Lesson Plan
Express Yourself: Mastering Emotions
Help the student identify and express feelings of frustration and triggers while using self-selected coping strategies to regulate emotions effectively over three sessions.
This lesson is crucial for enhancing self-awareness, emotional regulation, and resilience, empowering the student to manage their feelings and navigate challenging situations.
Audience
High School Students
Time
Three 30-minute sessions
Approach
Structured sessions with guided steps and reflective activities.
Prep
Preparation and Review
15 minutes
- Review the Express Yourself Lesson Plan for session structure and objectives.
- Familiarize yourself with the worksheet and discussion materials for guiding the student.
- Prepare a calm, distraction-free space to help the student feel supported.
- Review strategies that may be used to help the student if they become overwhelmed.
Step 1
Session 1: Recognizing Emotions
30 minutes
- Warm Up: Start with a brief check-in using the Warm-Up Activity: Quick Check-In to gauge current feelings.
- Introduce the objective of identifying personal triggers and emotions.
- Use the Emotion Identification Worksheet to help the student list situations that cause frustration.
- Discuss scenarios (real or imagined) where these emotions appear and outline possible responses.
- Cool Down: End with a calm reflection using the Cool Down Reflection Sheet to summarize feelings.
Step 2
Session 2: Verbal Expression and Coping Strategies
30 minutes
- Warm Up: Initiate with a check-in focusing on any noticeable changes in mood.
- Review the previous session’s worksheet entries to track progress.
- Engage in a guided discussion using the Discussion Guide for Emotional Regulation to verbalize feelings and triggers.
- Introduce a set of coping strategies (deep breathing, positive self-talk, breaks) and allow the student to choose their preferred method.
- Practice a coping strategy through role-playing with various scenarios.
- Cool Down: Use the reflection sheet to record the experience and any thoughts about the coping strategy chosen.
Step 3
Session 3: Mastery and Self-Reflection
30 minutes
- Warm Up: Open with a brief session check through the Warm-Up Activity: Quick Check-In.
- Recap the previous sessions, focusing on lessons learned about triggers and effective coping strategies.
- Have the student verbalize their current emotional state and discuss improvements.
- Revisit the worksheet and discussion guide to highlight progress and areas needing further work.
- Encourage self-selection of coping strategies in varied scenarios without prompting, aiming for independence.
- Cool Down: Conclude with a reflective discussion and document the session outcomes on the Cool Down Reflection Sheet.
Worksheet
Emotion Identification Worksheet
This worksheet is designed to help you identify situations where you feel frustrated and the emotions you experience. Use the space provided to write your thoughts and experiences. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer – this is your personal space to express yourself.
1. Identifying Triggers
Think about a situation where you recently felt frustrated. Describe the situation below:
What do you think triggered your frustration?
2. Recognizing Emotions
What specific emotions did you feel in that situation? (For example, anger, sadness, or stress)
List any physical sensations you noticed (such as a racing heart, clenched fists, etc.):
3. Reflecting on the Response
How did you react or want to react to the situation? Describe your initial response:
Were there any moments when you thought of using a coping strategy? If yes, which strategies come to mind?
4. Looking Ahead
How might you adjust your response if a similar situation arises in the future? Write one or two new strategies you could try:
Keep this worksheet handy and refer to it during our sessions. Your reflections will guide you in choosing effective coping strategies.
Discussion
Discussion Guide for Emotional Regulation
This guide is designed to help you explore your emotions, triggers, and coping strategies in a supportive conversation. Use the guiding questions below to help share your feelings and think about how you can manage difficult emotions.
Warm-Up Check-In
- Begin by describing how you're feeling today in one or two sentences.
- What words would you use to describe your mood right now?
Exploring Triggers and Emotions
- Think about a recent time when you felt really frustrated or upset. Can you describe what happened?
- What do you believe triggered these feelings?
- What specific emotions did you experience during that time? (For example: anger, sadness, anxiety, etc.)
- Did you notice any physical sensations (like a racing heart or tense muscles)? Describe them.
Verbal Expression and Coping Strategies
- How did you react when you felt these emotions? What did you do?
- Have you ever tried a coping strategy when you felt overwhelmed (like deep breathing or positive self-talk)? Share your experience.
- If you could choose a new strategy to help calm yourself, what might that be? Why do you think it could help?
Reflecting and Looking Ahead
- Looking back at your experiences, are there any changes you think could help you manage your feelings better in the future?
- How might these strategies make it easier to handle similar situations next time?
Open Reflection
- Take a moment to share any additional thoughts or feelings about your experience with dealing with frustration and stress.
- Is there anything else you'd like to try or talk about to help manage your emotions?
Note for the Facilitator: Use these questions to guide the conversation. Encourage the student to take their time and express themselves freely. Provide supportive feedback and help the student explore different perspectives on their feelings and responses.
Warm Up
Warm-Up Activity: Quick Check-In
This activity is designed to quickly gauge how you’re feeling at the start of each session. Please answer the following questions to help set the stage for our discussion:
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How are you feeling right now? Write a short sentence or two describing your current mood:
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What word best describes your emotion at this moment (e.g., calm, upset, excited, tired)?
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Is there anything in particular that is influencing how you feel today? Share a brief note if you’d like:
Use this check-in to become aware of your emotional state. We’ll refer back to these feelings during our session to help guide our conversation and activities.
Cool Down
Cool Down Reflection Sheet
At the end of our session, take some time to reflect on what you experienced and learned. Answer the questions below to help process your emotions and identify what worked for you today.
1. Session Recap
Describe in a few sentences how you felt during today's session:
2. Highlights and Challenges
What part of today’s session was most helpful for you, and why?
What was challenging during today’s session? How did you manage or cope with it?
3. Lessons Learned
List one or two strategies or insights from today that you want to remember for the future:
4. Moving Forward
How do you feel about using these coping strategies next time you’re in a challenging situation? Write a short reflection about how you plan to apply what you learned:
Keep this sheet as a reminder of your progress and continue to update it as you practice and learn more about managing your emotions.