The Neuroscience of EmotionA Unit Plan For Kids (Grade 4)

Rationale for our project

• Students benefit personally, socially, and academically when Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is incorporated into the educational framework (CASEL, 2010).

Rationale for our project

• Explicitly teaching children about their brains and bodies is important so that they can learn how their brains function and thus how they can self regulate emotional and physical responses to better function in a school community and for later adulthood.

Rationale for our project

• Evidence shows that children who can regulate their emotions are more successful in academics and social relationships (Duckworth and Seligman; 2005; Riggs et al. 2006)

Rationale for our projectWith the rationale in mind, our Unit will

integrate the following criteria in each lesson: – Extension for different ability levels and take home

assignments – Universal Design Learning approach for students to

present outcomes– Gather student feedback – Lessons based on Multiple Intelligence Theory

Overview of our Project:7-Lesson, Unit Plan for Grade 4s

• Goal: To teach children explicit affective neuroscience/SEL strategies to regulate their emotions

• Our Lessons:• Lesson 1: Welcome to your Brain!• Lesson 2: Emotions• Lesson 3: Anger• Lesson 4: Anxiety/Stress/Fear• Lesson 5: Happiness• Lesson 6: Sadness• Lesson 7: Empathy/Compassion

Launching the Unit (Hook):

• Teacher led activity to introduce topic

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Brain

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Brain

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Brain

Lesson 1: Brain Books - Journal

Lesson 2: Anger

Lesson 3: Fear/Anxiety

Lesson 4: Happiness

Lesson 5: Sadness

Lesson 5: Sadness Activity

Lesson 6: Empathy

Lesson 7: Review and Jeopardy

Closure of the Unit

• Emphasize the take-away message: it’s human nature to express our emotions and we now have the skills to respond appropriately to others in a variety of situations.

Evaluation Plan:

• Students fill out a self-assessment on their learning. There will be ongoing evaluations throughout the year using the BC Quick Scale for Social Responsibility (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca)

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