When Sophie Gets Angry...

I created this tree for a lesson about anger.

I read 1st graders for the book When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry... by Molly Bang. We talked about things that make us angry, such as when somebody pushes in line, when someone takes my crayons, when someone will not play with me, etc.

While reading the book we talked about "okay" and "not okay" behaviors that Sophie was doing. I asked students to give me a "thumbs up" for "okay" behaviors and a "thumbs down" for "not okay" behaviors.

After reading When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry..., we played a game with the tree pictured. I gave students examples of things that made them or Sophie angry and had students put a leaf on the tree for their response.

The students enjoyed coming up with positive ways to handle their anger such as, tell the teacher, count to 10, ask another friend to play, take deep breaths, etc.

To make the tree I used brbrown roll paper, blue roll paper, and construction paper for the leaves. I laminated the tree and put velcro on the branches so students could pull the leaves off and on.

You could also turn this lesson into a bulletin board by making it larger and putting ways to calm down on the leaves.

What creative lessons or activities do you use to teach students about anger? Comment below, email me, tweet, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.