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My Brain's Remote Control

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Grace LeSurf

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

My Brain's Remote Control

Students will learn to identify strong feelings and practice strategies to pause, think, and choose how to respond, rather than reacting impulsively. They will understand that they have a "remote control" for their brain.

Learning to control impulses and strong emotions helps students make better choices, get along with others, and feel more in charge of themselves. This is a crucial life skill for success in school and beyond.

Audience

High School Special Education Students (2nd Grade Level)

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Through a remote control analogy, discussion, and practice, students will learn practical strategies.

Materials

My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck](#slide-deck), My Brain's Remote Control Script](#script), Feelings Chart Worksheet](#feelings-chart-worksheet), My Brain's Remote Control Activity](#brain-remote-activity), and Cool Down: My Stop Button Worksheet](#cool-down-worksheet)

Prep

Preparation Steps

10 minutes

  • Review the My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck to familiarize yourself with the content and flow.
    - Read through the My Brain's Remote Control Script to prepare for delivery, noting key questions and prompts.
    - Print copies of the Feelings Chart Worksheet (one per student).
    - Print copies of the My Brain's Remote Control Activity (one per student).
    - Print copies of the Cool Down: My Stop Button Worksheet (one per student).
    - Gather pencils or markers for student activities.
    - Ensure projector/screen is set up for the slide deck.

Step 1

Warm-Up: How Do You Feel?

5 minutes

  • Greet students and ask them to think about how they are feeling today. No need to share aloud, just think about it.
    - Project My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck (Slide 1-2).
    - Use the My Brain's Remote Control Script to introduce the idea of feelings and how they can change.

Step 2

Introducing the Brain's Remote Control

10 minutes

  • Project My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck (Slide 3-6).
    - Distribute the Feelings Chart Worksheet.
    - Explain the concept of the 'brain's remote control' using the script.
    - Guide students through identifying different feelings using the worksheet and discussing how these feelings can make us want to react quickly (impulses).

Step 3

Pause, Think, Choose!

10 minutes

  • Project My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck (Slide 7-9).
    - Distribute the My Brain's Remote Control Activity.
    - Introduce the 'Pause, Think, Choose' strategy. Use the script to walk through examples.
    - Have students work on the activity, practicing applying the 'Pause, Think, Choose' steps to different scenarios. Circulate to provide support and encourage discussion.

Step 4

Cool Down: My Stop Button

5 minutes

  • Project My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck (Slide 10).
    - Distribute the Cool Down: My Stop Button Worksheet.
    - Ask students to reflect on one strategy they can use to press their 'stop button' when big feelings come up.
    - Collect worksheets as an exit ticket.
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Slide Deck

Welcome! How Are You Feeling Today?

Just think about it: How do you feel right now?

  • Happy?
  • Sad?
  • Silly?
  • Calm?
  • Wiggly?

Welcome students. Ask them to quietly think about how they are feeling today. Emphasize that all feelings are okay.

Feelings Can Be Like TV Channels

• Our feelings change, just like TV channels!
• Sometimes we feel happy, sometimes we feel mad.
• It's okay to have all kinds of feelings!

Introduce the idea that feelings can change quickly, like channels on a TV. We don't always choose our feelings, but we can learn to choose what we do with them.

You Have a Remote Control for Your Brain!

Imagine your brain has a special remote control.

Guess who holds the remote?

YOU DO!

Introduce the main analogy: your brain has a remote control. You are the one holding it.

The "Go!" Button

• Sometimes feelings make us want to act super fast!
• This is like our brain pressing the "Go!" button.
• It's an impulse – a quick feeling to do something.

Example: You get mad and want to yell!

Explain what the 'Go Button' is – our impulses or quick reactions. Ask for examples of when feelings make us want to go quickly.

The "Stop!" Button

• What if we could press a "Stop!" button first?
• This button helps us PAUSE before we act.
• It gives us time to THINK about what to do.

Explain what the 'Stop Button' is – the ability to pause and think. This is where impulse control comes in.

You Can Learn to Use Your Stop Button!

• When big feelings come, you can learn to PAUSE.
• Then you can choose what to do next.
• Let's look at some feelings and how they make us feel in our bodies.

Emphasize that we can learn to use this stop button. Connect to the idea of a 'Feelings Chart' (worksheet).

Pause, Think, Choose!

When a big feeling comes up, remember these three steps:

  1. PAUSE: Take a deep breath. Count to three. Don't act right away!
  2. THINK: What happened? How do I feel? What can I do?
  3. CHOOSE: Pick the best way to respond. Will it make things better or worse?

It's like using your brain's remote control!

Introduce the

Let's Practice! Scenario 1

Someone takes your favorite pen without asking.

  • PAUSE: Take a breath.
  • THINK: How do I feel? What could I do?
  • CHOOSE: What's the best choice?

Give a simple scenario and ask students to think through Pause, Think, Choose.

Let's Practice! Scenario 2

You finish your work early, but your friend is still working.

  • PAUSE: Take a breath.
  • THINK: How do I feel? What could I do?
  • CHOOSE: What's the best choice?

Give another simple scenario for practice.

You Control Your Remote!

• You are the boss of your brain's remote control.
• Practice helps you use your "Stop!" button.
• You can choose how to act, even when feelings are big!

Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the main idea and transitioning to the Cool Down activity. Encourage students that practice makes it easier.

lenny

Script

My Brain's Remote Control Script

Warm-Up: How Do You Feel? (5 minutes)

(Teacher displays My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck, Slide 1-2)

"Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to talk about something super important: how we manage our feelings and what we do. No need to share aloud, but I want you to take a moment and just think: How are you feeling right now? Are you feeling happy? A little sleepy? Maybe a bit wiggly? Just notice how your body feels.


