Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Rose.

Today we're going to be looking at the lesson called Coping with Grief.

This fits into the lesson unit Healthy Relationships to All Families Look the Same.

Now, in this lesson, we're going to be talking about things that might make you feel upset or worried.

For example, we are going to be talking about what happens when somebody that we love dies.

So for this lesson, it is recommended that you have an adult with you before you continue watching.

Today's lesson outcome is I can explain the impact of death and how to cope with grief.

Let's begin by taking a look at our ground rules together.

Laura says we should listen to others, and that means not interrupting when somebody else is speaking.

Andeep says we should respect privacy, and that means if somebody decides to share a story or their own experience, that we don't go repeat it to others outside of this lesson.

Jacob says, "No judgement !" And that means if somebody does decide to share their own story or experience, we don't judge them because of it.

And Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation." And that means you can decide if you simply just want to listen, or if you want to share something throughout today's lesson.

All of these ground rules are here to keep everyone safe in the lesson.

Here are today's key words.

We have die, bereavement, and grief.

In this context, die means when a body stops working and a person stops living.

Bereavement means the death of someone we love.

And grief means the strong emotional feelings caused by experiencing the death of someone we love.

Let's see if we can spot these keywords throughout today's lesson.

Here is the lesson's outline.

And we are going to begin with, what happens when someone dies? When someone dies, they stop living, and we don't get to see them again.

Everyone dies, but most people die when they are old.

Lucas says, "My granddad died last year.

It was a challenging time for everyone in the family." Sophia says, "My grandma died when I was very little.

I don't remember her so it doesn't upset me." Some people die from illness.

This might happen because of a serious disease that doctors cannot cure.

Dr.

Elsie says, "When someone is very ill, doctors and nurses do everything they can to help them get better, but sometimes the illness is just too strong.

It's also important to know that most illnesses are easy to treat and do not lead to death." Sometimes, a person we love and are very close to can die.

This can be very upsetting, especially if they die at a young age.

This girl says, "Our birth mother died at a young age.

I felt very upset for such a long time.

Since then, we have been adopted by our two dads." Time for a check for understanding.

What happens when someone dies? Is it a, they stop living.

b, they continue to live, or c, they go away for a bit, and then they come back? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said a.

When someone dies, they stop living, and we don't get to see them again.

After someone dies, the family might choose to have a funeral.

This is a special ceremony where the family can celebrate the person's life.

Some families might choose to have a memorial gravestone.

This is a special stone that shows where the person is buried, with their name, date of birth, and date of death written on it.

This girl says, "We take time to visit our mum's gravestone as a family.

We like to buy flowers to put on the gravestone, and we talk about all the fun times we had with her." Time for a check for understanding.

What is a funeral? Is it a, a place where people are buried, b, a special stone that shows where the person is buried, or c, a special ceremony where the family can celebrate the person's life? Hmm, what is a funeral? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said c.

A funeral is a special ceremony where the family can celebrate the person's life.

Time for a task now.

Explain to your partner three things that might happen when someone dies.

Pause this video so you can have some time to do the task, and then we will go through the answers together.

Well done for having a go.

Your answers should include: When someone dies, they stop living and we don't get to see them again.

After someone dies, the family might choose to have a funeral.

And some families might choose to have a memorial gravestone where they can visit and remember the person.

Well done if your answers were similar to mine.

We are now going to move on to the second part of our lesson.

How does grief make us feel? Dr.

Elsie says, "Some people think children are too young to talk about death.

However, it's important to discuss it as they will be able to cope with their emotions better when they experience the death of someone they love in the future." When someone close to us dies, most people will experience something called bereavement.

This means we are going through the loss of someone we cared about.

During bereavement, we often feel something called grief.

Grief is the name for all the emotions we might feel when someone dies.

Time for a check for understanding.

Fill in the missing word in this sentence.

When someone close to us dies, we might experience something called.

Hmm.

What is that missing word? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said bereavement.

When someone close to us dies, we might experience something called bereavement.

Everyone experiences grief differently.

This girl says, "I felt very upset when our birth mother died.

It took me a long time to accept what had happened." Her sister says, "I felt confused when our birth mother died.

I didn't understand why she wasn't coming back." During grief, we might feel emotions in different stages.

For example, at first we might feel shock, confusion, or denial.

This is when we don't believe what has actually happened.

