Year 5 CORE Mental Health
Welcome! This page introduces you to the Year 5 content for the CORE MH curriculum. Here is an overview of what is covered:
N.B. PS=Problem-solving
- Many of the following Year 5 CORE MH tasks will introduce children to more mental health conditions.
- This knowledge will help them to appreciate and feel empathy for someone who needs support with their mental health, thus reducing stigma, and also inform them about any signs and symptoms to be aware of.
- Care has been taken to share what is appropriate for them at their age, but also to share with openness and so that they gain an understanding of key messages.
- The word ‘suicide’ is mentioned sparingly, and mainly in relation to a person being in crisis, and also with an emphasis on hope.
- The rationale for including discussions about depression is given within the content (and in the ‘teacher guidance’ section of CORE MH) so that as a teacher you can make the decision about whether your class are ready to be introduced to this.
- Addiction, self-harm, and anxiety are mentioned too.
- Body image, and the link between gender and mental health is reflected upon.
- The subject of female genital mutilation (FGM) is mentioned (in case you feel this content is appropriate for your class).
- They are given information about bacteria, viruses, allergies and personal hygiene.
- They are given information about hazards and first aid in the home (including fire risks) and what they can do to reduce risks and keep safe in the local environment or unfamiliar places.
- Information about money and how people’s spending decisions can affect others and the environment, including fair trade, buying single-use plastics, and charity.
- Information about ADHD is shared and also suggestions that come from pupils about how children living with ADHD can be supported more compassionately at schools and suggestions for how teachers can make adjustments rather than them feeling like they always have to adapt to a neurotypical world.
- There are many sessions that facilitate a problem-solving approach to understanding social media and gaming and knowing how to protect their mental health whilst engaging in these types of activities.
- Gaming and resilience are covered and also resilience in the face of peer pressure.
- N.B. THERE 44 WEEKLY SESSIONS WITHIN THIS CONTENT, WHICH IS MORE THAN THE NUMBER OF TEACHING WEEKS IN A YEAR (BECAUSE OF HALF TERMS AND HOLIDAYS). THIS IS TO ALLOW YOU TO MIX AND MATCH AND SELECT THE SESSIONS BASED ON WHAT CONTENT YOU THINK YOUR CLASS NEED.
- The Overview below (using red button) has hyperlinks to each of the sessions so you can access them in one click…
Preparing for Year 5 CORE MH:
Here are some tasks that you can do to in early September (or whenever your school starts the CORE MH Curriculum) to support your class and their mental health: create a calm-down area in the classroom, make a visual timetable, source some mood journals, and find 3 self-assessment pots and counters (all the details are below):
Create a calm-down area
The calm-down area can simply be a corner of your classroom that is a designated area for children to access if they feel the need to calm down. Ideally, this would consist of some comfortable chairs, a rug and a variety of resources for children to self-regulate and have access to sensory objects to soothe themselves.
Examples of Resources
- Soft toys to stroke, playdough to mould, rice or water/glitter in jars, variety of textures and fabrics
- Natural objects such as pebbles, shells, sorting trays with beads and buttons
- Headphones to provide quiet, colourful and pastel pictures
A Visual Timetable
Use of a visual timetable is recommended. Preparing one of these using cards and Velcro would be useful over the summer. This allows children to feel safe because they know what to expect and can prepare themselves a little for what the day ahead may be like.
Resources
- Velcro
- Card
- Pictures
Source a Mood Journal
Please source a ‘mood journal’ (a book with plain paper) for every child prior to the start of the term (or ask them to continue to use the one from the previous year if there are still pages left in it). The mood journal is their own personal resource, so as a teacher you won’t mark it or even look at it, unless a child wishes you to. A child does not need to write, they can draw, doodle or just sit and reflect in their mood journal.
Resources
- A book with plain paper
- Previous mood journal, if applicable
Make 3 Self-Assessment Pots
Make 3 self-assessment pots (SAPs) labelled with these words ‘Yes’, ‘Not sure’ and ‘No, not yet’, and find one counter for each child. This makes assessment easier for you and gives you a general idea of where the learning is in each session, for example, how many children felt they had (‘yes’) and hadn’t (‘no, not yet’) achieved the learning objective and how many children may have experienced confusion around the task (‘not sure’).
Resources
- Tins, jam jars or pencil pots
- Counters or coins
Provide Feedback
I would be very grateful if you could keep a record on the platform of how the sessions have gone, and how the children have interacted with the self-assessment pots.
What to record
- How many counters are in each pot
- Note on how you felt the session went
- Engagement levels
- Misconceptions
- Suggestions for improvement
Here is a list of all of the resources that you will need to deliver ALL of the Year 5 content: (for those of you that wish to be prepared! Otherwise, they are simple enough for you to collect each week) 🙂
- mood journals
- funds to buy children, who cannot afford it, a plant,
- cards with ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ on them,
- art materials, including marker pens, scissors, large sheets of paper, glue,
- donuts (half a plain donut for each child),
- Polo mints (one per child),
- some photos (for those that forget to bring one),
- Blu-tac
- buttons
- iPads,
- post-it notes,
- timers,
- stickers,
- pinecones,
- charcoal or pastels,
- bowl of water,
- candles (about 6) and trays of sand (for safety purposes)
- Appendices 42-50
- Book: Bottled by Tom and Jo Brassington