Help students understand and reflect on grief and loss with this two-page informational article and 10-question activity. Students learn about Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s 5 Stages of Grief and John Bowlby’s model of grief in waves, while also exploring what grief looks like and healthy ways of dealing with loss.

Perfect for ELA and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), this resource can stand alone or be used to deepen connections to novels such as The Hate U Give, Thirteen Reasons Why, Bridge to Terabithia, The Catcher in the Rye, Goodbye Days, We Are Okay, Kira-Kira, Goodnight Mister Tom, The Secret Garden, or A Monster Calls.

Why Teachers Love It

• Ready-to-use informational text + questions
• Integrates literary analysis and SEL reflection
• Versatile—use in ELA, Health, Advisory, or Counseling contexts
• Promotes robust classroom conversations on sensitive but important topics
• Encourages deeper personal connections to literature

What’s Inside

• 2-page informational article on:
  • Kübler-Ross’s 5 Stages of Grief
  • Bowlby’s model of grief in waves
  • What grief looks like in daily life
  • Healthy ways to process grief
    
• 10 standards-based comprehension and reflection questions
• Questions designed for both text analysis and personal reflection
• Classroom discussion prompts built in
• Links to external resources for extension
• Answer Key included

Why It Works

This resource blends informational text, SEL reflection, and literature connections into one meaningful activity. Students not only learn about models of grief but also connect those ideas to characters in literature—and to their own experiences—making the lesson academically rigorous and personally impactful.