Coping Skills - 1
Lesson Plan
Goal: When presented with an age appropriate social situation (such as role play or live), the student will choose a learned coping skill 8 out of 10 observable opportunities, as measured by a teacher assessment tool.
Objectives:
1. Self-identify coping strategies that the student is comfortable using.
2. Choose a learned coping strategy from the student’s generated list during a social situation or scenario.
Standards: Click on the appropriate link below to view Language Arts standards included in this lesson.
Definitions of Key Terms: Coping skills are needed to help us handle life situations successfully. A coping skill is an action that you can take to lessen a stressful situation or react more positively in a hard situation.
Discussion Points:
- We all can have strong feelings at times.
- We all have ways we try to cope with strong feelings.
- Some coping approaches are successful and some are not.
- Talking to someone you trust, like a parent or an adult, can help when you feel strong emotions.
Review the discussion points with the students. The teacher may want to share their own examples of when he/she used a coping skill in a hard situation; it can be a skill that either had a positive or negative outcome/result.
Possible activities to review the discussion points:
- The group should form a circle. Ask a question and allow students to toss a bean bag to those who would like to answer the question.
- Play tic-tac-toe by dividing the group into teams. Write discussion questions on a post-it note and place them on the tic-tac-toe grid. Allow a representative from the team to select a post-it note and as a team develop an answer to the question. If they get it right they may put their team's marker (x or o) on the grid.
Directions for In-Person or Virtual Learning: You have three options for students to complete this lesson.
- Option 1: Print the Student Activity Sheet for each student. Complete the lesson as a group and assign the activity sheet to the students.
- Option 2: Click the Student link to access the activity sheet electronically and post to your Learning Management System (if your school has one) or send the link to the student. The student may complete the activity sheet electronically within the classroom on a shared computer or device.
- Option 3: Click the Student link to access the activity sheet electronically and send the link to the student. The student may access the link from a home computer, chromebook, iPad or other device.
Activity 1: Emotions Review
Begin a discussion with students to review the basic emotions of sad, angry, and scared. You may want to begin by sharing your answers to each of the questions below.
- Pencil for each student
- Chart paper or chalkboard
Sad - Feeling bad about something that happened to you. There is a frown on your face.
Angry - Feeling mad about something that happened to you.
Scared - Feeling like your belly is sick and you want to get away from a person, place, or thing quickly.
Ask students to share:
1. What makes them sad?
2. What makes them angry?
3. What scares them?
Record answers on chart paper or interactive board.
Activity 2: Coping Skills
Review the ideas generated in Activity 1 with the group. Discuss the theme of big emotions, such as feeling scared or sad or angry. Ask students for ideas of what helps them when they are feeling big emotions. Review the definition and provide an example of a coping skill. Be sure to include the coping strategy of talking to an adult. Discuss how adults can help when students are feeling those big emotions.
- Chart Paper or Interactive Board
Discuss with students if the action/coping action they typically use is a positive one/positive results or if the action they take is a negative one/negative results. You may want to provide an example of each (positive result coping skill and a negative result coping skill). Record answers on the board or chart paper. Practice or role play each coping skill as a class, in small groups or split the students into pairs.
Examples might include:
| Talking with a trusted adult | Drawing or coloring |
| Deep breathing | Stretching |
| Counting to 10 | Taking a walk |
| Playing with putty or a stress ball | Listening to music |
| Reading a book | Doing a puzzle |
Activity 3: How can I calm down?
Review the ideas discussed and generated in Activities 1 and 2. Ask the students to complete Student Activity Sheet A.
- Student Activity Sheet A - 1 per student
- Pencil for each student
After students have finished, allow those that want to share their drawing/coping strategies with the group. You may also ask some students to role play different ideas shared by students.
Student Activity Sheet A
Directions: Finish each statement by writing or drawing your answer.
When I am feeling big emotions I can:
When I am feeling big emotions adults can help me by:
Lesson Extension: Listening Comprehension
Explain that a script is a form of dialogue writing between characters in a movie, play, or broadcast. Utilizing the immersive reader students should listen carefully as the teacher plays the example scripts below. Replay the script if needed. Allow students time to answer the questions on Student Activity Sheet B.
- Student Activity Sheet B - 1 per student
- Pencil for each student
Example script demonstrating helpful coping skills:
Chris: Hi Donny, how are you today?
Donny: I’m very worried about my dog. She is sick
Chris: That’s so sad. Have you tried some helpful coping strategies.
Donny: I’ve been thinking about things that make me happy, like ice cream!
Read Aloud Recommendations: Completing a read aloud with students is a great way to connect text with lesson content while incorporating reading and language practice. Below are suggested titles including, a YouTube link, Lexile and Grade Level information for books relating to the lesson.
| Book Title | Author | Grade Level | Lexile Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? | Jane Yole and Mark Teague | Pre K-1 | AD450L |
Student Activity Sheet B
Directions: Draw a comic to match the script you listened to.
Application Activity
In small groups, have the students create scripts which demonstrate using coping skills/strategies (some with positive results and some with negative results). Use the script sheet to assist the groups in creating scripts.
- Script sheet for each group
- Pencil for each student
Have students record their scripts using the SiLAS software. Remind students to name and save their recordings. Premiere the movies with the group members at the end of each session.
Script Extensions:
Click the following hyperlinks to have students choose their Characters, Background and Props prior to writing scripts. For examples of script writing accommodations, click Here.
Ideas for modifying this activity based on your students’ needs:
- create a script as a class
- pair or group students so that skill levels are varied and assign each a role or task that uses their skill
- create the script by recording the dialog with a phone or other recording device.
Example script demonstrating helpful coping skills:
Chris: Hi Donny, how are you today?
Donny: I’m very worried about my dog. She is sick
Chris: That’s so sad. Have you tried some helpful coping strategies.
Donny: I’ve been thinking about things that make me happy, like ice cream!
Example script demonstrating harmful coping skills:
Chris: Hi Donny, how are you today?
Donny: I’m very worried about my dog. She is sick
Chris: That’s so sad. Have you tried some helpful coping strategies.
Donny: (Yelling) Coping strategies are stupid. They don’t help me at all.
Topic Checkout
Review the discussion from previous lessons/activities with the class. Allow students time to complete the Student Topic Checkout. Discuss the students’ answers when finished.
- Student Topic Checkout
- Pencil for each student
Student Topic Checkout
Directions: Match the description to the emotion.
| angry | scared | sad |
|---|
1. Feeling bad about something that happened to you. There is a frown on your face. You are .
2. Feeling mad about something that happened to you.You are .
3. Feeling like your belly is sick and you want to get away from a person, place, or thing quickly.You are .
4. What coping skill helps you the most?