Then we might feel anger and sadness.

And eventually, we will come to accept what has happened, and finally, we can heal.

People will experience strong emotions when they are grieving.

This might cause them to have tummy aches, struggle to sleep at night.

They might not want to leave the house for a while.

If you experience any of these things for a long time, it is important to speak to a trusted adult straight away.

Time for a check for understanding.

List three emotions someone might feel if someone close to them dies.

Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done for having a go.

You might have said shock, or denial, anger, sadness, confusion, and acceptance.

Bereavement is incredibly hard.

However, over time, we learn to grow around our grief.

At first, the feelings of grief feel so big, like they are taking up all the space in our life.

Over time, our life gets bigger, with new memories and exciting things.

The grief doesn't get smaller, but our lives get bigger and we grow around it.

We might still get upset, even years after the person has died, but we get better at coping with those feelings and can still live a happy life.

Time for a check for understanding.

True or false? Over time, grief becomes easier to manage as our lives get bigger.

Hmm.

Is that statement true or false? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said true.

Time for a task now.

Label the emotions of grief a person might experience when someone dies.

Pause this video so you can have some time to think about your answer, and then we will go through the answers together.

Okay.

Well done for having a go.

Your labels could look like this.

At first, shock, confusion, or denial, then anger and sadness, and eventually acceptance and healing.

Well done if your answers are similar to mine.

We are now going to move on to the third and the final part of our lesson.

What supports might we need when someone dies? People need support when someone they love dies.

Different things can help different people cope with their loss.

This girl says, "Creating a memory box with different pictures of my birth mother helped me to cope with my emotions." Her sister says, "Talking to my dads about my feelings and doing things I enjoy helped me to cope with the loss of our birth mother." There are lots of people who can help us when we are grieving.

We can get support from: parents and carers, teachers and school staff, and counsellors.

And they are people who are trained to help others with change and death.

Sophia says, "Trusted adults are there to answer our questions and listen to our feelings." Time for a check for understanding.

What could we say to our trusted adults if we were struggling with the death of someone we love? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done for having a go.

You might have said, "Tell them how we feel.

And ask them questions we have about what has happened." As well as getting support from trusted adults, we can do different things to help manage our feelings.

For example, we can: draw or write about our feelings.

Do something that we enjoy that makes us feel calm.

Let yourself feel your emotions.

It's okay to cry and feel angry.

And finally, we can talk about the person who died and all the memories that we had together.

Dr.

Elsie says, "During grief, it's important to take one day at a time.

You don't have to feel better straight away.

There will be some good days and some bad days, and that is okay." She also says, "If you feel worried, upset, or angry for long periods of time, always speak to a trusted adult." Time for a check for understanding.

What could we do if we were struggling with the death of someone we love? Is it a, get support from trusted adults, b, deal with our emotions on our own, c, draw or write about our feelings, or d, stay at home for a long period of time? Hmm.

What could we do if we were struggling with the death of someone we love? Pause this video so you can think about your answer.

Well done if you said a and c.

If we were struggling with the death of someone we love, we can get support from trusted adults, and we could draw or write about our feelings.

Time for a task now.

Read the text and write a response to Heidi.

Include three pieces of advice that would support Heidi during this challenging time.

Pause this video so you can have some time to do the task, and then we will go through the answers together.

Well done for having a go.

Your response to Heidi could look like this.

I'm sorry for your loss.

You should get support from a trusted adult and tell them how you are feeling.

You could also try doing things that you enjoy, or that make you feel calm, like painting or swimming.

It's important to take one day at a time.

Some days will be good and other days will be bad, and that is okay.

Well done if your answer was similar to mine.

Here is a summary of everything that we've covered in today's lesson.

Death is a part of life and everyone dies at some point.

Most people die of old age, and some people die of serious illnesses.

Bereavement is when someone we love dies, and we often experience feelings of grief.

During grief, we might feel shock, anger, sadness, and eventually acceptance.

Everyone needs support when they experience a bereavement.

We can get support from trusted adults, and there are different strategies we can use to help us when we are struggling.

For example, we can draw or write about our feelings, do things we enjoy, and take each day as it comes.

With time, our lives get bigger and the grief feels easier to cope with.

Here is a slide with a place that you can get support.

We have the Childline, which is a website and phone line which is able to offer confidential advice and support.