Lesson Plan
Trauma in the Classroom Outline
Students will explore how trauma influences behavior and learning by identifying brain‐body responses, mapping flashback triggers, practicing an emotion body scan, and engaging in mindful breathing to foster empathy and a safer classroom environment.
This lesson builds trauma awareness and empathy, helping students recognize stress responses in themselves and peers. A trauma‐informed classroom reduces stigma, strengthens relationships, and supports all learners’ well‐being.
Audience
6th Grade Students
Time
45 minutes
Approach
Interactive mapping, discussion, and mindfulness practices.
Prep
Teacher Preparation
10 minutes
- Review the Trauma in the Classroom Outline to familiarize yourself with lesson flow.
- Preview slides in the Brain and Body Responses Slide Deck.
- Print or display the Emotion Body Scan Activity Sheet for each student.
- Read through the Flashback Mapping Warm-Up Activity Guide to understand instructions.
- Prepare the Mindful Breathing Moment Cue Card visuals or handouts.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Flashback Mapping
5 minutes
- Introduce the concept of a flashback: a memory that feels vivid and intense.
- Distribute the Flashback Mapping Warm-Up Activity Guide.
- Ask students to quietly jot down or draw a neutral personal memory and note any physical sensations it evokes.
- Invite a few volunteers to share how recalling that memory felt in their bodies (no pressure to share content).
Step 2
Introduction & Brain-Body Discussion
10 minutes
- Display the Brain and Body Responses Slide Deck.
- Define trauma and explain its impact on the brain (fight, flight, freeze) and body (heart rate, breathing).
- Pause after each slide for clarifying questions.
- Encourage students to connect slide content to their warm-up observations.
Step 3
Activity: Emotion Body Scan
10 minutes
- Hand out the Emotion Body Scan Activity Sheet.
- Guide students through a brief practice: close eyes, breathe, and notice where emotions manifest physically.
- Prompt them to mark sensations (e.g., tight chest, tingling hands) on the body outline.
- Remind students this is private; sharing is optional.
Step 4
Group Debrief & Empathy Building
10 minutes
- Invite students to reflect on the scan: What surprised you? What was familiar?
- Facilitate a discussion on how understanding physical signals can help support peers experiencing stress.
- Highlight respectful listening and validate all experiences.
- Emphasize that trauma responses are natural and not a character flaw.
Step 5
Cool-Down: Mindful Breathing Moment
10 minutes
- Distribute or display the Mindful Breathing Moment Cue Card.
- Lead the class in a 5-minute guided breathing exercise (inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6).
- Afterward, ask students to share (via gesture or word) how they feel post-practice.
- Close by reinforcing that these tools are available anytime they feel overwhelmed.
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Slide Deck
What is Trauma?
Trauma is a strong emotional and physical response to events that feel overwhelming, scary, or unsafe.
• It can come from a single event or many smaller events.
• Everyone’s experience is unique.
Introduce the word “trauma” by asking if anyone’s ever felt really scared or upset after something happened–and then explain that trauma is more than just being “very sad” one time. It’s a strong, lasting reaction our bodies and brains have to upsetting events.
How the Brain Responds
• Amygdala: Detects threat and triggers fight, flight, or freeze.
• Prefrontal Cortex: Helps us think and make decisions, but slows down when we’re stressed.
Explain that our brain has different parts working together. The amygdala is like an alarm, and the prefrontal cortex is like the brain’s control center. Under stress, the alarm takes over.
The Amygdala: Our Alarm
A small, almond-shaped brain region that:
• Senses danger quickly
• Triggers stress hormones (like adrenaline)
• Prepares the body to react fast
Point to the amygdala in the brain diagram. Describe how, when it senses danger, it sends signals that speed up the heart and make us ready to act.
The Prefrontal Cortex
The thinking part of the brain that:
• Plans and makes decisions
• Controls impulses
Under stress, its activity decreases, making it harder to think clearly.
Highlight the location of the prefrontal cortex. Explain that when it’s “offline,” it’s hard to think clearly or control impulses.
Physical Signs of Stress
When our alarm is on, we might notice:
• Faster heartbeat
• Quick, shallow breathing
• Sweaty palms
• Tense muscles
• “Butterflies” in the stomach
Read each physical sign aloud. Encourage students to notice if they’ve ever felt these sensations, without calling on anyone specifically.
