Lesson Plan
Resilience Building Framework
Students will identify personal strengths and resilience strategies, collaborate to assemble a community puzzle illustrating trauma-informed practices, and reflect on how they can support a positive school climate.
Building resilience helps students manage challenges, fosters empathy, and creates a supportive classroom environment. This lesson equips 5th graders with trauma-informed tools and encourages teamwork to strengthen school climate.
Audience
5th Grade Class
Time
50 minutes
Approach
Interactive warm-up, guided slides, collaborative puzzle, and reflection circles
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the full Resilience Building Framework lesson plan.
- Print enough copies of the Quick Strengths Check Worksheet for each student.
- Load and preview the Pieces of Resilience Slide Deck.
- Print and cut out the Puzzle Piece Values Templates so each small group can assemble a set.
- Familiarize yourself with the Group Reflection Circles Prompts to guide discussion.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Quick Strengths Check
5 minutes
- Distribute the Quick Strengths Check Worksheet.
- Ask students to list three personal strengths and one way they’ve shown resilience recently.
- Invite a few volunteers to share and celebrate each other’s strengths.
Step 2
Introduction: Defining Resilience
10 minutes
- Project the first slides from the Pieces of Resilience Slide Deck.
- Discuss: What is resilience? Why does it matter in our classroom?
- Highlight trauma-informed practices: safety, connection, and empowerment.
Step 3
Slides Exploration: Puzzle Pieces of Resilience
10 minutes
- Continue with the Pieces of Resilience Slide Deck.
- As a class, identify different “pieces” of resilience (e.g., support networks, self-awareness).
- Invite students to suggest examples from their own experiences.
Step 4
Collaborative Activity: Puzzle Piece Values
15 minutes
- Divide students into small groups and give each group a set of Puzzle Piece Values Templates.
- Instruct groups to label each puzzle piece with a resilience value (e.g., empathy, perseverance).
- Have groups assemble their puzzle and appoint a speaker to explain how the pieces connect to school climate.
Step 5
Discussion: Group Reflection Circles
8 minutes
- Organize students into their puzzle groups and use the Group Reflection Circles Prompts.
- Prompts include: How did working together build resilience? What can our class do to support each other?
- Facilitate sharing insights and key takeaways.
Step 6
Closure: Class Debrief
2 minutes
- Summarize main resilience concepts and celebrate student contributions.
- Challenge students to practice one new resilience strategy this week and share at the next meeting.
Slide Deck
Pieces of Resilience
Exploring how resilience shapes our school climate
Welcome class! Today we're going to explore resilience and how each of us brings unique strengths to our school community. This slide introduces our session and sets the stage for our journey.
What Is Resilience?
Resilience is our ability to bounce back from challenges, adapt during stress, and grow stronger through experiences.
Ask students what they think resilience means. Share the formal definition and relate it to personal experiences. Emphasize that resilience is a skill we can build.
Why Resilience Matters
• Helps us overcome obstacles
• Builds confidence and self-awareness
• Strengthens our classroom community
• Encourages empathy and support
Discuss why resilience is important for individuals and our classroom environment. Encourage students to share examples of times when resilience helped them.
Trauma-Informed Practices
• Safety: Creating a secure environment where everyone feels protected.
• Connection: Building trusting relationships among peers and adults.
• Empowerment: Encouraging student voice and choice in our classroom.
Introduce the three core trauma-informed practices—safety, connection, and empowerment. Explain each with a classroom example.
Puzzle Pieces of Resilience
Self-Awareness
Support Networks
Perseverance
Problem-Solving
Empathy
Optimism
Explain that each of these values will become a “puzzle piece” our groups will work on. Invite students to think of examples or stories that illustrate each one.
Collaborative Puzzle Activity
- Form small groups and take a set of puzzle templates.
- Assign each piece a resilience value from our list.
- Decorate and assemble the puzzle pieces.
- Prepare to explain how your puzzle reflects a positive school climate.
Outline the upcoming group activity so students know what to expect. Remind them to appoint a speaker and think about how their puzzle connects to a positive school climate.
