Stress in Our Lives

Activity Goals

In this activity, learners will participate in schema-building on data related to stress. Learners will explore and become familiar with different types of data visualizations (e.g., tables, pie charts, bar charts, etc.) and gain practice in creating data visualizations, while practicing how to speak data. Additionally, learners will practice planning and collecting their own data. Learners will relate what they’ve learned in this activity to social support and generate ideas for more independent projects that can have an impact on their own communities.

Key Objectives

SD.3 Describe data and data visuals

SD.6 Explain and interpret data and data visuals

PD.3 Gather information

PD.11 Explain how visual representations affect our understanding

DS.3 Promote data-storytelling in your community

Steps

1. Begin by looking at the “stressed out” cartoon, either as a class or individually/in pairs before coming back together. Generate words (in English or Spanish) to describe each frame, and discuss: who is stressed? What kind of stress? What is the source of the stress? Imagine what will happen next: What will they do? Who can they talk to? How can they get help? Learners can brainstorm a list of suggestions for the stressed out person.

2. Brainstorm a list of sources of stress in the learners’ lives, in pairs, small groups, or as a class. Then compile this list into a chart, with headings: “situation,” “number of people,” and “most, many, some, few” (see Student Stress Table example). You can also add a fourth column, “percentage.”

3. Practice data collection: As a class, go over each source of stress from the chart, counting the number of learners who have that source of stress. Fill out the chart for each source of stress under “number of people.”

4. Review words for counting and explaining and interpreting data. In pairs or small groups, learners fill out the third column in the chart (“most, many, some, few”) by comparing the number in column B with the total number of learners. Learners can fill out the fourth column (“percentage”) if available.

5. Explore different types of data visualizations together (e.g., table, pie, bar charts, column, list, etc.). Teachers should have examples prepared. Review language for data visualizations (“This chart shows…”; “More people ____ than ____…”; “Most people say…”; etc.).

6. Learners create data visualizations (using paper and markers), such as a pie chart or bar chart.

Ideas for Action

Learners can generate ideas for class projects related to stress, data, and social support. How can learners take what they’ve learned and share it with their communities?

• Learners can do data work on different things that affect stress levels (e.g., health status, sleep quality, etc.).

• Learners can do data work on social support: who do you talk to when you’re stressed? Who can you talk to when you need help? Consider different sources of stress, and who/where you might receive help from. (e.g., When I need help getting food, I can go to my relative or a food bank; When I need help with my health, I can go to the doctor.)

Resources

• “Stressed Out” Picture Story

• Use this picture story to begin a conversation about stress. Ask learners what happens in this cartoon, who is feeling stressed, and what the source of stress is. Learners can work alone or in pairs on generating words (in English or another language) for each frame of the cartoon.  

• Student Stress Table

• This resource is an example of the Student Stress Table. Fill out the source of stress/situation based on your learners’ responses, and learners will fill out the remaining columns individually or in pairs/small groups.

• Bilingual Bingo (“Dealing with Stress”)

• Use this bingo card for a fun supporting activity for learners to identify sources of stress in their own lives. This resource uses both English and Spanish, but it can be adapted for different languages. You can do the bingo activity in two different ways. First, play bingo traditionally: each learner has their own card, and call out squares in random order until someone “wins.” Or, you can have learners fill out their bingo cards concurrently, and then share their results with the class or in partners.

• Mingling activity: When you’re stressed out, who do you talk to?

• Use this resource as an activity to encourage conversation and idea-generating. Learners will begin reflecting on different strategies for managing stress. With their own handout, each learner will “mingle” with other classmates. Learners will ask, “When you’re stressed out, who do you talk to?” Learners will record their respondent’s name and response.

• Hsieh’s Research on Stress (handout)

• Use this resource for an activity for learners to practice understanding and speaking data. This resource gives information on a study on stress conducted by researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, and University of Central Orlando. Go over the facts on the study participants with your learners, and reflect on what that tells you about the study results. Then, look at the study results specifically. You can discuss the numbers and the percentages. Then, have learners respond to the study questions themselves. How do their own results compare to the study’s?

• 13 women with sentence prompts (handout)

• This is a handout for students to practice counting. First, students will create and fill out a survey about sources of stress, then compile data together. Teachers can also create the data themselves. Then, with this handout, students will count the number of learners (in this example, women; using chips or counting with tallies or in their heads) for each data point the teacher calls out, and fill out the sentence prompts.