Navigating Change Unit Plan

The Navigating Change unit is designed to help you support students in understanding that change is a natural part of life and that resilience can be developed over time. Grounded in a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach, the unit focuses on helping students recognize their existing strengths, identify protective factors that support mental well-being, and build practical strategies for navigating change and future challenges. 

This unit will help your students:

• understand that change is a normal and shared part of life;
• recognize how change can affect thoughts, emotions, behaviours, relationships, and well-being;
• explore how resilience develops over time through supportive relationships, personal strengths, healthy coping strategies, and community resources;
• identify protective factors that promote mental well-being and help people adapt to change;
• apply resilience-building strategies to real-world situations;
• reflect on how they can support their own well-being while contributing to supportive and caring communities.

The interactive learning opportunities provided throughout the unit plan are designed to facilitate meaningful discussions, reflection, collaboration, and active participation. Recognizing that no one knows your students better than you do, we encourage you to adapt activities, discussions, and pacing to best meet the needs of your classroom.

This unit is designed to be completed over five class periods of 60–75 minutes in length. If you choose to have students complete the optional summative assessment in class, we recommend setting aside additional time.

‍

Additional Notes

Grade-Level Considerations

This unit is designed for Grades 9–12. While the core lessons remain the same, optional summative assessment versions are included for:

• Junior high school (Grades 9–10): focuses on identifying and applying protective factors through a Resilience Plan.
• Senior high school (Grades 11–12): emphasizes deeper analysis, justification, and reflection through a Resilience Action Plan.

Teachers are encouraged to select the assessment that best aligns with their students' readiness, course expectations, and learning goals.

‍

Sequencing with the Jack Talk

Lesson 5 is designed to accompany the Navigating Change Jack Talk and is intended to be completed after Lessons 1–3, once students have developed a foundational understanding of change, resilience, and protective factors.

The recommended sequence is:

1. Understanding Change
2. Building Resilience
3. Creating Supportive Communities
4. Jack Talk: Navigating Change 
5. Putting Resilience into Practice (optional review and summative assessment)

If needed, teachers may adapt the sequence to fit their classroom schedule or integrate the Jack Talk at another point in the unit.

‍

Youth Perspectives

Lesson 1 was co-designed with members of Jack.org’s Youth Voice Council to ensure the learning reflects young people’s experiences and perspectives. Youth Voice Council members contributed their ideas and feedback to the development of the lesson and shared their perspectives through the accompanying video resource.

Many thanks to Lily Baker for their leadership in developing much of Lesson 1, and to Manuella Kyeremeh, Dzhafar Kabidenov, and Ashley Hauer for contributing their perspectives and voices to the accompanying video resource. We are grateful to all of our Youth Voice Council members for helping bring youth perspectives into this resource.

Before using these resources with your students, it is important first to consider the following. 

Talking about mental health can sometimes be difficult for young people — especially those who are struggling or have experienced a difficult situation. There are some considerations we recommend you work through to make sure your lessons support a safe and positive experience for everyone. Please consider the following questions: 

1. Have I considered the cultural, religious, and social backgrounds of my student population to shape a relevant and appropriate lesson? 
2. Have I made arrangements to ensure support is available for any particularly vulnerable youth?
3. Are mental health supports available in the school should students need/want professional help during or after a classroom activity, lesson, or unit? If so, am I aware of how to connect students with these supports? If not, are there mental health supports outside of the school I can connect them with? 
4. Am I able to notify families and other community members that a mental health unit is occurring and equip them with resources to talk about mental health at home? 

If you answered no to any of these questions, this may be cause for concern. Please speak with your colleagues (e.g., Mental Health Lead, Adolescent Care Worker, curriculum lead, administrators, Student Success/Guidance Departments, school board support) to ensure both you and your students have the necessary support in place. 

Please also refer to our Before You Teach Guides for resources to support your practice.

Mental Health 101

 Safer Language

 Classroom Discussion Guide  

 Trauma Informed Teaching

Alberta

Physical education and wellness 7-9

Curriculum Overview

• Practise positive social behaviours in a variety of contexts. 
• Discuss strategies to manage risk to personal health and safety. 
• Relate protective strategies to mental well-being 
• Reflect on unsafe situations that adolescents face online, at home, at school and in the community. 
• Examine supports for mental health challenges. 
• Reflect on personal strengths as they relate to leadership and followership. 
• Examine personal and social factors that influence decisions, actions and behaviours. 
• Explore mental health literacy. 

Career education and financial literacy 7-9

Curriculum Overview

• Create open-ended plans to support transitions. 
• Assess personal strengths and opportunities for growth. 
• Develop strategies that can help manage transitions. 

