Lesson Plan
Your Mind, Your Map
Students will be able to identify the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as a core concept of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and recognize how these elements influence one another.
Understanding the thoughts-feelings-behaviors cycle provides students with a foundational tool for self-awareness and emotional regulation, empowering them to begin to understand and potentially reshape their reactions to situations.
Audience
9th Grade High School Students (Sub-Separate Emotional Program)
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, visual aids, and a brief reflective activity.
Materials
- Warm Up: Mind Scan, - Slide Deck: Your Mind, Your Map, - Activity: Cycle of Me, - Cool Down: One Big Idea, and - Whiteboard or projector
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review the Your Mind, Your Map Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Warm Up: Mind Scan, Slide Deck: Your Mind, Your Map, Activity: Cycle of Me, and Cool Down: One Big Idea.
- Ensure whiteboard or projector is ready for displaying slides.
- Make copies of Activity: Cycle of Me if desired, or prepare to draw the diagram on the board.
- (Optional) Prepare a personal, simple example of a thought-feeling-behavior cycle to share if students are hesitant to share.
Step 1
Warm Up: Mind Scan
5 minutes
- Begin with the Warm Up: Mind Scan.
- Instruct students to quietly reflect on how they are feeling right now and what thoughts are going through their minds.
- Ask for a few volunteers to share one word that describes their current feeling or thought (if they are comfortable).
Step 2
Introduction to CBT
5 minutes
- Use the first few slides of the Slide Deck: Your Mind, Your Map to introduce the idea that our inner world (thoughts, feelings) is connected to our outer actions (behaviors).
- Explain that today's lesson will introduce a way to map this connection.
- Define 'Thoughts,' 'Feelings,' and 'Behaviors' using simple, relatable language.
Step 3
The Cycle Explained
10 minutes
- Continue with the Slide Deck: Your Mind, Your Map to explain the interconnected nature of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Emphasize that these three components constantly influence each other, forming a cycle.
- Provide a clear, simple example (e.g., 'Thought: I'm going to fail this test. Feeling: Anxious. Behavior: Procrastinate studying.').
- Encourage students to think about how one impacts the others.
- Ask open-ended questions: "Can anyone think of a time when a specific thought led to a strong feeling?" or "How might changing a behavior affect a feeling?"
Step 4
Activity: Cycle of Me
5 minutes
- Introduce the Activity: Cycle of Me.
- Explain that students will briefly identify a recent, simple situation and outline one thought, one feeling, and one behavior they experienced in response.
- Reassure students that this is a personal reflection and they do not have to share if they are uncomfortable.
- Circulate and offer support as students work.
Step 5
Cool Down: One Big Idea
5 minutes
- Bring the class back together.
- Conclude with the Cool Down: One Big Idea.
- Ask students to reflect on the main takeaway from the lesson.
- Collect cool-down tickets (if applicable) to gauge understanding.
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Slide Deck
Your Mind, Your Map
Understanding the connections within you!
Welcome students and introduce the exciting journey we're about to embark on – understanding our own minds! Explain that this lesson will give them a tool to map how they think, feel, and act.
What's Going On Inside?
Have you ever wondered why you react the way you do?
It often comes down to three connected parts:
- Thoughts
- Feelings
- Behaviors
Engage students with a question about their inner world. Explain that sometimes it feels like a jumble, but we can break it down. Introduce the three key players: Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors. Ask students to quickly brainstorm what each of these words means to them.
Thoughts: What You Tell Yourself
These are the words, ideas, and beliefs that run through your mind.
- Your internal dialogue.
- What you believe about yourself, others, and the world.
Examples:
- "I can do this!"
- "This is too difficult."
- "They don't like me."
Define 'Thoughts' clearly. Provide simple examples of thoughts (e.g., 'I'm good at this,' 'This is hard,' 'What's for lunch?'). Emphasize that thoughts are often automatic and can be positive, negative, or neutral.
Feelings: Your Emotional Reactions
These are your emotions and how you experience them physically.
- Joy, sadness, anger, fear, frustration, excitement.
- Can often be felt in your body (e.g., racing heart, tight shoulders).
Examples:
- Happy, Anxious, Angry, Calm, Proud
Define 'Feelings' and provide a range of examples beyond just 'happy' or 'sad.' Discuss how feelings are our emotional reactions and can be physical sensations too (e.g., 'butterflies in stomach' for anxiety).
Behaviors: What You Do
These are the actions you take or don't take.
- What you say, how you act, your body language.
- Can be visible to others or something you do internally (like avoiding a task).
Examples:
- Studying, Yelling, Crying, Being Quiet, Helping a friend
Define 'Behaviors' as actions we take. Explain that behaviors can be obvious (running, shouting) or subtle (avoiding eye contact, sighing). Connect it back to the idea that behaviors are often a response to thoughts and feelings.
The CBT Cycle: They're All Connected!
Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors don't happen in isolation.
They form a cycle, constantly influencing each other:
THOUGHTS ➡️ FEELINGS ➡️ BEHAVIORS ➡️ THOUGHTS...
Change one, and you can influence the others!
This is the core concept slide. Visually represent the cycle (e.g., a triangle or a circle with arrows). Emphasize that these three points are constantly interacting and influencing each other. No single point is always the 'start' or 'end.'
Let's Map an Example
Situation: You have a big presentation next week.
Thought: "I'm going to mess this up. Everyone will laugh."
Feeling: Anxious, nervous, stomach ache.
Behavior: Avoid practicing, procrastinate, stay quiet in class when the teacher asks about it.
See how they connect?
Walk through a clear, relatable example. Start with a thought, show how it leads to a feeling, and then a behavior. Then, briefly discuss how that behavior might reinforce the initial thought or lead to new ones. (e.g., Thought: 'I'll never understand this math.' -> Feeling: 'Frustrated.' -> Behavior: 'Give up on homework.' -> New Thought: 'See? I told you I couldn't do it.').
Your Turn to Map!
Now, let's try to map a small experience of your own.
- Think of a recent, simple situation.
- Identify a Thought, a Feeling, and a Behavior you had.
- No need to share if you don't want to! This is for you.
Introduce the idea of the upcoming activity as a chance for students to practice mapping their own experiences. Reassure them it's a safe space and they can choose to share or keep their reflections private.
You're the Mapper!
By understanding how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect, you gain a map to your inner world.
This map can help you understand yourself better and make choices that serve you.
Keep exploring your own connections!
Conclude by reiterating the main message: understanding this cycle gives them power. They are the 'mappers' of their own minds, which is the first step towards navigating it effectively. Encourage curiosity about their own patterns.
Warm Up
Warm Up: Mind Scan
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
-
Quietly reflect: What thoughts are currently going through your mind? What feelings are you experiencing right now?
-
Choose one word: If you feel comfortable, think of one word that describes either a thought or a feeling you are having at this very moment.
(Teacher will ask for volunteers to share one word.)
Activity
Activity: Cycle of Me
Instructions: Think of a recent, simple situation (e.g., getting a pop quiz, a comment from a friend, seeing a task you need to do). In the spaces below, identify one thought, one feeling, and one behavior you experienced in response to that situation. Remember, this is for your own reflection.
My Situation:
My Cycle:
Thought (What went through my mind?):
Feeling (What emotion did I experience?):
Behavior (What did I do or not do?):
Cool Down
Cool Down: One Big Idea
Instructions: What is one big idea or a key takeaway you learned or were reminded of today about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? Write it down in a sentence or two.