Dealing with anger
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Everybody gets angry sometimes – anger is a part of life. When faced with conflict, children may feel angry. As well, bullying trauma can leave targets feeling angry, among other emotions. Anger is an emotion that can make people feel that doing something harmful to them or others will make them feel better, but as long as they know how to deal with angry feelings, anger does not make a situation better or worse.
Rationale
One of your roles as a primary teacher is to help children develop their social skills. In particular, this section of the toolkit focuses on anger management. The suggested classroom activities and picture books in this section can help children identify things that can trigger anger, know how their bodies react to anger, and build the confidence to deal with their angry feelings without hurting others. Teaching children how to recognize anger and cope with this emotion through anger management skills early can help them stop conflicts from escalating, and minimize bullying trauma.
Teacher Prompts
The following prompts can be used before, during, or after the classroom activities or read-aloud listed in this page:
1. What are things that make you really angry?
2. Think about a time when you felt angry. Where did the anger come from?
3. What happens to your body when you are angry? What is your breathing like? What is your heart doing?
4. What do you do when you or someone else gets angry?
5. What are other words that can describe anger?
6. What can you do when you see someone who is angry?
7. How can you use the “I-Statements” to talk about your anger?
8. What are some positive ways to deal with anger? What are some negative ways that people deal with anger?
9. How is anger related to conflict?
1. What are things that make you really angry?
2. Think about a time when you felt angry. Where did the anger come from?
3. What happens to your body when you are angry? What is your breathing like? What is your heart doing?
4. What do you do when you or someone else gets angry?
5. What are other words that can describe anger?
6. What can you do when you see someone who is angry?
7. How can you use the “I-Statements” to talk about your anger?
8. What are some positive ways to deal with anger? What are some negative ways that people deal with anger?
9. How is anger related to conflict?
suggested read-aloud
The following book is a suggested read-aloud to have your students’ minds on the topic of anger management:
Sample of During Reading/Post-Reading Questions:
1. What are some ways that the illustrator of the book shows anger on this page?
2. What are some ways that the main character describes anger or how he feels in words?
3. What actions does the main character do to show that he is angry?
4. Journal Activity: Using words and/or pictures, show one way you show anger or deal with anger like the main character in the book.
1. What are some ways that the illustrator of the book shows anger on this page?
2. What are some ways that the main character describes anger or how he feels in words?
3. What actions does the main character do to show that he is angry?
4. Journal Activity: Using words and/or pictures, show one way you show anger or deal with anger like the main character in the book.
Post-reading activities
Post-Reading Activity 1
Purpose: To help students identify things that make them angry. Students responses to this activity can help inform you of the issues they face.
Instructions:
Divide a blackboard/dry-erase board/chart paper into three sections. Label the left-most column with the following question, “What things make me angry?” In a whole-class discussion, ask students, without mentioning specific names, what makes them angry. Write their responses in this column.
Have the students stand up, spread out in the classroom, close their eyes, and imagine something that bothers them – it could be any of the answers that were just discussed and written down at the beginning of this activity. Ask the students to concentrate on what is happening in their bodies. Is anything happening to their breathing? Are their hearts racing? What is happening to their hands? Their faces? After 30 seconds, tell students to stop and take five slow, deep breaths.
Post-Reading Activity 2
Using a piece of chart paper with a drawing of a body (or have a student volunteer to trace the outline of another student), ask students what happened to their bodies as they were getting angry – each of the suggestions are anger symptoms to be drawn by student volunteers on the body using an appropriately coloured marker. The resulting picture should show a very angry person.
Tell students that:
Post-Reading Activity 3
On the right-most column, write “Ways to Cool Down.” Brainstorm with the students helpful ways to deal with anger and have each student suggest a response. Write down and/or draw acceptable ways that they suggest in this column.
If a student give answers such as breaking objects or hitting people, do not write them in the right column. Use the middle column, which will be labelled “Harmful ways to deal with anger” to list such answers. Tell students that doing things in this column is just reacting to anger and that doing things on the right-most column is anger management.
Purpose: To help students identify things that make them angry. Students responses to this activity can help inform you of the issues they face.
Instructions:
Divide a blackboard/dry-erase board/chart paper into three sections. Label the left-most column with the following question, “What things make me angry?” In a whole-class discussion, ask students, without mentioning specific names, what makes them angry. Write their responses in this column.