Activity
Puzzle Piece Values Activity
Purpose:
Students collaborate to label, decorate, and assemble puzzle pieces that represent key resilience values. Through this hands-on task, they deepen understanding of trauma-informed practices and see how combining individual strengths builds a positive school climate.
Materials
- Pre-cut puzzle piece templates (Puzzle Piece Values Templates)
- Markers, colored pencils, crayons
- Chart paper or display board
- Adhesive or tape
Setup (2 minutes)
Arrange tables so students work in small groups of 4–5. Place one set of blank puzzle pieces and art supplies at each table. Assign a role chart (artist, recorder, presenter, timekeeper) for each group.
Instructions
- Group Formation & Roles (2 minutes)
• Form groups of 4–5 students.
• Assign roles:
– Artist: Draws and decorates each piece.
– Recorder: Writes the resilience value and example on each piece.
– Presenter: Explains the finished puzzle to the class.
– Timekeeper: Keeps the group on schedule. - Labeling Puzzle Pieces (5 minutes)
• Distribute one blank puzzle set to each group.
• Review the list of resilience values from the Pieces of Resilience Slide Deck:
Self-Awareness, Support Networks, Perseverance, Problem-Solving, Empathy, Optimism
• Recorder labels each puzzle piece with one value and jots down a brief, real-life example illustrating that value. - Decorating & Illustrating (5 minutes)
• Artists add drawings, symbols, or color coding that reflect the value and example on each piece.
• Encourage clear, creative visuals to help others understand at a glance. - Assembling the Puzzle (3 minutes)
• Groups connect their decorated pieces on the table or display board to form the full puzzle.
• Check that the pieces interlock logically and be ready to explain how the values connect to strengthen your classroom community. - Group Presentations (5 minutes)
• Each group’s presenter shares:- A value your group highlighted.
- The example you chose.
- How combining these values builds a resilient, supportive school climate.
Reflection Prompts
- Which value did you find most meaningful—and why?
- How did working together on this puzzle build your group’s resilience?
- What can our class do this week to practice one of these resilience values?
Discussion
Group Reflection Circles
Purpose:
Students deepen their understanding of resilience and collaboration by discussing how their group activity connected to trauma-informed practices and a supportive school climate.
Setup & Guidelines:
- Sit in a circle with your puzzle group (4–5 students).
- Use active listening: face the speaker, make eye contact, and wait your turn.
- Speak using “I” statements (e.g., “I noticed…,” “I felt…”).
- Be respectful of different perspectives and allow everyone to share.
Discussion Prompts
- How did working together on the puzzle help your group practice resilience?
- Follow-up: Did you encounter any obstacles while assembling your pieces? How did you solve them together?
- Follow-up: Did you encounter any obstacles while assembling your pieces? How did you solve them together?
- Which resilience value (puzzle piece) resonated most with you, and why?
- Follow-up: Can you share an example from your own life where you used this value?
- Follow-up: Can you share an example from your own life where you used this value?
- In what ways can our class use these values to support each other daily?
- Follow-up: What routines or habits could we start this week to build connection, safety, or empowerment?
- Follow-up: What routines or habits could we start this week to build connection, safety, or empowerment?
- What is one personal resilience strategy you will commit to practicing this week?
- Follow-up: How will you remind yourself? Who could you ask for help if you get stuck?
- Follow-up: How will you remind yourself? Who could you ask for help if you get stuck?
Closing:
- Each group’s speaker shares one key insight from the conversation.
- Teacher highlights common themes and thanks students for their honest reflections.
- Challenge: Pick one action from today’s discussion to try this week and be ready to share at our next class meeting!
Warm Up
Quick Strengths Check Worksheet
Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________
1. List Three Personal Strengths
2. Describe One Time You Showed Resilience Recently
What challenge did you face? ______________________________________________________________________
How did you overcome it? ________________________________________________________________________
3. Share an Encouraging Message
Write an encouraging message to yourself or a classmate to remind you of your strengths and resilience:
"_______________________________________________________________________________________________"