Name:_______ Date:_________ Block:_______ 

 
Do Now | Tuesday 03.27 
Power of Positivity: Managing Emotions 
 

 
 
Directions: T​ oday we will be watching a video to continue our conversation of the power of positivity. 
Consider the following: 
● How can we be mindful of anger? 
● How can positivity help us control our anger? 
● How can we take on a​ dversities ​with a can-do mentality? 
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Guided Notes: 
● Anger __________________ your physical health. 
● Recent studies show __________________________ are pretty harmful to your physical health 
● People who respond negatively to anger are __________________ likely to have a heart attack 
 
How can we manage our Anger? 
1. Control your _____________________ 
2. ________________your muscles! 
3. Get ______________  
4. Seeking _______________! 

1
 Teaching Self-Calming Skills by Jessica Minahan January 30, 2013 
Categories: Classroom Management & Discipline / Discipline / Positive Community / SEL Skills 
 

 
Students meditating at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco. (New York Times) 
 
Before You Read: J​ essica Minahan, MEd, is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and special 
educator, and co-author of T ​ he Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most 
Challenging Students​. This post is the first of three in a series of guest posts she has written for the 
Responsive Blog. The second was “Teaching Students How to Wait,” and the third was “Checking In: 
Helping Students “Catch Themselves.” 
 
[1] “You need to calm down.” T​his is something I hear a lot in my work as a behavior specialist when a 
student starts to get agitated—answering rudely, refusing to work, making insulting comments, or 
whining.​ A teacher might tell a child to “go sit in the beanbag chair and calm down” or simply “relax.” 
 
[2] ​The problem is, many students don’t know how to calm down.​ This is especially true for children who 
display c​ hronic a​ gitation or defiance. 
 
 
1. What is paragraph 2 primarily about? [RI.2] 
A. Positive thoughts are crucial to success 
B. Children do not have the skills to adjust emotions 
C. Children know how to calm down and relax when asked 
D. Unless taught, students will always speak negatively and never show signs of progress  
 

2
 
[3] When a child behaves inappropriately, I find that it’s almost always due to an underdeveloped skill. 
Recognizing and teaching underdeveloped skills is one of the key strategies Nancy Rappaport and I talk 
about in our book, ​The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging 
Students. 
 
You Do 
1. Finish the passage: Level 0. 
2. Underline the central idea in every paragraph. 
3. Complete the multiple choice questions. FInish early? Move on to the Extension Activity!  
 
Benefits to Self-Calming Skills 
 
[4] All children will benefit from learning self-calming skills, but for some children, learning this skill is 
so essential to their success at school that it’s important for classroom teachers to focus on it as well as 
specialists, such as counselors and special educators. 
 
[5] What’s the best way to teach self-calming skills to an individual child in your classroom? Here are 
three simple steps to take: 
 
According to paragraph 4, what is the benefit to teaching self-calming skills? [RI.1] 
A. Learning these skills helps kids better handle anger 
B. Unlearning these skills makes being negative possible 
C. Positive thoughts are a proven method to ending anger 
D. Classroom teachers do a great job at teaching self-calming skills to students 
 
 
Teach the Student to Identify Emotions 
[6] Students who exhibit anger in the classroom are often described as “going from 0-to-60 in a split 
second.” In reality, however, the student’s emotions probably grew more gradually from calm to 
frustrated to angry, but the teacher (and the child) didn’t notice the build-up. 
 
[7] Teaching a student to identify this escalation is essential if she’s to learn how to catch herself on the 
way up. A helpful tool to use is an emotional thermometer. When the child is calm, share the graphic 
with her, explaining how emotions often grow in intensity from calm to frustrated to angry. Give the 
child a copy of the thermometer and ask her to pay attention to where she is on it at different times of 
the day over the course of a few weeks, checking in with her as needed to discuss what she is noticing. 
 
[8] Another way to teach a student to identify emotions is to do a “body check.” When you notice signs of 
frustration first beginning, label it for the child and explain how you know: “Your shoulders are hunched 
and your fists are clenched, so I can see you’re frustrated right now.” Over time, the child will learn to 
identify when she’s frustrated without your cues. 
 
3
 
What is the section titled “Teach the Student to Identify Emotions” primarily about? [RI.2]? 
A. The section talks about doing a body check  
B. The section argues that it is okay to react negatively only if you have permission from a 
guardian  
C. The section warns parents to be mindful of social media use and its influence on their 
positivity  
D. The section provides methods to help students locate and solve negative emotions 
 
2. Teach the Student Self-Calming Strategies 
[9] Once a student can identify when he’s frustrated or angry, he can then make use of a calming 
strategy. However, finding the right strategy for a specific student is like finding the perfect pair of 
shoes—you may have to try a few out before finding the right fit. 
 
[10] Also, students who are just learning to identify their feelings of frustration may need frequent 
reminders to utilize a particular strategy. The calming strategies I have found to be most useful with 
elementary school students include: 
 
Reading a book 
Deep breathing 
Listening to music 
Drawing 
Yoga stretches 
 
3. Practice With the Student 
[11] Some students will learn these skills quickly, and others will need continued support over time. 
Self-calming training takes only a few minutes a day but it’s important that you focus on it daily with a 
child until you see the child beginning to take hold of the techniques. Not only can it prevent challenging 
behavior moments in the future, but it is an essential skill for success at school, at home, and in social 
settings. 
 
● Exit Ticket:​ Why is it important to teaching self-calming skills to students? Cite evidence from 
the passage to support your response?​ (4-5 complete sentences) 
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
● Extension Activity:​ C
​ hoose one of the Self-Calming techniques from the article to research. Why is it 
helpful? How can using this strategy eliminate outbursts or conflict? How can teachers help students 
manage emotions? Create a brochure answering these questions. Turn in at the end of the week.