Lesson Plan
Brain's Alarm System: Anxiety
Students will be able to explain the brain's natural alarm system and how it relates to feeling anxious.
Understanding how their brain reacts to perceived threats can help students recognize and begin to understand their feelings of anxiety and the physical sensations that come with it.
Audience
5th Grade
Time
35 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, visual aids, and a hands-on activity.
Materials
Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck, My Brain's Alarm Worksheet, and Feelings in the Body Activity
Prep
Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the Brain's Alarm System: Anxiety Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck, My Brain's Alarm Worksheet, and Feelings in the Body Activity.
- Print enough copies of the My Brain's Alarm Worksheet for each student.
- Prepare a space for students to do the Feelings in the Body Activity (e.g., clear a central area or ensure enough space around desks).
- Ensure projector/screen is set up for the Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck.
- Gather drawing or coloring supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils) for the activity and worksheet.
Step 1
Introduce: What is an Alarm System?
5 minutes
- Begin with a quick class discussion: "What are alarm systems? Where do we find them? What do they do?" (e.g., smoke alarms, car alarms, house alarms).
- Introduce the idea that our bodies also have an alarm system to keep us safe. Use Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck Slide 1-2.
Step 2
Explore: Meet the Amygdala
10 minutes
- Introduce the brain's alarm system: the amygdala. Explain its job is to detect danger and keep us safe.
- Discuss the 'fight, flight, or freeze' response as the body's natural reaction when the amygdala senses danger. Give simple, relatable examples (e.g., seeing a big dog, a sudden loud noise). Use Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck Slide 3-5.
- Emphasize that sometimes the alarm goes off even when there isn't real danger, leading to feelings of anxiety.
Step 3
Connect: My Brain's Alarm
10 minutes
- Distribute the My Brain's Alarm Worksheet.
- Guide students to identify physical sensations they might feel when their alarm system goes off (e.g., fast heartbeat, sweaty palms, tight stomach).
- Discuss how these sensations are our body's way of getting ready to fight, flee, or freeze. Use Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck Slide 6.
Step 4
Practice: Feelings in the Body Activity
7 minutes
- Lead students in the Feelings in the Body Activity. Ask students to move or act out how their bodies might feel during fight, flight, or freeze responses. For example, 'Show me what 'fight' might look like' (tense muscles, fists). 'Show me what 'flight' might feel like' (restless legs, ready to run). 'Show me 'freeze'' (still, holding breath).
- Encourage creative and safe movement. Use Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck Slide 7.
Step 5
Reflect: What We Learned
3 minutes
- Briefly review the key concepts: amygdala, fight-flight-freeze, and how these relate to anxiety.
- Ask students: "Why is it helpful to understand our brain's alarm system?" Use Understanding Anxiety Slide Deck Slide 8.
- Reiterate that everyone's alarm system goes off sometimes, and it's a normal part of being human, designed to keep us safe.
Slide Deck
Your Brain's Amazing Alarm System!
How your brain helps you stay safe, even when there's no real danger.
Ready to explore a secret part of your brain?
Greet students and introduce the topic. Ask them if they've ever heard of the brain having an 'alarm system.'
Alarms Everywhere!
What kind of alarms do you know?
- Smoke alarms
- Car alarms
- House alarms
What do they do? They warn us of danger to keep us safe!
Engage students with questions about everyday alarm systems. "What are some alarm systems you know?" (e.g., smoke detector, car alarm, house alarm). "What is their job?" Guide them to understand alarms warn us of danger.
Meet Your Brain's Tiny Guard Dog: The Amygdala
Deep inside your brain, there's a tiny part called the amygdala (say: uh-MIG-duh-luh).
- It's like your personal safety alarm!
- Its job is to watch out for danger and keep you safe.
Introduce the amygdala. Explain it's a small but mighty part of the brain. Use an analogy like a tiny guard dog or a watchful scout. Emphasize its main job: keeping us safe.
Fight, Flight, or Freeze!
When your amygdala senses danger, it sends a message to your body:
- Fight!: Get ready to stand up to the danger (like getting angry or wanting to push away).
- Flight!: Get ready to run away (like feeling restless or wanting to escape).
- Freeze!: Get ready to hide or stay very still (like feeling stuck or unable to move).
This all happens SUPER fast to protect you!
Explain the 'fight, flight, freeze' response using simple, relatable examples. Ask students to imagine these scenarios. "What would you do if...?"
Sometimes the Alarm is TOO Loud
What if a smoke alarm went off every time you made toast?
- Sometimes, your brain's alarm system can get a little overprotective.
- It might go off even when there isn't real danger.
- This feeling is called anxiety.
Explain that sometimes the amygdala can be a bit too sensitive, like an alarm that goes off when there's no fire. Connect this to feeling anxious or worried even when safe. Give examples like worrying about a test, public speaking, or a new situation.
How Does My Body Feel?
When your brain's alarm system goes off, your body gets ready for action!
You might feel:
- A fast heartbeat
- Sweaty palms
- A tummy ache
- Tense muscles
- Shortness of breath
These are all signs your body is trying to protect you! Let's explore these feelings on our worksheet.
Discuss physical sensations associated with anxiety. "What does it feel like in your body when you're nervous or worried?" Guide them to common responses. Introduce the My Brain's Alarm Worksheet for them to draw/write these feelings.
Show Your Feelings!
Let's try acting out what 'fight,' 'flight,' and 'freeze' might look and feel like in our bodies.
- Fight: Tense muscles, fists, ready to push.
- Flight: Restless legs, wanting to run away.
- Freeze: Holding breath, very still, hiding.
These are your body's amazing ways to react to perceived danger!
Lead the students in the Feelings in the Body Activity. Encourage them to safely act out the physical responses. Reinforce that these are normal, protective responses.
Understanding Your Alarm System
Why is it helpful to know about your brain's alarm system?
- It helps you understand why you feel nervous or worried sometimes.
- It reminds you that these feelings are your brain trying to keep you safe.
- Everyone's alarm goes off, and that's okay!
You are learning how your amazing brain works!
Conclude by summarizing the key takeaway: understanding our brain's alarm system helps us understand our feelings. End with a positive and empowering message.
Worksheet
My Brain's Alarm Worksheet: How Do I Feel?
Your brain has an amazing alarm system, the amygdala, that helps keep you safe! Sometimes, this alarm goes off even when there isn't real danger, and that's okay. When it goes off, your body gets ready for action!
Part 1: My Body's Alarm Signals
Think about a time you felt nervous, worried, or anxious. What did your body feel like?
Draw or write about the sensations in the body outline below. You can draw squiggly lines for a fast heartbeat, dark colors for a tense stomach, or anything that shows how you felt!
(Imagine a body outline here for students to draw on)
Part 2: What Does My Alarm Sound Like?
When your body's alarm goes off, it's getting ready to fight, flight, or freeze.
-
Fight!: What does your body want to do when it feels like fighting a problem? (e.g., clench fists, get angry, push something away)
-
Flight!: What does your body want to do when it feels like running away from a problem? (e.g., restless legs, want to leave, fidget)
-
Freeze!: What does your body want to do when it feels like hiding or staying very still because of a problem? (e.g., hold breath, stay quiet, feel stuck)
Part 3: Reflect and Share
What is one new thing you learned about your brain's alarm system today?
Activity
Feelings in the Body Activity: Show Your Alarm!
Objective: To physically explore and understand the 'fight, flight, and freeze' responses when our brain's alarm system (the amygdala) goes off.
Time: 7 minutes
Materials: Open space in the classroom.
Instructions:
- Introduction (1 minute):
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