Bethany Nicholls 37 954 59

Unit: Psychology Unit 4 Area of Study: Area of study 2 Mental Health

Week/
Lesson
Main Teaching Dot
Points
Introductory Activity Main Lesson activities Resources Homework

Week 1 -
Lesson 1
Concepts of normality-
Normality vs.
abnormality

Skill: Students able to
differentiate between
the concepts of
normality. Process and
interpret different
scenarios according to
concepts.
Walk in wearing a pink wig
Lead to discussion of what
the class thinks is normal
and how they define it. Then
use PowerPoint (Nelson
textbook summary) for
psychological definition
from text.
Normal vs. abnormal handout
students read scenarios and
respond weather they think the
behaviour is normal or abnormal.
Class discussion and debrief after
activity 10/15mins

Conclude lesson with pictures
depicting different scenario that
the students have to define and
normal or abnormal according to
a concept.

VCE Unit
Nelson Text

No homework this
lesson

Lesson 2
Refresh Normality.
Mental Health and
Mental Illness definitions.
Systems of Classifying
Mental Disorders:
Categorical vs.
Dimensional approach



Flash a few pictures of
different scenarios on the
board getting the students
to answer normal vs.
abnormal according to
which concept.


After covering mental health
problems and mental illness,
students are to complete Nelson
Student activity manual 7.2
differentiating between mental
health problems and illnesss
-10mins

Bring in a DSM for students to see
and pass around.

VCE Nelson text
and Nelson
Student activity
manual

DSM-IV

Read Mental
Health Chapter
from Nelson
Textbook - Pages
215-223

Check your
understanding 7.1
and 7.2

Lesson 3
Categorical (DSM-IV /
ICD-10) continued
vs. Dimensional (Graded
& Transitional)
Mental Illness Stigma video
Demi Lovato young
celebrity talking about her
mental illness and they
awareness she is trying to
promote. Decrease Stigma
- 10 min discussion & video.
The School Psychologist coming in
to speak to students about how
she uses the DSM-IV to diagnose
patients and discuss with students
how it is put into practice
everyday
- 20mins

YouTube Demi
Lovato Video-
https://www.yo
utube.com/wat
ch?v=dMCb9cE
3oPY

DSM-IV

No homework this
lesson
Bethany Nicholls 37 954 59

Lesson 4

Revise categorical
(DSM-IV / ICD-10)
vs. Dimensional (Graded
& Transitional) including
strengths and limitations

Skill: Identify how
psychologists diagnose
mental illness and how
misdiagnose can have
a negative impact on a
persons life
Classifying mental illness Quiz
give the students 10 minutes
to complete quiz (quiz is on
content covered in the last 3
lessons)


Mental Health Psych Pong
Students set up plastic cups in a
triangle, teacher places symptoms in
each cup, and they then throw the
pong into the cup. If the students
get the pong into the cup they
retrieve the symptom and have to
make a diagnosis with just that one
symptom. As the game continues
and the more symptoms they get
the more accurate the diagnosis will
be.
Point of the game is to highlight the
importance of assessing all areas (5
axis) when diagnosing a patient
and the negative impact it can
have when misdiagnosed (relate
back to stigma video) 30mins


Quiz to check
understanding
(Appendix 1)


Psych Pong
cups, symptoms
and game sheet
(Appendix 2)

Student activity
manual 7.3 and 7.4

Check your
Understanding 7.3
(textbook)


Week 2 -
Lesson 1
Understand what the
Biopsychosocial
framework is.

Skill: Learn how to apply
the biopsychosocial
framework to stress.
Handout biopsychosocial
Framework Venn diagram
Get students to brainstorm
biological, psychological
factors that could affect
mental illness 10mins

To wrap up the first activity put their
ideas on the board as a class
diagram 10mins

Get students to apply their own
example to the content and talk
about some of their own
experiences. 5mins


Biopsychosocial
Framework
diagram
handout
(Appendix 3)

No homework this
lesson
Lesson 2 Transactional Model of
stress and coping -
Lazarus and Folkman

Stages of the stress
response and coping
strategies (problem and
emotional)

Skill: Apply stress response
to different strategies
Have a short discussion with
students identifying what
happens to us when we are
stressed & how do we cope
5mins.
Apply transactional model stages
of stress response (primary and
secondary appraisal) to a stressful
scenario that is handled by two
different people, two different ways.
Students can make a flow chart
outlining the stress response followed
by the two different people.
- This activity helps apply the
content they just learnt for a better
understanding. -20mins

Poster paper for
scenario flow
chart


Read textbook
page 214 end of
chapter.