Have the students stand up, spread out in the classroom, close their eyes, and imagine something that bothers them – it could be any of the answers that were just discussed and written down at the beginning of this activity. Ask the students to concentrate on what is happening in their bodies. Is anything happening to their breathing? Are their hearts racing? What is happening to their hands? Their faces? After 30 seconds, tell students to stop and take five slow, deep breaths.
Post-Reading Activity 2
Using a piece of chart paper with a drawing of a body (or have a student volunteer to trace the outline of another student), ask students what happened to their bodies as they were getting angry – each of the suggestions are anger symptoms to be drawn by student volunteers on the body using an appropriately coloured marker. The resulting picture should show a very angry person.
Tell students that:
- when something makes them angry (point to the answers to “What things make me angry?”), there is tension and stress in the body
- in their bodies, a chemical is then released in the bloodstream that causes them to be excited
- when there is tension in the body, the body responds to it by increasing how often you breathe, body temperature, heartbeat, and blood pressure – this is the inside reaction to anger in the body
- the outside reaction to anger can come in the form of crying, fighting, yelling, hitting objects, etc. (point to the drawing of the very angry person)
Post-Reading Activity 3
On the right-most column, write “Ways to Cool Down.” Brainstorm with the students helpful ways to deal with anger and have each student suggest a response. Write down and/or draw acceptable ways that they suggest in this column.
If a student give answers such as breaking objects or hitting people, do not write them in the right column. Use the middle column, which will be labelled “Harmful ways to deal with anger” to list such answers. Tell students that doing things in this column is just reacting to anger and that doing things on the right-most column is anger management.
teaching children to deal with anger in positive ways
Relaxation techniques can provide students with a way to positively deal with anger. Here is one relaxation activity you can practice with your students (10 minutes):
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Basic yoga poses taught during a DPA (Daily Physical Activity) can demonstrate that exercise is another way that children can blow off steam. Use instructional DVDs oriented for kids or YouTube videos such as the one below:
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Take inspiration from the main character of When I’m Feeling Angry and carve a quiet place in your classroom to be used as a refuge for when a student in your class gets angry and needs a place to cool down. This quiet place can be populated with books about dealing with anger (see the Other Book Suggestions section), stress balls, plush toys, pillows, and bean bag chairs. Posting the Post-Reading Activity posters that were made with the class in this space can serve as a reminder of what a student can do when he or she is angry.
other book suggestions
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When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry...
Author: Molly Bang
Year: 1999
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN 10: 0439598451
ISBN 13: 978-0439598453
Synopsis: This story is about a girl named Sophie who becomes angry upon facing conflict with her sister over a toy, and getting physically hurt in the process. Throughout the story, Sophie deals with her anger, which is manifested through textual and visual elements of the book. Sophie seeks escape in nature, which provides her with calming effects. At the end of the story, Sophie returns to her home, having cooled down.
For a sample preview read-aloud of the book, please refer to the video below:
Author: Molly Bang
Year: 1999
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN 10: 0439598451
ISBN 13: 978-0439598453
Synopsis: This story is about a girl named Sophie who becomes angry upon facing conflict with her sister over a toy, and getting physically hurt in the process. Throughout the story, Sophie deals with her anger, which is manifested through textual and visual elements of the book. Sophie seeks escape in nature, which provides her with calming effects. At the end of the story, Sophie returns to her home, having cooled down.
For a sample preview read-aloud of the book, please refer to the video below:
references
Bang, Molly. (1999). When Sophie gets angry--really, really angry .... New York: Blue Sky Press.
Moroney, Trace. (2011). When I'm Feeling Angry. Scoresby, Victoria: Five Mile Press.
Moss, L. (2012, November 19). When Sophie Gets Angry….. Really Really Angry. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqjeKgMXYlM
Platinum Pre School. (2013, July 9). When I’m Feeling Angry. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2goaBPByHpk
West, Melissa. (2011, February 25). Namaste Yoga 31: Kids Yoga with Guest Instructor Mai Meret. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-BystzNdJs
Moroney, Trace. (2011). When I'm Feeling Angry. Scoresby, Victoria: Five Mile Press.
Moss, L. (2012, November 19). When Sophie Gets Angry….. Really Really Angry. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqjeKgMXYlM
Platinum Pre School. (2013, July 9). When I’m Feeling Angry. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2goaBPByHpk
West, Melissa. (2011, February 25). Namaste Yoga 31: Kids Yoga with Guest Instructor Mai Meret. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-BystzNdJs