British Columbia

Physical and Health Education 10

Curricular Competencies

• Evaluate and explain strategies for promoting mental well-being 
• Create and evaluate strategies for managing physical, emotional, and social changes during puberty and adolescence 
• Explore and describe factors that shape personal identities, including social and cultural factors 

‍

Québec

Éducation physique et à la santé

Progression des apprentissages au secondaire : Compétence 3 – Adopter un mode de vie sain et actif

• Nommer des situations de stress qui ont des impacts dans sa vie de tous les jours (ex. : gagner une compétition, avoir un examen) 
• Nommer des réactions physiologiques associées à une situation de stress (ex. : augmentation de la fréquence cardiaque, sudation) 
• Nommer des répercussions d’une mauvaise gestion du stress sur sa santé et son bien-être (ex. : anxiété, fatigue, perturbation du sommeil, dépression) 
• Indiquer des stratégies pour se relaxer (ex. : prendre un bain chaud, lire, faire de l’activité physique, utiliser une technique de relaxation) 
• Utiliser des techniques pour se relaxer après un effort physique ou pour gérer son stress (ex. : respiration contrôlée, méthode de Jacobson, yoga, imagerie mentale) ‘

EKIP : santé, bien-être et réussite éducative des jeunes

• 1.1 Reconnaître des stratégies d’adaptation à des situations stressantes ou difficiles 
  
  • Exploration des différentes réactions possibles face à des situations stressantes ou difficiles (ex. : situations liées à de nouvelles exigences socioscolaires, à un nouvel environnement, à l’intimidation ou à la discrimination) 
  • Adoption de stratégies face à des situations sur lesquelles on peut avoir du contrôle ou que l’on peut changer (ex. : méthodes de travail, gestion du temps, démarche de résolution de conflits, demande d’aide) 
  • Adoption de stratégies face à des situations que l’on ne peut changer, comme la perte d’un être cher ou une séparation (ex. : exprimer ses émotions, avoir une attitude positive, demander de l’aide) 
• 1.2 Connaître des stratégies à privilégier lors d’une situation qui nécessite de l’aide pour soi ou les autres 
  
  • Reconnaissance des signes de détresse, des attitudes et des comportements qui nécessitent de l’aide 
  • Connaissance des services de soutien dans son école et sa communauté
• 2.1 Expliquer l’influence de ses habitudes de vie sur sa santé et son bien-être 
• 2.2 Évaluer et adapter ses stratégies pour améliorer ou maintenir sa santé et son bien-être 
• 3.1 Comprendre différentes composantes de la santé mentale 
  
  • Interrelations entre santé mentale et a) santé physique; b) relations positives et égalitaires; c) capacité d’adaptation au stress et aux transitions 
  • Facteurs de risque individuels et environnementaux (ex. : situations stressantes et difficiles, exclusion sociale, pensées négatives) 
  • Facteurs de protection (ex. : stratégies d’adaptation, estime de soi, scolarisation, soutien de la famille et des amis, saines habitudes de vie, recours aux services disponibles) 
  • Troubles mentaux (ex. : troubles anxieux, dépression) et répercussions possibles sur les individus, sur les familles et sur la société 
• 3.3 Connaître des stratégies d’adaptation qui permettent d’être plus objectif par rapport à des situations stressantes ou difficiles et à ses émotions 
  
  • Dédramatisation de la situation 
  • Réévaluation positive de la situation, vision d’un avenir meilleur 
  • Obtention d’un autre point de vue fiable 
• 3.4 Reconnaître les situations qui requièrent de l’aide et les facteurs qui influencent la demande d’aide pour soi ou les autres 
  
  • Reconnaissance des signes de détresse psychologique (ex. : distinction entre un état passager de tristesse et un mal-être persistant qui nécessite de l’aide, signes de détresse comme le repli et l’isolement, idéations suicidaires) 
  • Connaissance des mythes entourant les troubles mentaux 
  • Développement d’une conception positive de la demande d’aide (ce n’est pas un signe de faiblesse) 
  • Recherche de soutien émotionnel dans l’entourage (accueil, écoute, accompagnement vers des ressources)  
  • Connaissance des types d’aide et des façons d’y accéder 
  • Connaissance des ressources disponibles dans l’école et dans la communauté 

‍

This unit includes opportunities for Assessment as Learning and Assessment for Learning, as well as a summative assessment (Assessment of Learning). 

In each lesson, you will find tools to help you obtain assessment information and support learning strategies such as discussions, reflections, tasks done in groups, and handouts that can be included in a student portfolio. 

Assessment for and as Learning 

• Discussion Questions 
• Activities (with accompanying handouts) 
• Student Reflections

Assessment of Learning

• Grades 9–10: My Resilience Plan – focuses on identifying protective factors and applying practical strategies to a chosen challenge or change.
• Grades 11–12: Resilience Action Plan – emphasizes deeper analysis, justification of chosen protective factors, consideration of barriers, and reflection on how resilience develops over time.