Uncertainty during COVID-19
Coronavirus (COVID-19) can lead to cancelled events and reduced physical interaction. While these restrictions are critical to support public health, we understand they can leave students feeling upset about being unable to see their friends and doing their usual activities. It can be helpful to remind students that there are things they can do to help deal with situations like these.
Year level
7-12
Duration
60 minutes
Type
In class activity
Online learning
Take away activity
SEL Competencies
Self-awareness
Self-management
Learning intention
Students identify the uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, analyse how these make them feel, and develop and implement personal coping strategies.
Key outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
describe ways to cope with uncertainty
identify how uncertainty makes them feel.
Materials needed
Student access to ReachOut.com’s article ‘How to deal with uncertainty during coronavirus’
Mapped to
Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Plan and implement strategies, using health resources, to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, relationships and wellbeing (AC9HP8P10)
Plan, rehearse and evaluate strategies for managing situations where their own or others’ health, safety or wellbeing may be at risk (AC9HP10P08)
Evaluate emotional responses in different situations to refine strategies for managing emotions (AC9HP10P06)
Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability:
Self-awareness
Self-management
Critical and Creative Thinking:
Inquiring
Digital Literacy:
Creating and exchanging
NSW PDHPE Syllabus
Examines and evaluates strategies to manage current and future challenges (PD4-1)
Demonstrates self-management skills to effectively manage complex situations (PD4-9)
Assesses their own and others’ capacity to reflect on and respond positively to challenges (PD5-1)
Assesses and applies self-management skills to effectively manage complex situations (PD5-9)
Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity (VCHPEP128)
Evaluate situations and propose appropriate emotional responses and then reflect on possible outcomes of different responses to health and wellbeing (VCHPEP147)
Activity 1
Brainstorm: Uncertainty
10 minutes
Explain to students that in times of uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it is natural to feel overwhelmed. By dealing with the challenges that arise with uncertainty, they will become more resilient and develop new strategies for coping with the unknown, both now and in the future.
Ask students to think about the uncertainties they are currently experiencing.
Students create an individual list of their ideas. To help, suggest they use categories such as:
Friends: Will I be able to see my friends?
Family: Will we be able to go on holidays?
School: Will school close? How will I complete this year at school?
Community: Are all the shops going to close?
Students highlight the three things that are the most daunting or confusing for them.
Activity 2
Y-chart: Uncertainty
10 minutes
Ask students to use their list to reflect on the impact the uncertainty is having on them.
Students draw a Y-chart and record what uncertainty:
Looks like
Feels like
Sounds like.
Explain to students that by understanding what uncertainty feels like, looks like and sounds like, they can recognise early what is making them nervous, frustrated or confused and take steps to reduce its impact.
Activity 3
Presentation: How to deal with uncertainty
30 minutes
Students read ReachOut.com’s article ‘How to deal with uncertainty during coronavirus’.
Students select two tips from the article and create a presentation. This may be a video, PowerPoint, infographic or poster.
For each tip students select, they answer the following questions:
What is the suggested tip?
What examples are provided in the article?
Can you think of any other examples that could be included?
How could this help someone cope with uncertainty?
Students share their presentations with the class. If working remotely, they could do this by sending their presentations to the teacher or uploading them to a shared space.
Debrief with students, explaining that they can use these tips to help them cope with the uncertainty they are experiencing.
Activity 4
Personal reflection and strategy
10 minutes
Students write down the uncertainties they highlighted in their brainstorm.
For each one, students write a strategy they could use to help them deal with it.
Encourage students to share these with each other and their support networks.
