01-EE_Coping-Skills_Pt1_K-2

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. —John Kabat-Zinn COPING SKILLS Level: Lower Elementary (K-2) Timeframe: 20-30 minutes Concepts: • Cooldown Strategies • Coping SkillsBig Ideas For This LessonWe all have our “things” we do to blow off steam, decompress, relax, let go, and deal with life’sdifficulties. Some of us go for a walk or meditate, while others may watch their favorite show orhit the gym. The list is limited only by our imagination, which is why the term coping skills canbe confusing or even used to justify harmful behaviors. In this lesson we will take the mysteryout of coping skills by defining what they are, generating some new ideas about coping skills, andlearning the difference between helpful and harmful coping strategies.While almost everything in this curriculum could be considered a form of coping skill; this lessonrelies on students’ own creativity and ideas to bring in strategies that they have experiencedpersonal success with.We intentionally avoid using the words good/bad and healthy/unhealthy when describing copingskills. Not only does this remove judgment and bypass shame, it highlights the reality that whatis helpful for one person may not be helpful for another. What works in one situation may notwork in another. For instance, some people have a non-addictive relationship with food and canuse eating as a coping strategy; another person may be experiencing food addiction and eatharmful amounts of food in order to cope. This principle can be applied broadly; nearly everyhelpful coping skill could be considered harmful in excess.Essential Vocabulary MaterialsFeelings • Chart paper and markers.Cool Down StrategiesCoping Skills • Coping Skills Themed Read-Alouds (Optional): Cool Down and Work Through Anger by Cheri J. Meiner When Sophie’s Feelings Are Really, Really Hurt by Molly Bang When You’re Angry and You Know It! by Cecily Kaiser© 2016 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 1 of 5 All rights reserved.

COPING SKILLS | GRADES K-2PreparationReflect on your own coping strategies and think of 1-2 appropriate examples that you could sharewith the class. Students will connect more to personal stories.Teaching ScriptBUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE & CONCEPT MODELING (I DO) Teaching Note: We recommend teaching this lesson in conjunction with introducing your ‘take a break’ or ‘cool down’ area in your classroom at the beginning of the year. Teaching Note: You may want to begin this lesson with a read-aloud in which the character deals with an upsetting feeling and finds a way to cool down. Suggestions are in the materials section above This year, we are going to have time each week called Social Emotional Learning time, or SEL. During this time, we are going to learn about feelings, friendship, kindness, mindfulness, and so much more! The first thing we are going to learn about is how to cool down when we are upset. What are some reasons that you might get upset at school?Invite student responses and prompt students to name the feelings related to the situationsbrought up (e.g., I might feel mad when my friend calls me a mean name.) Right! There are lots of reasons that we might get upset at school, or at home, or anywhere. And it’s okay to get upset! But then we need to figure out how to cool down. Ways to cool down are called coping skills.© 2016 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 2 of 5 All rights reserved.

COPING SKILLS | GRADES K-2GUIDED PRACTICE (WE DO) What are some ways that you already know to cool down or make yourself feel better?Invite student response and begin to write them on the chart paper with images to helpstudents remember. Teaching Note: Students will come up with many creative and helpful responses! Try to accept all ideas, as long as the strategy can be safely done in the calm down area without being too much of a distraction to other students. You might also want to acknowledge unacceptable coping strategies, e.g., hitting, kicking, and running away.Once all student ideas have been shared, add your own ideas to the list. Teach each one as yougo along, allowing students to practice. Ideas include: take 5 deep breaths, count to 10, draw apicture, hug a stuffed animal, etc. Teaching Note: If your school uses a certain behavior program, such as Zones of Regulation, make sure to introduce strategies within that program. What a great list we have come up with so far! The important thing you have to remember is that you need to pick the coping skill or strategy that works for YOU! You might also try one and it might not work! Should you give up? No! Try another one!REINFORCING LESSON CONCEPTS (YOU DO) We are going to have a few students model using a coping skill for us in the calm down area. Let’s say that someone knocked down your block tower and you feel really MAD! Who can show up what it would look like to use a coping skill? Teaching Note: Since this is early in the year, students may be shy to model for others (or maybe not!). You can model yourself or have another teacher or adult volunteer model picking and using a coping skill. Offer a few situational examples for modeling. Throughout the year, during our SEL time, we’ll be adding to this list as we learn more and more coping skills!© 2016 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 3 of 5 All rights reserved.

COPING SKILLS | GRADES K-2EVIDENCE OF CONCEPT ATTAINMENTReflect on it Journal it• What coping skills really work for you? Have students complete the Coping• When do you need to use coping skills? Skills: SELJournal Pagefor this lesson.EXTENSIONS School-wideClassroom • Display cool down strategy posters in public places.• Compile student ideas into one “Classroom Coping Skills” poster and • As a logical consequence for minor hang on the wall or in the cool down area. behaviors, ask students to generate a list of cool down strategies they could have• Encourage students to continue used as an alternative to their behavior. adding to their lists throughout the year as they discover new strategies. • Feature students who successfully used cool down strategies in stressful• Incorporate share-outs of successful situations in assemblies or any systems coping skills into morning meetings like, “student of the week.” and other classroom circles.• Reinforce successful use of helpful coping skills with positive praise.© 2016 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 4 of 5 All rights reserved.

COPING SKILLS | GRADES K-2REFERENCES1. Daya, I. (2013). Coping Skills Flyer. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.indigodaya.com/ wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Coping-skills-flyer.pdf.2. John, O. P. and Gross, J. J. (2004), Healthy and Unhealthy Emotion Regulation: Personality Processes, Individual Differences, and Life Span Development. Journal of Personality, 72:1301– 1334. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00298.x© 2016 Empowering Education, Inc. PAGE 5 of 5 All rights reserved.