

  1. Present topic.
  2. Have students complete the chart.
  3. Share the findings in class.

CRRP Strategies Embedded in the Lesson

Components of this lesson are designed to recognize and incorporate resources and supports needed for a student with ADHD to engage in the learning, and ensure they feel supported and included in all activities. 

  • The lesson includes a variety of hands-on activities to assist the student to maintain time on tasks.
  • The activities provide choice and multiple entry points for learning.
  • Purposeful groupings are used to provide peer support.
  • Observing and circulating among groups to clarify tasks helps to identify and support individual needs.
  • Students have an opportunity to move about the classroom throughout the lesson.
  • There is a choice of format for students to share overall understanding to support various processing styles and interests. 

Components of this lesson are designed to create an inclusive environment in which gender diverse students feel their identity and lived experiences are acknowledged, respected, and included. 

  • The strategies selected allow students to share their lived experiences in ways that protect student confidentiality.
  • Each student voice is included democratically, promoting equity and inclusion of diverse perspectives and opportunities for sharing based on student autonomy and choice.
  • Establishing group rules and small group collaborative learning promotes peer support and helps to create an emotionally safer environment. 

Components of this lesson are designed to ensure necessary learning materials are available to support equity of access and discussions about access to technology, creating a respectful and supportive environment for students from low-income households. 

  • Materials are provided for students to participate equitably.
  • Observing and circulating among groups helps to identify and support students who may experience emotional stress or disengagement related to the topic of access to technology.
  • Intentional groupings help support student well-being by creating safer spaces to share their ideas.
  • Classroom culture and learning agreements established and clarified at the beginning of the lesson help to foster a sense of belonging.