Student activity
manual: 7.5 & 7.6
Bethany Nicholls 37 954 59
Lesson 3 Strengths and weakness
of the Transactional
Model of stress and
coping

Factors that effect the
stress response
protective and risk
(social, cultural and
environmental)
Begin with a recap of the
Transactional model of stress
and coping 5mins.


Get students to list things under
each factor (social, cultural and
environmental) that they think would
alleviate and exacerbate stress
followed by class discussion
10mins.



Student activity
manual: 7.7, 7.8


Lesson 4 Allostasis:
(Include homeostasis)

Allostatic systems,
Factors that influence
Allastatic Load/Overload

Skill: Students can
differentiate between
allostasis and
homeostasis

Biology students in the class
can help out by helping
explain what homeostasis is
leads into explanation of
allostasis - 5mins.
Once content is complete give
students time to complete an
Allostasis mind mad writing up and
revising what was just covered
15mins.

This content is probably the hardest
in mental health and it can take
some time for students to get an
understanding, spend some time
one of one with students


Allostasis mind
map

Student activity
manual 7.9

Check your
understanding 7.4
and 7.5
Week 3
Lesson 1
Stress management
techniques:
Biofeedback, meditation,
physical exercise, social
support.

Skill: Students aware how
these factors alleviate
stress
Review Allostasis get
students to come to the
board and explain allostasis
referring the diagram we
used last lesson
Short Video explaining biofeedback
3mins

Run a relaxation activity and if you
have time a short walk around the
school to apply the content they just
used to their own mental health
this content is useful to the students
as they lead up to 10mins

Biofeedback
video:
https://www.yout
ube.com/watch
?v=MpnHkbuN4
Nw


Prescribe the
students relaxation
techniques and
walks after study to
help manage stress
of year 12
Lesson 2 Revision of the last 2
weeks content on mental
health SAC revision
Begin with a quick BSP Stress
quiz to see where the
students are at with the
content: 10 minutes!
Handout a SAC checklist and a
mental health revision poster that
students need to complete covers
all content All lesson.

Stress Quiz
(Appendix 4)
Mental Health
revision poster
(Appendix 5)

Study for up
coming mental
health SAC
Lesson 3 Final revision class for
mental health before
SAC
As a class answer any
questions they have about
any of the content
Complete revision posters go over
any topic the students dont
understand All lesson.

Mental Health
revision poster

Study for upcoming
mental health SAC
Bethany Nicholls 37 954 59
Lesson 4 MENTAL HEALTH SAC TEST CONDITIONS
Week 4
Lesson 1
Give students back their
SACs and go through
mark scheme what was
answered well what was
answered poorly



Sac Return
Mark scheme what was answered
well what was answered poorly.

How they can improve, feedback.


Mark scheme for
mental health
SAC

(Appendix 6)

Re-write questions
they didnt answer
well in SAC
Lesson 2 Biopsychosocial
Framework applied
through Phobias-

Biological contributing
factors: role of the stress
response; role of the
neurotransmitter gamma-
amino butyric acid
(GABA) in the
management of phobic
anxiety

Begin with pictures of certain
phobias- class will find this
funny and spark their interest
in the topic. Most students
believe they have a phobia
eg: spiders.

Clarify the difference
between a phobia and a
fear 5/8mins.

Show short video of a person with a
phobia! Woman afraid of feathers
4mins.

Explain stress response and the role
of GABA in treatment and
management of a phobia.


Woman afraid of
feathers video:

https://www.yout
ube.com/watch
?v=lMZ5o2uruXY



No homework this
lesson
Lesson 3 Psychological
contributing factors:

psychodynamic,
behavioural and
cognitive models

Prior knowledge what do
they know about Sigmund
Freud? - Leads into
psychodynamic model
5mins.
Do an example of acquiring a
phobia through classical condition
then get the class to come up with
their own example.

