Teen loneliness is at an all-time high and your students are living it. More than half of Gen Z reports feeling lonely often or always, and most of them have no idea how to name it, let alone fix it. This high school health lesson on social connection and loneliness changes that, without a single lecture!
This fully editable lesson starts with a real headline that puts students in journalist mode, ["Gen Z goes out less, dates less, and spends more time alone than any previous generation at the same age." You're a news reporter. You just read this headline and you're about to interview a teenager. What questions would you ask?]
From there, they dig into the data, debate the causes, and then tackle a fictional school in a full-blown loneliness crisis, coming up with creative solutions across environment, policies, and culture before turning that same lens on their own lives.
Using 15 editable Google Slides and a editable double-sided follow-along worksheet (Google Classroom compatible), students will map their own rings of connection, reflect honestly on where their time and attention is actually going, and build a concrete plan for creating a life with deeper, more intentional relationships. AKA Their Village!
What's Included:
- 15 editable Google Slides (headline hook, data slides, case study activity, rings of connection, and personal village planning)
- Editable Double-sided student worksheet (print or digital)
- Editable Double-sided Case Study (print or digital)
- Step-by-step teacher lesson plan, NHES aligned (Standards 2.12.6, 5.12.1, 6.12.2, 7.12.2)
Topics Covered: teen loneliness, Gen Z social disconnection, screen time, social media, rings of connection, parasocial relationships, community building, healthy relationships, social connection, mental health, belonging