Coping Reminders
If you feel stressed, you can:
• Practice slow, deep breathing
• Do an emotion body scan
• Talk with a trusted adult
• Take a short break
Explain that these tools can help “turn off” the alarm and bring the thinking brain back. We’ll practice breathing and body scans soon.
Warm Up
Flashback Mapping Warm-Up
Purpose: Introduce the idea that memories—even neutral ones—can bring up physical sensations in our bodies.
Materials Needed:
- Flashback Mapping Warm-Up worksheets (one per student)
Teacher Notes
- Emphasize a neutral memory (e.g., eating ice cream, walking in a park) to keep focus on bodily sensations, not emotional content.
- Reinforce that students will only share physical sensations, not details of their memory.
- Keep the atmosphere calm and private; sharing is voluntary.
Student Instructions
- Think of a simple, neutral memory (for example: a time you ate your favorite snack, a walk in the neighborhood).
- On the worksheet, in the top box, write or draw a quick reminder of that memory (just a few words or a simple picture).
- Under “How My Body Felt,” jot down any sensations you notice as you recall it. Consider: heart beating, tightness, warmth, fluttering, or nothing at all.
- In the arrows surrounding the body outline, mark where you felt each sensation (e.g., chest, stomach, hands).
- (Optional) If you’re comfortable, raise your hand and share one physical sensation you noticed—no need to share what the memory was.
Worksheet Layout (on Flashback Mapping Warm-Up)
- Box at top: “My Neutral Memory”
- Section labeled “How My Body Felt” with lines
- Simple body outline with arrows pointing inward for students to label sensations
(5 minutes)
Activity
Emotion Body Scan
Purpose: Help students notice where and how emotions show up in their bodies, fostering self-awareness and coping skills.
Materials Needed:
- Emotion Body Scan Activity Sheet (one per student)
- Quiet, comfortable space
Teacher Notes
- Remind students this is a private reflection; sharing is optional.
- Encourage calm, slow breathing throughout the scan.
- Model the process first by describing a simple sensation (e.g., “I feel my shoulders relaxing”).
- Move through the body systematically (head to toes or vice versa).
Student Instructions
- Sit comfortably with your sheet in front of you and hands resting in your lap.
- Close your eyes (if comfortable) and take three slow, deep breaths.
- Focus on your head and neck:
- Notice any tension (tight jaw, headache, tingling).
- Mark sensations on the outline or write words beside the area.
- Move attention to your shoulders and arms:
- Sense warmth, heaviness, or tightness.
- Label on the outline.
- Scan your chest and stomach:
- Listen for heartbeat, fluttering, butterflies, or emptiness.
- Indicate on the sheet.
- Notice your hands and fingers:
- Are they cold, sweaty, clenched, or relaxed?
- Mark accordingly.
- Focus on your back and torso:
- Identify tight spots or a sense of openness.
- Label these sensations.
- Shift to your legs and feet:
- Feel ground contact, stiffness, or ease.
- Draw or note these feelings.
- Take one final scan over your whole body, noticing any lingering sensations.
- End with three more deep breaths. When ready, open your eyes.
Reflection (Optional Sharing)
- What area of your body had the strongest sensation? Why do you think that is?
- How can noticing these signals help you calm down when you feel stressed?
Cool Down
Mindful Breathing Moment
Purpose:
Help students calm their bodies and minds by practicing a simple, structured breathing exercise. This cool-down reinforces self-regulation skills they can use anytime.
Materials Needed:
- Mindful Breathing Moment Cue Card (visual or handout)
Instructions
- Have students sit comfortably with feet flat on the floor and hands resting on their lap or belly.
- Display or hand out the cue card showing the breathing pattern (inhale–hold–exhale).
- Lead the group through five rounds of “4-2-6 Breathing”:
• Inhale slowly for a count of 4, feeling the belly rise.
• Hold the breath gently for a count of 2.
• Exhale smoothly for a count of 6, feeling the belly fall. - Encourage students to close their eyes or soften their gaze and focus on the sensation of air moving in and out.
- Maintain a calm, slow pace and model the counts aloud or with the visual cue.
Reflection
- Invite students to share one word or raise a colored card to show how they feel now (e.g., calm, relaxed, focused).
- Remind them that they can use this breathing pattern whenever they notice stress or big feelings.
(10 minutes)