High School Lesson Plan with Paired Texts Non-Fiction: Stress And Aging: 5 Ways Stress Affects Post-50s (And How To Create A Less Stressful Lifestyle), Huffington Post, March 12, 2013 (Lexile Level 1090) Fiction: Goodman, Ellen “The Company Man”, (Lexile Level 940) Lesson Overview Part I: What do you know about STRESS and RELAXING LIFESTYLES? Chronic stress can affect almost every physical process in the body, including digestion, glucose production, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and brain functioning. A high-stress lifestyle can threaten not only good health, but also well-being, relationships and productivity -- particularly in older people who are more greatly affected by stress. “The greatest threat to our lives is our lifestyle,” Dr. Kathleen Hall, author, stress expert and founder of the Stress Institute and the Mindful Living Network, tells the Huffington Post. "If you slow down and get some relaxation techniques, it absolutely will affect your health outcome." Stress management and the development of a relaxing lifestyle should be a health priority for post 50s, and recognizing the potential health risks is a crucial first step. Scroll through the list below for five ways that stress could be harming your mind and body -- and five helpful tips to creating a healthier, less stressful lifestyle. Impacts Of Chronic Stress: 1. Weight Gain And Diabetes "The more cholesterol and chronic stress you have, the easier the weight gain is," says Hall. "When we are stressed, the body absolutely holds on to weight for self-preservation." Stress also effects glucose production, which can contribute to the development of diabetes. In triggering the fight-or-flight response, elevated levels of stress hormones make stored energy (glucose and fat) available to cells as a way to help the body escape danger.
2. Decreased Immune System Function Stress is known to weaken the immune system, and post 50s are particularly vulnerable to stress-related changes in immune system functioning. A 2002 study found that even chronic, low-grade depression can contribute to a suppressed immune system. This can lead to slower-healing wounds and increased susceptibility to the flu and other infections. 3. Higher Risk Of Hypertension When the body reacts to stress, blood pressure can spike temporarily -- and what's more, chronic stress can contribute to long-term issues with high blood pressure (hypertension). "Stress plays a role in the development of hypertension," says Hall. "People with hypertension are 40 percent more likely to develop cognitive impairment when they’re older. The brain naturally shrinks; hypertension increases [shrinking]." 4. Increased Risk Of Chronic Disease Chronic stress is a risk factor in the development of health problems like heart disease and cancer. By increasing the body's levels of inflammation, high levels of stress hormones have been shown to play a role in a number of disorders, including many autoimmune diseases. 5. Memory Loss It's no secret that stress is one of the biggest culprits in causing in memory loss, difficulty concentrating and confusion. Chronic stress can interfere with memory by inhibiting glutamane signaling in the prefrontal cortex. Although memory loss is a normal part of the aging process, high stress levels can significantly increase and expedite this process. Creating A More Relaxing Lifestyle: 1. Find A Community. Countless studies have shown that those with strong social networks enjoy less stress, better health, improved mood and longer lives. "Community is a real huge marker on aging," says Hall. "People who have an active social life delay memory loss tremendously; they’re much healthier." Hall recommends getting a pet, meeting friends for dinner at least once a week and participating in local community activities, particularly for those who are retired.
2. Exercise The Body. “[Exercise] actually reduces the risk of death by a third. Iit reduces the potential of getting chronic disease by 40 percent," says Hall. "And it retards aging. “ But you don't need a personal trainer or even a gym membership to do it. Try taking a 10-minute walk around your office at lunch, or meeting friends in the morning or evening to take a 30-minute walk around your neighborhood. Getting outside in nature also offers the bonus of reducing stress hormones and lowering blood pressure. 3. Exercise The Brain. Hall recommends that older adults spend five to 10 minutes per day doing brain-boosting games and activities. Apps like Brain Trainer by Luminosity can help promote healthy brain functioning and improve memory. “It can actually reduce the physical aging of your brain and body as much as five to seven to 10 years," says Hall. "These exercises work the brain just like you’d be working out in the gym." 4. Make Time For Quiet And Meditation. Meditation has the power to not only boost the size of your brain, but also to improve immune system function, decrease blood pressure and heart rate and reduce cholesterol. Start out by setting aside two to 10 minutes, once or twice a day, for silent meditation. Hall also suggests soothing nature sounds and positive affirmations to help quiet the mind. Memorizing and repeating a positive affirmation can also reduce cortisol by up to 40 percent. Research conducted at the University of California found that positive self-affirmations can act as a powerful buffer against environmental and emotional stressors. 5. Eat A De-Stressing Diet Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the most important factors in creating a stress-free lifestyle. In addition to avoiding processed foods and incorporating nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables into your diet, make sure to also start each day with healthy foods. People who eat breakfast have been shown to live longer -- it keeps mood stable and weight down, and promotes healthy aging, according to Hall. B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids can also play a critical role in healthy aging. Omega-3s can help alleviate anxiety, stress and depression, and they also add fat around the neurons in the brain to help promote neural communication. Be sure to also add vitamin B6, which increases the serotonin in the body, to your diet. Hall's super food for aging is blueberries, which contain powerful antioxidants that can boost brain functioning and improve memory.
