Waves of Grief

Vanessa Venegas

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Waves of Grief Lesson Plan

Students will be able to identify and describe common feelings associated with grief and understand that these feelings can come and go like waves.

Understanding grief is crucial for emotional health. This lesson provides students with a safe space and language to process difficult emotions, helping them navigate personal losses and changes more effectively.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, visual aids, and a hands-on activity to explore the concept of grief.

Materials

Waves of Grief Slide Deck, Waves of Grief Activity Guide, Chart paper or whiteboard, Markers, Small pieces of paper (blue for ocean, various colors for emotions), and Pencils or crayons

Prep

Prepare Materials

15 minutes

Review the Waves of Grief Lesson Plan and Waves of Grief Slide Deck.
Print or prepare to display the Waves of Grief Activity Guide.
Gather chart paper or a whiteboard and markers.
Cut small pieces of blue paper (representing the ocean) and various colored papers (representing emotions) for each student.

Step 1

Introduction: What is Grief?

5 minutes

Begin by projecting the first slide of the Waves of Grief Slide Deck.
Ask students: 'Have you ever felt sad when something important changed or someone you cared about left?' Allow for brief sharing.
Introduce the term 'grief' as the big feelings we have when something changes or when we lose something or someone important. Explain that it's a natural human experience.

Step 2

Exploring Feelings Like Waves

10 minutes

Display the 'Feelings are like Waves' slide from the Waves of Grief Slide Deck.
Explain that feelings of grief can come and go, just like ocean waves. Sometimes they are big and powerful, and sometimes they are small and gentle.
Ask students to brainstorm different feelings they might experience when they are sad, confused, or missing something/someone. Write these on the board.
Introduce the Waves of Grief Activity Guide and explain the activity.

Step 3

Waves of Grief Activity

10 minutes

Distribute the blue 'ocean' paper and various colored 'emotion' papers to each student.
Instruct students to write or draw one feeling of grief they discussed (or another they identify) on each colored paper. They can write multiple feelings on different papers.
Guide them to place their 'emotion' papers onto the blue 'ocean' paper, moving them around to show how feelings can come and go or feel stronger/weaker, like waves.
Facilitate a brief share-out, asking students to describe one feeling they chose and why it feels like a 'wave' to them. Refer to the Waves of Grief Activity Guide for specific prompts.

Step 4

Wrap-Up and Reflection

5 minutes

Bring the class back together. Reiterate that it's okay to feel these 'waves' of grief and that everyone experiences them differently.
Emphasize that talking about our feelings can help. Ask: 'What is one thing you learned today about grief or your feelings?'
Conclude by thanking students for their participation and bravery in exploring these important feelings.

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Slide Deck

Welcome to Our Journey: Waves of Grief

Understanding Big Feelings When Things Change

Welcome students and introduce the topic. Ask a relatable question to get them thinking about feelings of change or sadness.

What is Grief?

Grief is how we feel when something important changes, or when we lose someone or something special.

It's a mix of many feelings, like sadness, confusion, and even anger.

Everyone feels grief, and it's a natural part of growing up.

Define grief in simple terms and explain it as a natural part of life. Emphasize that it's okay to have these feelings.

Feelings Are Like Waves

Have you ever watched ocean waves?

They come and go.
Some are big, some are small.
They can be powerful or gentle.

Our feelings of grief can be just like these waves.

Introduce the metaphor of waves. Ask students to think about how ocean waves behave.

What Feelings Come with Grief Waves?

What feelings do you think might come and go when we are experiencing grief?

Sadness?
Anger?
Confusion?
Loneliness?
Even happiness when remembering good times?

Let's brainstorm together!

Brainstorm feelings as a class and write them on the board. Encourage a wide range of emotions, not just sadness.

Our Waves of Grief Activity

Today, we will create our own 'Waves of Grief' artwork.

You'll get a blue paper (our ocean) and colorful papers (our feelings).

Write or draw a feeling on each small paper.
Place your feelings on your ocean paper, showing how they might come and go.
Be ready to share one feeling you chose and why it feels like a wave!

Explain the activity clearly. Distribute materials and monitor students as they work. Refer to the 'Waves of Grief Activity Guide'.

Remember: It's Okay to Feel

All your feelings are okay and important.

Just like waves, feelings come and go.

Talking about your feelings can help you understand and move through them.

What is one new thing you learned about grief or your feelings today?

Reiterate the main message: feelings are normal, they come and go, and it's good to talk about them.

Activity

Waves of Grief Activity

Objective

To help students visually represent and articulate their understanding of feelings associated with grief, recognizing that these emotions can fluctuate.

Materials

One large blue piece of paper per student (representing the ocean)
Several smaller, colorful pieces of paper per student (representing individual emotions)
Pencils, crayons, or markers

Instructions for Students

Your Ocean of Feelings: Take your large blue paper. This is your 'ocean.' Just like the ocean has many different waves, our hearts and minds have many different feelings.
Naming Your Waves: Take one of your smaller, colorful pieces of paper. On this paper, write down or draw one feeling that someone might have when they are grieving or when something important changes. Think about the feelings we discussed, like:
- Sadness
- Anger
- Confusion
- Missing someone/something
- Worry
- Even calm or happy memories (these can be part of the 'waves' too!)
Create More Waves: Repeat Step 2 for 3-5 different feelings, using a new colorful paper for each feeling. You can use different colors for different feelings if you like!
Place Your Waves: Now, gently place your 'feeling' papers onto your blue 'ocean' paper. Think about how real ocean waves move:
- Are some feelings big and crashing (like a strong wave)? Place that feeling prominently.
- Are some feelings small and gentle (like a ripple)? Place that feeling off to the side or smaller.
- Do some feelings come close together? Do others feel far apart?
- You can move your papers around to show how your feelings come and go, or how strong they feel at different times.
Share Your Ocean: When your teacher asks, be ready to share one feeling you put on your ocean and why you placed it there. How does that feeling come and go like a wave for you or someone you know?

Reflection Questions (for discussion)

Which feeling did you put on your ocean? Why did you choose that one?
How does this feeling feel like a 'wave' that comes and goes?
Is it okay to have many different feelings when you are sad or when things change? Why?
What helps you when you have a big 'wave' of feeling?

Warm Up

How Do You Feel Today?

Before we start our lesson, let's take a quick moment to check in with ourselves.

Think about a time when something changed in your life, big or small. How did that change make you feel? Maybe you felt happy, excited, a little nervous, or even a bit sad.

On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'feeling great!' and 5 is 'feeling a little stormy', how are you feeling about changes in general today?

Circle the number that best describes how you feel:

1 (Great!) --- 2 --- 3 --- 4 --- 5 (Stormy!)

Quick Share: If you feel comfortable, share one word that describes how you feel about change today.

Cool Down

My Wave of Learning

Great job today exploring our feelings! Let's take a moment to reflect.

What is one new thing you learned or understood about feelings and change today?
If your feelings about grief were a wave, what kind of wave would they be right now (big, small, calm, choppy)? Why?
What is one way you can show kindness to yourself or others when feelings are like 'waves'?

Script

Waves of Grief: Teacher's Script

Introduction (5 minutes)

(Slide 1: Welcome to Our Journey: Waves of Grief)