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Coping Strategies

Eighth graders learn a toolkit of healthy ways to handle stress and strong feelings, from deep breathing to reframing a thought, and match each coping strategy to what it actually does.

Grade 8CASEL: Self-Management45 minutes1 class periodCASELExplicit teaching4 StandardsCASEL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Define a coping strategy.
  • ✓Tell healthy from unhealthy coping.
  • ✓Pick a strategy for the moment.
  • ✓Match each strategy.
Essential Question

Stress is part of life, but how you handle it is a skill you can build. What are the healthy strategies that help you cope, and when does each one work best?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Strategy

Project this and match each coping strategy to what it does — tap a strategy, then tap its effect.

🧰 Match each coping strategy to what it doesTry it
Strategy
What it does
Tap a strategy, then tap what it does.
The Lesson · SEL Flow (Check-In · Learn · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Pressure's On

5 min

A test, a fight, a packed week — stress hits everyone. What do you already do to handle it, and does it actually help?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask what stress feels like.
  • List what students do.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think.
  • Share.
  • Get ready.
2

Use — Match the Strategy

12 min

Students match each coping strategy to what it does.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Strategy.
  • Match each pair.
  • Note what it does.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Modify — Right Tool, Right Moment

13 min

Students match strategies to situations.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a stressful moment.
  • Pick a strategy that fits.
  • Say why it fits.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name.
  • Pick.
  • Say.
4

Create — Coping Toolkit

15 min

Students build a personal toolkit.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • List your common stressors.
  • Pick four strategies that work.
  • Make a quick-use card.

🎒 Student Actions

  • List.
  • Pick.
  • Make.
5

Reflect — What Works for You

5 min

Students reflect on healthy coping.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • What makes a coping strategy healthy?
  • Which one will you use first?
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the CASEL Framework for Social and Emotional Learning across its five core competencies.

CASEL
Self-Management

Use strategies to manage stress and strong emotions.

CASEL
Self-Management

Regulate emotions in difficult situations.

CASEL
Self-Awareness

Recognize personal stressors and triggers.

CASEL
Responsible Decision-Making

Choose healthy responses over harmful ones.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Strategy + effect cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ helps me by ___ .”
  • Match one pair at a time.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with deep breathing.
  • Practice one strategy as a group.
  • Match one strategy fully before the next.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Match strategies to specific stressors.
  • Compare short-term vs long-term coping.
  • Plan coping for high-pressure weeks.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🖼️Strategy cards
  • 💻Match the Strategy
  • 🧊Calm-down tools
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

coping strategya healthy way to handle stress or strong feelingsstressthe body's response to pressure or a challengeself-managementmanaging your emotions, thoughts, and actionsreframingchanging how you look at a situationtriggersomething that sets off stress or a strong feelingregulationguiding your own emotions and behaviorhealthy copinghandling feelings in ways that help, not harmself-careactions that protect your wellbeing
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a coping strategy?
A healthy way to handle stress or a strong feeling, like deep breathing, talking it out, or taking a break.
QUESTION 2
What makes a coping strategy healthy?
It helps you handle the feeling without hurting yourself or others, and you feel better able to cope afterward.
QUESTION 3
Name one coping strategy you could use.
For example, slow deep breathing, reframing the thought, or getting some physical activity.

Create: a coping toolkit.

Have students list their common stressors, choose four coping strategies that work for them, and make a quick-use card they can reach for in a tough moment. A printable coping-strategies worksheet is in the Social-Emotional Learning library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Self-Management: Coping StrategiesFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Self-Management: Coping StrategiesQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Self-Management: Coping StrategiesPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: coping strategy, healthy coping, reframing, regulation, self-care, self-management, stress, trigger
  1. changing how you look at a situation
  2. something that sets off stress or a strong feeling
  3. handling feelings in ways that help, not harm
  4. actions that protect your wellbeing
  5. managing your emotions, thoughts, and actions
  6. guiding your own emotions and behavior
  7. a healthy way to handle stress or strong feelings
  8. the body's response to pressure or a challenge

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a coping strategy?
  2. What makes a coping strategy healthy?
  3. Name one coping strategy you could use.
Answer key — Part A: 1) reframing · 2) trigger · 3) healthy coping · 4) self-care · 5) self-management · 6) regulation · 7) coping strategy · 8) stress
Part B: 1) A healthy way to handle stress or a strong feeling, like deep breathing, talking it out, or taking a break. 2) It helps you handle the feeling without hurting yourself or others, and you feel better able to cope afterward. 3) For example, slow deep breathing, reframing the thought, or getting some physical activity.