Text Coding: Highlight examples from the text that support stress being harmful to the human body. Underline examples from the text that support healthy habits benefitting the human body. Part II: The Company Man “The Company Man” by Ellen Goodman He worked himself to death, finally and precisely, at 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning, The obituary didn't say that, of course. It said that he died of a coronary thrombosis--I think that was it-but everyone among his friends and acquaintances knew it instantly. He was a perfect Type A, a workaholic, a classic, they said to each other and shook their heads--and thought for five or ten minutes about the way they lived. This man who worked himself to death finally and precisely at 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning--on his day off-was fifty-one years old and a vice-president. He was, however, one of six vice-presidents, and one of three who might conceivably--if the president died or retired soon enough--have moved to the top spot. Phil knew that. He worked six days a week, five of them until eight or nine at night, during a time when his own company had begun the four-day week for everyone but the executives. He worked like the Important People. He had no outside "extracurricular interests," unless, of course, you think about a monthly golf game that way. To Phil, it was work. He always ate egg salad sandwiches at his desk. He was, of course, overweight, by 20 or 25 pounds. He thought it was okay, though, because he didn't smoke. On Saturdays, Phil-wore a-sports-jacket- to the office instead of a suit, because it was the weekend. He had a lot of people working for him, maybe sixty, and most of them liked him most of the time. Three of them will be seriously considered for his job. The obituary didn't mention that. But it did list his "survivors" quite accurately. He is survived by his wife, Helen, forty-eight years old, a good woman of no particular marketable skills, who worked in an office before marrying and mothering. She had, according to her daughter, given up trying to compete with his work years ago, when the children were small. A company friend said, "I know how much you will miss him." And she answered, "I already have." "Missing him all these years," she must have given up part of herself which had cared too much for the man. She would be "well taken care of." His "dearly beloved" eldest of the "dearly beloved" children is a hard-working executive in a manufacturing firm down South. In the day and a half before the funeral, he went around the neighborhood researching his father, asking the neighbors what he was like. They were embarrassed. His second child is a girl, who is twenty-four and newly married. She lives near her mother and they are close, but whenever she was alone with her father, in a car driving somewhere, they had nothing to say to each other. The youngest is twenty, a boy, a high-school graduate who has spent the last couple of years, like a lot
His second child is a girl, who is twenty-four and newly married. She lives near her mother and they are close, but whenever she was alone with her father, in a car driving somewhere, they had nothing to say to each other. The youngest is twenty, a boy, a high-school graduate who has spent the last couple of years, like a lot of his friends, doing enough odd jobs to stay in grass and food. He was the one who tried to grab at his father, and "tried to mean' enough to him to keep the man at home. He was his father's favorite. Over the last two years, Phil stayed up nights worrying about the boy. The boy once said, "My father and I only board here." At the funeral, the sixty-year-old company president told the forty-eight-year-old widow that the fiftyone-year-old deceased had meant much to the company and would be missed and would be hard to replace. The widow didn't look him in the eye. She was afraid he would read her bitterness and, after all, she would need him to straighten out the finances--the stock options and all that. Phil was overweight and nervous and worked too hard. If he wasn't at the office he was worried about it. Phil was a Type A, heart-attack natural. You could have picked him out in a minute from a lineup. So when he finally worked himself to death, at precisely 3:00 A.M. Sunday morning, no one was really surprised. By 5:00 P.M. the afternoon of the funeral, the company president had begun, discreetly of course, with care and taste, to make inquiries about his replacement. One of three men. He asked around: "Who's been working the hardest?"
Assignment: At the conclusion of “The Company Man”, students will be asked to rewrite the account of Phil’s life, this time assuming he had a healthy lifestyle and took more time to spend with his family. Knowledge of relaxing lifestyles should be evident in the story through the use of the “Stress and Aging: 5 Ways Stress Affects Post-50s (And How To Create A Less Stressful Lifestyle)” article with text marking. A rubric will be used to assess the application regarding student knowledge of relaxing lifestyles, as well as, integration of author’s craft in their writing.
Rubric: CATEGORY
4
3
2
1
Spelling and Punctuation
There are no spelling There is one spelling There are 2-3 or punctuation errors or punctuation error. spelling and in the final draft. punctuation errors. Character and place names are spelled consistently throughout.
The final draft has more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.
Application of Knowledge
Application of knowledge regarding relaxing lifestyles demonstrates a thorough understanding of the topic.
Application of knowledge regarding relaxing lifestyles demonstrates a complete understanding of the topic.
Application of knowledge regarding relaxing lifestyles demonstrates a general understanding of the topic
Little or no application regarding knowledge of relaxing lifestyles. No evidence of understanding of the topic.
Characters
The main characters are named and clearly described in text. Most readers could describe the characters accurately.
The main characters are named and described. Most readers could provide a general description of the characters.
The main characters It is hard to tell who are named. The the main characters reader knows very are. little about the characters.
Writer’s Craft
The writer shows a mature use of language, vocabulary, and style to reinvent the account.
The writer shows a basic use of language, vocabulary, and style to reinvent the account.
The writer shows little use of mature language, vocabulary, and style to reinvent the account.
The writing lacks mature language, vocabulary, and style.
Creativity
The story contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination.
The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination.
The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination.
There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
