Davenport Elementary School District Counseling Program Problem Solving Lesson: Calming Down Grade-3

Personal/Social Domain Standard C: Students will understand safety and survival skills. Competency C1.10 Learn techniques for managing stress and conflict

Objective: The students will  understand what is happening in their brains when they experience intense feelings.  identify which calm-down strategies are appropriate for school vs. home.

Materials: Diagram of Brain, Give-One/Get-One, 2nd Step Calming Down Poster

Time: 40 minutes

Procedure: 1 – Show diagram of the brain and discuss what happens in the brain when faced with an intense feeling (Fight, Flight, Freeze) 2 – Discuss that calming down is really the only way to quickly get back to the “thinking part” of the brain 3 – Separate the children into groups of 4 or 5 for Give-One/Get-One activity 4 – Have students in groups take turns listing calming down techniques on the Give-One side (10 minutes) -everyone in each group should have the same answers written down - all ideas are accepted, even if some students don’t agree - each student in each group should come up with at least 2 original ideas (no repeated ideas) 5 – Have students move around the room partnering with students from other groups to fill out the Get-One side of the activity (10 minutes) -students should only take one idea from each person -students should only get ideas that they think will work for them -if students get an idea from somebody, they must allow the other person to get an idea from them. 6 – Individually have students circle or highlight ideas that will work for them at school vs. ideas that will work at home

Follow-Up: Ask teachers to review these calm down ideas whenever (s)he reviews the 2nd Step calming down procedures