Lesson Plan : How Our Families Express Anger
Teacher Name: | Jennifer Simmonds |
Grade: | Grade 6 |
Subject: | Other |
Topic: | The focus on anger is important because it is such a common feeling children/youth experience because of their family situations. Often, children are particularly angry because they feel they have no control over what is going on around them, and have little opportunity to express how this makes them feel. If their anger is not channeled in healthy ways, it can lead to problems including fighting, poor grades, destructive friendships, isolation, depression, or volatile �blow-ups.� |
Content: | |
Goals: | The purpose of this session is to validate their feelings of anger and help them identify positive ways to manage and control their anger. |
Objectives: | Participants will: 1. Discuss the normality of anger amidst family changes. 2. Think about and share how participants� family members show their anger. 3. Identify healthy ways to express anger. |
Materials: | 1. Create a �Me and My Anger� handout with the following questions: (Allow space for children to draw or write their answers. Today I got angry when... Something happening in my family that I'm really angry about it... Some of the ways that I usually show my anger is by.... Some of the ways that my family members usually show their anger is by... Feeling angry can be hard sometimes because... 2. A package of large marshmallows 3. Toothpicks 4. Markers and a piece of flip chart paper or blackboard and chalk |
Introduction: | Say to the group, �Today we�re going to focus on one particular feeling: anger. Feeling angry at your family members or at your family situation is very normal when you�re experiencing some big changes at home that you have little or no control over. However, if we do not acknowledge or recognize the angry feelings, we can end up feeling pretty bad and make some unhealthy decisions.� |
Development: | Distribute the �Me and My Anger� handout to each group member. Read through the questions together and ask them to answer the questions individually. After they have completed the handout, take turns having them read their answers aloud to the group. (They do not need to read every answer they have written if it is too personal.) |
Practice: | Distribute two marshmallows, four toothpicks, and markers to each person. With the marshmallows, ask them to create themselves and someone else in their family with whom they are particularly angry. While participants are creating their marshmallow people, have them think about something relating to their family that makes them angry. Then, when they�ve finished making their marshmallow people, instruct them to each role play their situation for the group. Example: Carlos is angry because his father left his brothers and him last year, and his dad rarely calls or sees them now. With his marshmallows, Carlos says to his dad, �I�m mad at you because you never call or come and see us. Why did you leave?� (Carlos can then make up an answer for his father or simply express his anger to him.) Offer a (clean) marshmallow for each of the participants to eat after they have shared their role play with the group. Say to the group: �You may not be able to tell the person you�re angry with why you�re angry. But expressing your anger through your marshmallow people is a way of getting your feelings out, even if the real person never hears you. You have a right to feel angry, even toward someone you love very much.� |
Accommodations: | |
Checking For Understanding: | Using a sheet of flip chart paper, ask the group members to come up with some healthy ways to deal with their feelings of family anger. Examples: - Talk it out with a safe person - Call a friend - Write a letter to the person you are angry with (even if you do not give the letter to the person, it can feel good to write it) - Try to understand what the other person may be feeling - Take slow and steady breaths while counting to 20 - Journal about it or draw a picture - Ask yourself if this is really worth getting angry about - Walk away from the situation until you cool down - Go outdoors and play for a while |
Closure: | As you prepare to leave, ask everyone, one at a time, to make their angriest face. Compare the differences and similarities between the various facial expressions. (Example: �Almost everyone�s lips were tight, but Heather was the only one who crossed her arms.�) Something else you can do is make copies of the list of healthy ways to handle anger that the group created during the closing activity, and give each participant a copy to keep or put in a folder. |
Evaluation: | |
Teacher Reflections: |
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