WELLNESS

An introduction to the concept and definitions of wellness.  Students will explore each aspect of wellness through a series of mini-lessons.

Key Concept - Relationships
Related Concepts - Balance and Refinement
Global Context - Identities and Relationships
Statement of Inquiry - Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life - it is a dynamic process of change and growth.
​Approaches to Learning - Self - Management....Reflection
Questions
- Factual - What is Wellness?
- Debatable - What does it mean to be well?
- Conceptual - Are you well?

#1 - Defining Wellness

Wellness Notes - We have worked in groups to discuss the aspects of wellness.  We have looked at the power point below and shared our ideas as a class - now it is YOUR turn to create YOUR own definition of wellness!  YOUR TASK - You have a blank sheet with a box labeled for each aspect of wellness.   Look at the document below OR read the article, "Health for Teens" (in red below) and take notes.   

Health for Teens - This blog post lists all the aspects of wellness  - read and create your own definition!

#2 - My Wellness Wheel

Use a series of statements to evaluate your wellness! 

#3 - Reflecting on My Wellness

What does REFLECTION mean to you? 
​

The CYCLE of REFLECTION

WHAT? (facts and information)

  • What happened?
  • Memorable moments?
  • What went well?
  • What was hard?

SO WHAT?? (feelings you have)

  • Why does it matter?
  • What impact does this have?
  • How does this connect to life and learning?
  • What is positive?
  • What is exciting, surprising or frustrating?
  • What is annoying or confusing?
The ideas you write should be directed at growth!

NOW WHAT??? (future ideas)

  • Ideas?
  • Questions?
  • Changes for the future/next time?
  • What can/will be different?
  • How can you apply the message/experience to grow?

SAMPLE REFLECTION

“As one of my service activities I wanted to help an elderly person as I realized that their problems are sometimes neglected or forgotten. That is why I turned to an environmental nurse so that she could find a person in need of help and willing to be helped.

On one day the nurse and I visited the elderly lady in her home. Before hand, the nurse informed me that the lady used to work physically and retired early (at the age of 45 due to health problems). I got acquainted with her and from that day on I started visiting her regularly once a week.I went for walks with the lady and every week we went shopping to the nearest supermarket. However, the most important task turned out to be far more difficult than I had expected. I made the greatest effort to make the woman cheerful, to create a friendly warm atmosphere,but I noticed how reserved and depressed she was. She mentioned the fact that she had been lonely for a long time and it stuck in my memory. It made me realize how loneliness affects human psyche.

At the beginning I found it very difficult to make her smile, because she was only saying how miserable her life was and complained about the problems that she faced. I tried to show my understanding and convince her that life is worth living regardless of the difficulties one faces, but it seemed to me that it did not speak to her. Sometimes I wondered if my visits and help were bringing her anything good. Surprisingly, as time was passing by and we came to know each other better, I noticed a change in her and a change in the character of our interaction. I was very happy when on one day she confessed to me how grateful she was for my help. The activity gave me fulfillment and made me conceive how serious is the problem of loneliness in life and I realized the importance of attention that needs to be paid to lonely people.”

#4 - Emotional Wellness

Emotional Wellness is our ability to be in touch with our feelings and emotions.  Having emotional wellness helps us cope with the demands of life.   Our emotional wellness can be impacted by medical conditions or choices we make.   

 Part 4a
 - 2/16 Read the article/listen to the podcast in red and answer the questions in blue.
 - 2/22 HW due

Depression Strikes Today's Teen Girls Especially Hard - read the article or listen to the podcast.

HW Questions for the article (or podcast) - Please open your Google Document for Health, date the work and answer the questions.   A great tip is to copy the questions into the document OR restate the question in your response.  

1.  WHAT - Did you read the article or listen to the podcast?   WHAT was it about, summarize in 2-3 sentences.
2.  SO WHAT - How does this article connect to the lives and learning of teenage girls?
3.  NOW WHAT - What can you change for yourself as a result of reading this article/listening to this podcast?

Part 4b
 - 2/22 In class assignment and completed for HW if unfinished 
Emotional Wellness can be impacted by conditions and/or choices we make!  As we continue to learn more about Emotional Wellness, we will continue to practice the skill of reflection....but this time the reflection will be done through images!  The assignment is below:

1.  Choose a video from the Ted-Ed/Crash Course selections below.
2.  Watch the Video.
3.  When the video is finished, reflect using the W-SW-NW model - do this in your head or a quick write on paper.  Ask yourself what FEELINGS and FUTURE thoughts you are having.   The "feelings" and the "future thoughts" are the SO WHAT and NOW WHAT stages of reflection. 
4.  Now you need to turn your feelings and future thoughts into an IMAGE!   Take a photo with your phone or find a photo that reflects the feelings and future thoughts.
5.  Open your Health Journal on Google Docs and date a new entry.  Insert the Image you choose under the date for today.
6.  Write ONE sentence with SPECIFIC details to address WHAT the image represents regarding your feelings and future thoughts. 
7.  Repeat the process above for a second video*.   

*If you choose one of the longer videos (9+ minutes) you can watch one video and create/find TWO images!

As a freebie - I'll give you an awesome tip to make your photos really interesting!  :)
Another note (also free) - Ted videos are reliable sources of information!

#5 - Occupational Wellness

Occupational wellness is about your skills, finances, balance and satisfaction. This aspect of wellness involves finding fulfillment in your work and enjoying a balance between work and leisure time. 

Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Quoting

#6 - Intellectual Wellness

In this aspect of wellness we practice being critical thinkers, creative thinkers and curious about the world around us.  The IB learner profile of Thinker and Knowledgeable recognize people who use new ideas to solve local and global problems as VALUABLE!  

#7 Social Wellness

Social wellness is about relationships, respect and involvement with communities we are part of.

Physical Wellness

Spiritual Wellness