Do the same for maintaining a
phobia through operant
conditioning 10mins



Read textbook
page 220-225
Lesson 4 The use of
psychotherapies in
treatment including
cognitive behavioural
therapy (CBT), systematic
desensitization and
flooding

Get a student out the front of
the class to mimic what they
think happens when they go
to a psychologist and how
they treat patients 5mins.
Once content is explained watch a
video on systematic desensitization
and flooding. Students should
already have prior knowledge on
this content; the videos are quite
funny for the students 5mins.

Flooding Video:

https://www.yout
ube.com/watch
?v=A3skEh76l8w


Begin looking over
past notes, exam
prep should be in
their minds
Bethany Nicholls 37 954 59
Week 5
Lesson 1
Socio-cultural
contributing factors:
specific environmental
triggers such as being
bitten by a dog; parental
modeling and
transmission of threat
information

Quick Phobias quiz to see
where the students are at
with the content 10 minutes!
Go through the answers with
them after.
Use as many examples as possible to
explain the content, give students
the opportunity to share stories of
watching someone be afraid of
something and how it has effected
them. Students enjoy talking about
their own experiences and it aids
them with their memory of the
content 10mins.



Phobia Quiz
(Appendix 7)

Begin looking over
past notes, exam
prep should be in
their minds
Lesson 2 The interaction between
biological, psychological
and socio-cultural factors
which contribute to an
understanding of the
disorder and its
Management

Skill: Identify how the BPS
Framework is applied to
Phobias
Short activity should to bring
the whole phobia content
together go back to the
biopsychosocial framework
and discuss how you could
tackle a question based on
phobias and the framework
- 5mins.

The rest of the lesson should be
revision of phobias complete a
phobias revision poster, acting as a
checklist for their upcoming SAC.

Phobias revision
Poster
(Appendix 8)

Study for the
phobia SAC
Lesson 3 PHOBIA SAC TEST CONDITIONS
Lesson 4 Give students back their
SACs and go through
mark scheme what was
answered well what was
answered poorly.

Sac Return
Mark scheme what was answered
well what was answered poorly.

How they can improve, feedback

Mark scheme for
Phobia SAC

Exam prep
Week 6
Lesson 1







Exam Revision begins
Starting with:
Research Methods

Skill: Students should be
able to logically identify
key research methods
and ethical principles
when applied to a
scenario

Students to read a scenario
as a class, spend time
discussing as a class, ethics
and research methodology
within the paper -10mins.
Get the students to tackle another
couple of scenario on their own.
Students need to find where they
are at in regards to knowing the
content before you can move
forward 20mins.

Hand out Research Method revision
poster get students writing up the
poster; revising definitions and
content

Research
Method Scenario
(Appendix 9)

Revision Poster

Exam prep - Should
be looking at
tackling past exam
papers
Bethany Nicholls 37 954 59
Lesson 2 Exam Revision
Research Methods

Skill: Students should be
able to logically identify
key research methods
and ethical principles
when applied to a
scenario

Begin with any questions the
students have about exam
revision get a feel for where
they think they need help
5mins.
Continue on with revision poster
use this time to notice trends in
students learning. Are they all
struggling with a particular part of
research methods? Review
content as a class

Research
Methods Poster

Exam Prep
Lesson 3 Exam Revision
Research Methods
Begin with any questions the
students have about exam
revision get a feel for where
they think they need help
5mins.

Split the class into groups; give each
group a research scenario. They
need to identify the key research
methods and ethical principles and
present to the rest of the class once
they are done students learn the
most from each other 30mins.


Research
Method Scenario
(Appendix 10)

Exam Prep
Practice exams!
Lesson 4 Exam Revision

How should I be
studying?
Split the class into groups,
students need to share with
each other house they study
and what tricks they found
aids their memory 10mins.

Expectations of what the students
need to be doing leading into
exams Holiday homework, how
many practice exams they should
be doing P

2 practice exams
to give to
students

Exam Prep
Practice exams!



To receive an S for this outcome students should be able to display a sound knowledge of mental health and mental illness, as
well as being able to differentiate between the two. Use a biopsychosocial framework to explain the causes and
management of stress and phobias. The need to have a clear understanding of normality and the approaches to it, as well as
being able to recognize coping strategies and factors that alleviate and exacerbate stress.
Students participation and involvement in class is also taken into consideration, their willingness to get involved in class
discussion and apply their knowledge through conversation and classroom activities.


S N/A