Mental Wellness and Asking for Help
Students learn to describe signs of sadness, worry, or stress that last beyond one bad day with concrete examples, name three trusted adults in different settings to talk to when struggling, understand that mental health is as real and important as physical health, practice two self-care habits consistently while describing how each supports wellness, and use a simple script to ask for help when needed.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to recognize when stress or sadness has lasted longer than one bad day, name three trusted adults in different settings they could go to, describe two self-care habits with a specific connection to why they help, and use a direct script to ask for help without shame.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recognizing When Stress Lasts Too Long | SM-MHL-3-1 · SM-MHL-3-3 |
| 2 | Who to Go To and How to Take Care of Yourself | SM-MHL-3-2 · SM-MHL-3-4 |
| 3 | Asking for Help in the Right Words | SM-MHL-3-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| SM-REG-3-1 | Noticing lasting patterns requires the same inner-awareness habits that regulation builds — pausing and checking in with yourself instead of reacting |
| RS-HLP-3-2 | Naming trusted adults and practicing a help-seeking script directly builds the relationship skill of knowing when and how to use your support network |
| SA-EMO-3-1 | Recognizing that a feeling has lasted too long depends on having enough emotional vocabulary to name what you’re experiencing and notice when it shifts |
Key Vocabulary
- mental health — how your mind and feelings are doing, the same way physical health describes how your body is doing
- lasting sign — something you notice in yourself that sticks around for more than one bad day and keeps showing up
- trusted adult — a grown-up in your life who is safe to talk to, will listen, and can actually help
- self-care habit — something you do regularly that helps your mind feel steadier and more like itself
- help-seeking — the skill of knowing when you need support and asking for it directly and without shame
Materials
- Whiteboard or chart paper, markers
- Before the week begins: Post your unit anchor chart and I Can Statement where students can see them — you’ll reference both throughout the week.
- Optional: sticky notes for the exit ticket in Closing the Week
How this lesson is structured: Each skill segment below has an I Do (teacher models the skill with a realistic scenario) and a We Do (class practices together with your guidance). Independent practice — the You Do — lives in the practice resources that go alongside this lesson.
What Students Need Before This Lesson
- What’s inside
- What students should already be able to do
- Helpful to have in place
- 3 quick set-ups before the I DoMental health is as real as physical health · One hard day vs. a lasting pattern · Asking for help is a skill, not a weakness
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Introducing the Skill
- What’s inside
- Opening hook
- What we’re learning
- Why it matters
- Core sentence frameThe frame students use all week
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Recognizing When Stress Lasts Too Long
- What’s inside
- I do: 3 teacher modelsTextbook example: what a lasting sign looks and sounds like · Wrong version → fix: one hard day vs. a lasting sign · Named character: putting it together (Amara)
- We do: 3 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Who to Go To and How to Take Care of Yourself
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsBuilding a real trusted-adult list: three people, three settings · Wrong version → fix: the same person or the same setting · Named character: two self-care habits with genuine connections (Marcus) · Wrong version → fix: two habits from the same category
- We do: 4 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Asking for Help in the Right Words
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTextbook example: a direct, shame-free script · Wrong version → fix: shame and hesitation · Named character: connecting the three segments (Priya) · Ordinary scenario: using the script in a low-stakes, everyday moment
- We do: 4 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Closing prompt
- Round 1 — Segment 1
- Round 2 — Segment 2
- Round 3 — Segment 3
This section opens when Grade 3 launches.
Practice for every skill segment
Each lesson comes with independent practice — the “you do” — for each of its 3 skill segments, in print and digital.
Printable practice
Ready-to-copy practice pages for each segment.
- View and print in your browser
- Answer keys for quick checking
Digital activities
Share one link — students open it on any device, and you see their answers.
- Works on Chromebooks, tablets and phones
- Students just type their name to start
While you wait: from the SEL Resource Library
Self-Management resources for Grade 3, ready to use today.
