Hello again!
Lesson: Bear Feels Scared
Age: Pre-k/Kindergarten
Subject: Emotional Development
Objective: Children will be able to identify their own fears and coping skills.
Procedure:
1) Read the book Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson. Ask children to make a scared face, make sure the children know the difference between being scared and being scary. As you read, ask children why Bear is afraid, where is he, what is around him? At the end ask why Bear feels safe again, again notice the environment in the pictures.
2) Ask children what makes them feel scared. Allow each child to discuss their fears, try not to cut them off if they seem to talk for a long time.
3) Tell the children you have brought some things with you that can make them feel better when they are scared. Have pre-made pictures or representations ready. May include: A hug, family, friends, teachers, a nightlight, a blanket, a toy....etc.
4) Have the children take turns coming up to choose what they think would make them feel better when they are scared. If they are able ask them why they chose that.
5) Discuss how some options might be different when they are at school or at home, at home they can use their family, at school they can use their teachers or friends.
6) If you haven't already established one, have children choose a special spot in the room where they can go to feel better when they are scared, sad, or angry.
7) Wrap up by reminding children that it's ok to feel scared, that everyone does sometimes, but that they also know what makes them feel better and it's ok to ask for it if they need it.
Materials:
*Book Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson
*Pre-made cut outs of coping pictures
Variations:
*Older children can identify and draw their own fears and coping skills.
*If children aren't able to come up with fears you may want to have similar "fear cards" available for them to choose from.
I got a great response from this lesson. Despite their age the children were able to come up with well articulated fears. The children all seemed engaged enough that they didn't even repeat each others answers (which we all know can be the curse of any lesson). For me the pre-made coping choices worked out best. Each child was able to choose what they felt would make them feel better, and again none of them seemed to copy responses. To test this at the end I asked them if they had any ideas of their own of things that might make them feel better when they are scared. As I guessed they weren't able to come up with much on their own so I didn't feel bad about providing ready made answers for them. I'm all for getting children to originate their own solutions to problems, but as teachers we need to make sure we're tailoring each lesson to the ability of our students.
Next week is Monsters, and if you can guess which book I'll be discussing I'll give you a shiny gold star!
Teach on!
Often times I find that great lesson plans come from great books. Weekly trips to the library have become a kind of standard now. Most weeks I count on books to inspire at least half of my lessons, believing that you can never go wrong when you tie in literacy. To be honest I'd love to create a curriculum that was based entirely around literacy (math, science, and all!) but that's another blog! So what better way to get inspired to teach a great emotional development lesson than a great emotional development story!?!
I plan on having lessons to share later in the week, but I'm taking this opportunity to begin a new segment for lessons that are yet to be. Book Club will be a place to introduce stories that can become jumping off points for lessons of the future. This week we're starting off with a brand spanking new book called Cloudette, written by Tom Lichtenheld. It's the story of a cloud so small that she doesn't feel like she can contribute anything helpful. She searches and searches until one day, by accident, she finds herself above a small dried up pond. Giving it her all she is able to produce enough rain to fill the pond and make it a happy home for a family of frogs. For me the message behind this book is that no matter how small or insignificant you feel you can still make the world a better place. It's well written (which is a BIG deal to me), funny, and beautifully illustrated. It just came out this year so it should still be easy to find.
Books with emotional lessons aren't rare, but sometimes I think we just want to leave it at the carpet and not go any further with the message intended. I encourage teachers not to let the book do the work for them, but instead be inspired by it. Take advantage of the fact that most children are captivated by stories, allow them to live it out loud by extending it into their classrooms and lives.
If you read or have already read this book and have a great lesson idea, share with us! Or equally awesome, if you have a book you'd like to recommend for book club send it along! This might not be the last you see of this book from me, just waiting for the right time and brain storm (no pun intended). As for now, believe me, it's worth the trip to the library!
Teach on!
3) Tell the children you have brought some things with you that can make them feel better when they are scared. Have pre-made pictures or representations ready. May include: A hug, family, friends, teachers, a nightlight, a blanket, a toy....etc.
5) Discuss how some options might be different when they are at school or at home, at home they can use their family, at school they can use their teachers or friends. 
