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Calm in Chaos

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Lesson Plan

Calm in Chaos Lesson Plan

Students will learn to recognize and cope with feelings of nervousness when witnessing a classmate’s aggressive behavior, build empathy for peers, and understand that their teacher is there to keep them safe.

This lesson strengthens classroom-wide social-emotional skills by providing calming strategies for anxiety, fostering empathy, and reinforcing trust in teacher support—key to a safe, caring learning environment.

Audience

2nd Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive modeling, visuals, and guided discussion.

Materials

Classroom Scenes Slide Deck, Emotions Picture Cards, Calm Strategies Worksheet, and Teacher Support Poster

Prep

Prepare Materials and Accommodations

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up and Introduction

5 minutes

  • Gather students on the carpet and display a calm classroom scene from the Classroom Scenes Slide Deck.
  • Ask: “How do you feel when our classroom is calm?”
  • Offer emotion word bank and visuals; have students point or hold up a card.
  • For students needing support: provide one-on-one prompting and model pointing to pictures.

Step 2

Identify Emotions

7 minutes

  • Show a slide or card of a student displaying aggressive behavior.
  • Use Emotions Picture Cards to introduce “nervous,” “scared,” and “worried.”
  • Have students match the emotion word to the picture.
  • Offer sentence starters for sharing: “I feel ___ when I see that.”
  • Check in individually with students who use communication devices or need extra processing time.

Step 3

Teach Coping Strategies

8 minutes

  • Introduce three coping tools: deep breaths, counting to five, and finding a safe space.
  • Model a deep-breath exercise; guide the class through two rounds using visual cues.
  • Distribute the Calm Strategies Worksheet for students to draw or match each strategy.
  • Use word banks and visuals for students with language needs; allow drawing instead of writing if needed.

Step 4

Develop Empathy

5 minutes

  • Ask: “How do you think the other student feels?” Show picture cards to prompt ideas.
  • Pair students to share responses; use sentence frames: “I think they feel ___ because ___.”
  • Circulate and support pairs, providing language prompts or assistive communication as needed.

Step 5

Reassure Teacher Support

5 minutes

  • Display the Teacher Support Poster with the phrase “I am here to keep you safe.”
  • Read the poster aloud as a class; have students echo each line.
  • Explain: “You can always come to me if you feel nervous or scared.”
  • Provide written copies of the poster for students who need repeated reference or have reading accommodations.
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Slide Deck

Warm-Up: A Calm Classroom

[Image: Calm classroom scene with students sitting quietly and smiling]

“How do you feel when our classroom is calm?”

(Warm-Up)

  • Display this slide as students gather.
  • Ask: “What do you see in this picture? How does it make you feel?”
  • Point to calm elements: smiling faces, quiet activities.
  • Provide emotion word bank cards; invite volunteers to hold up a card or point.
  • For students needing support: offer one-on-one prompting or show a picture cue.

When Someone Acts Aggressive

[Image: One student pushing another; classmates look nervous or worried]

“How might you feel if you saw this?”

(Identify Emotions)

  • Show this slide after discussing calm.
  • Ask: “What if someone suddenly gets angry or pushes another student—what do you notice?”
  • Point out the nervous expressions.
  • Provide sentence starter: “I feel ___ when I see that.”
  • Support language-needs students with visuals and one-on-one check-ins.

How Do You Feel?

[Emotion Picture Cards: Nervous 😟, Scared 😨, Worried 😰]

“Point to the feeling you have.”

(Identify Emotions Continued)

  • Introduce three feelings: “nervous,” “scared,” “worried.”
  • Show each emotion card; say the word aloud and have students echo.
  • Ask volunteers to match word to picture on the board.
  • For emergent readers: highlight the first letter and picture.

Coping Strategies

  1. Deep Breaths [Icon]
  2. Count to 5 [Icon]
  3. Find a Safe Space [Icon]

(Teach Coping Strategies)

  • Explain: “When we feel nervous, we can use our coping tools.”
  • Review each tool slowly:
    1. Take deep breaths (model inhale/exhale)
    2. Count to five (hold up fingers)
    3. Find a safe space (show corner or soft area)
  • Guide the class through two deep breaths together, using visual breathing cue.
  • Hand out worksheets; let students draw or match.

Building Empathy

[Image: Two students talking supportively]

“I think they feel ___ because ___.”

(Develop Empathy)

  • Ask: “How do you think the other student feels?”
  • Model a response: “I think they feel sad because someone pushed them.”
  • Pair students and give sentence frame: “I think they feel ___ because ___.”
  • Circulate and support pairs, offering word prompts.

Teacher Support

“I am here to keep you safe.”

“You can always talk to me if you feel nervous or scared.”

(Reassure Teacher Support)

  • Display the poster text line by line; read aloud as a class.
  • Invite echoing; point to each word.
  • Emphasize: “You can always come to me if you feel nervous or scared.”
  • Provide written copy for students who need repeated reference.
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Discussion

Calm in Chaos: Guided Discussion

Discussion Guidelines

  • Listen respectfully and speak one at a time.
  • Use our sentence frames to help share ideas (e.g., “I think… because…”).
  • It’s okay to take a moment—raise your hand if you need extra time.

1. Recognizing Feelings

Look at the picture in the Classroom Scenes Slide Deck titled “When Someone Acts Aggressive.”

Question: How do you feel when you see this?




Follow-up: Which emotion from our Emotions Picture Cards matches that feeling?

2. Coping Strategies

Remember the three tools: deep breaths, counting to five, and finding a safe space (see Calm Strategies Worksheet).

Question: Which strategy would you choose if you felt nervous, and why?







Supports: Students who need language help can point to an icon or say just the strategy name (e.g., “breaths”).

3. Developing Empathy

Think about the student who got pushed.

Question: How do you think they feel? Use this frame: “I think they feel ___ because ___.”







Supports: Use Emotions Picture Cards to pick a feeling word first.

4. Teacher Support

Look at our Teacher Support Poster.

Question: When might you ask a teacher for help if you feel nervous? How would you start?







Supports: Practice saying: “Can I please talk to you? I feel ___.”

Closing Partner Share

Turn to a partner and tell one thing you will do next time you feel nervous in class.












Thank you for sharing! Remember, everyone feels nervous sometimes—and you have tools and teachers here to help.

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Calm in Chaos • Lenny Learning