Sometimes, our feelings can change really fast, right? One minute we might be super excited, and the next, we might feel a little frustrated. It's like our feelings are changing channels on a TV! It's totally okay to have all sorts of feelings. Everyone does!"

Introducing the Brain's Remote Control (10 minutes)

(Teacher displays My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck, Slide 3-6)

"Now, I want you to imagine something cool. Imagine your brain has its very own special remote control. Just like you use a remote to change channels on a TV, you have a remote for your brain.


And guess what? YOU hold the remote! You are the one who gets to press the buttons.


Sometimes, when we have big feelings – like when we're super mad, super sad, or super excited – our brain might want to press the 'Go!' button really fast. This is called an impulse. An impulse is when you feel a quick urge to do something without really thinking.


For example, if someone takes your pencil without asking, your brain might quickly press the 'Go!' button, and you might feel like yelling, 'Hey! That's my pencil!' That's an impulse. It's a fast reaction.

But what if we could press a 'Stop!' button first? This 'Stop!' button helps us PAUSE before we act. It gives us a little bit of time to THINK about what we want to do.


I'm going to hand out this Feelings Chart Worksheet. We're going to think about different feelings and how they make our bodies feel. This will help us notice when our 'Go!' button might be about to be pushed by a big feeling."

(Teacher distributes Feelings Chart Worksheet and guides students through it, discussing examples.)

Pause, Think, Choose! (10 minutes)

(Teacher displays My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck, Slide 7-9)

"Okay, so we know we have a 'Stop!' button. How do we use it? We're going to learn three magic steps: Pause, Think, Choose!


  1. PAUSE: This means take a deep breath. Count to three in your head. Don't act right away, even if you really want to. Just... pause. This is you pressing your 'Stop!' button.
  2. THINK: After you pause, ask yourself: What happened? How do I feel right now? What are some different things I could do?


  3. CHOOSE: Now, pick the best way to respond. Will this choice make things better or worse? Will it help me, or make a problem bigger? This is you using your brain's remote control to pick the right channel!

Let's try some practice scenarios together! I'm going to hand out an activity called My Brain's Remote Control Activity. We'll read some situations, and you'll get to practice your Pause, Think, Choose steps!"

(Teacher distributes My Brain's Remote Control Activity and leads students through practice scenarios. Circulate and provide support.)

Cool Down: My Stop Button (5 minutes)

(Teacher displays My Brain's Remote Control Slide Deck, Slide 10)

"Fantastic work today, everyone! Remember, you are the boss of your brain's remote control. You have that amazing 'Stop!' button to help you Pause, Think, and Choose what you do, even when your feelings are big. It takes practice, but you can do it!


For our cool-down, I want everyone to get this Cool Down: My Stop Button Worksheet. On this sheet, I want you to draw or write one thing you can do to press your 'Stop!' button when big feelings come up. It could be taking a deep breath, counting, walking away, or anything that helps you pause. Think about what we learned today.


When you're done, you can hand them in. Great job today!"

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

Feelings Chart: How Do I Feel?

Name: ________________________ Date: ________________________

Sometimes our bodies tell us how we feel. Draw a picture or write a word for each feeling. Then, draw or write what your body feels like when you have that feeling.

1. Happy

What does "Happy" look like?






What does my body feel like when I'm happy? (Example: "My face smiles!")






2. Mad

What does "Mad" look like?






What does my body feel like when I'm mad? (Example: "My fists might get tight.")






3. Sad

What does "Sad" look like?






What does my body feel like when I'm sad? (Example: "My eyes might get watery.")






4. Scared

What does "Scared" look like?






What does my body feel like when I'm scared? (Example: "My heart beats fast!")






5. Excited

What does "Excited" look like?






What does my body feel like when I'm excited? (Example: "I feel like jumping!")






6. Frustrated

What does "Frustrated" look like?






What does my body feel like when I'm frustrated? (Example: "I might sigh a lot.")






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Activity

My Brain's Remote Control Activity: Pause, Think, Choose!

Name: ________________________ Date: ________________________

Remember, you have a remote control for your brain! When big feelings come up, you can PAUSE, THINK, and CHOOSE.

Read each situation. Then, use the "Pause, Think, Choose" steps to decide what you would do.

Situation 1:

Your friend accidentally knocks over your tower of blocks. You feel really mad and want to push their blocks down too!

1. PAUSE: What can you do to pause? (Example: Take a deep breath)



2. THINK: What are some things you could do? (Example: Yell, tell the teacher, ask them to help rebuild)






3. CHOOSE: What is the best choice? Why?






Situation 2:

It's snack time, and someone took the last cookie you wanted. You feel disappointed and want to grab it out of their hand.

1. PAUSE: What can you do to pause?



2. THINK: What are some things you could do?






3. CHOOSE: What is the best choice? Why?






Situation 3:

You are working on a puzzle, and a piece just won't fit. You feel really frustrated and want to throw the puzzle on the floor.

1. PAUSE: What can you do to pause?



2. THINK: What are some things you could do?






3. CHOOSE: What is the best choice? Why?






Situation 4:

You see two friends playing a game you really want to join, but they haven't invited you yet. You feel left out and want to just walk over and take a turn.

1. PAUSE: What can you do to pause?



2. THINK: What are some things you could do?






3. CHOOSE: What is the best choice? Why?






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Cool Down

Cool Down: My Stop Button

Name: ________________________ Date: ________________________

Today we learned that we have a "remote control" for our brain and a "Stop!" button. This button helps us PAUSE before we act when big feelings come.

Think about one thing you can do to press your "Stop!" button. Draw a picture or write about your strategy below.

My Stop Button Strategy:



































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