Sometimes we all get really, really angry. This book shows how one person defuses with all those angry feelings in a positive way.

Materials

• Blank head with ‘I get angry when ____’
• Vinegar
• Baking soda

Vocabulary

• Smithereens (lots of little pieces)
• Angry (when you feel really mad inside)
• Explode (to get really, really angry)
• Volcano (a mountain that spits out the earth’s innards)

Introducing the Story

Ask the children how you can tell if someone is angry? Ask them to show you what angry looks like. Help the children to notice anger does not only show in the face but the whole body. Tell them that you are going to act out some emotions and see if the children can guess from your body language and facial expression. Let the children try mimicking you.

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or angry; and in expressing empathy or caring to others.  

Reading the Story

Tell the children that the story today is about a girl named Sophie. Hold up the cover of the book. How do you think Sophie is feeling? What are some things that make you feel this way? Introduce the book. 

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.  AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for varies other purposes.

After Reading the Story

Talk with the children about what to do when they become angry with a friend at school? (We count to 3. Say give it back, we can tell the teacher, I say you are not my friend anymore). It’s ok to feel angry but it’s not ok to hurt people. What is your classroom protocol? (i.e.; Stop, count to 10. Say what is wrong. Tell what you want).   Talk with the children about how you would like to see them handle problems. Have the children help act out how your classroom would ideally handle problems.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; shows progress in expressing feelings, needs, and opinions in difficult situations and conflicts without harming themselves, others, or property.

Music and Movement

Sing; If You Are Happy and You Know It. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13wd8KvOt58 Make up verses that sing about different emotions. Encourage the children to make the facial expressions accordingly. (If you’re angry and you know it stomp your fist, If you’re sad and you know it wipe your tears).

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for varies other purposes.

Play Bruno Mars Happy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOWDb2TBYDg song and dance!

Creative Arts/Movement; expresses through movement and dancing what is felt and heard in various musical tempos and styles.

Give the children cues on how to move. If they can think of no movements, demonstrate for them to follow. Suggest that they move like; they are really, really angry, move like you are scared of something, move like you are so excited because you just got a present you always wanted, move like you are sleepy and can hardly stay awake.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Discovery

Make a volcano. As you are making your volcano, ask the children if they can remember what happened to Sophie when she exploded.  Ask them if they can guess, hypothesis, what will happen when you mix the volcano ingredients in the soda bottle.  Take the children out on the playground and have them help you big a giant sand mountain. Put a soda bottle into the center of the volcano with the top exposed. Fill the soda bottle up ¾ with warm water. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Fill the rest of the bottle with vinegar. Step back and count down for the eruption!

Science/Scientific Knowledge; shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials and cause-effect relationships.

Blocks

Today would be a good day to allow the children to build with blocks and then knock them down.  If you have foam or cardboard blocks, encourage the children to build as tall as they like and then knock down only their structure.  If you have only wooden blocks, you will need to set up very specific ground rules such as you can build no higher than your waist and must take turns knocking the structure down when your friends are cleared from being hit by falling blocks.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully.  AND Health & Physical Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in eye-hand coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing patterns and shapes, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Art

Make trees. Cut out tree trunks and let the children glue them to a sheet of paper. Put out strips of colored paper ½ inch wide by the length of the construction paper. The children can take scissors and snip the strips and then glue the snips to the tree for leaves.

Health & Physical Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in eye-hand coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing patterns and shapes, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Sand and Water

Water play can be very soothing for children. Put out water today and let the children scoop and pour.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Library and Writing

Give each child a paper with a blank head on it. Ask the child to draw what angry looks like. Let the child share ideas of what makes him/her angry and write it underneath their angry face.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictations, and in play.

Dramatic Play

Encourage the children to play house and work together so no one gets their feelings hurt and everyone feels welcomed.

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; Shows progress in developing friendships with peers.  

Math and Manipulaties

Any puzzles that you have that show emotion. As the children put the puzzles together talk about the people’s expressions. Can you tell how they feel? What makes you feel that way? If you do not have puzzles, you can still let the children do puzzles today and you observe their body language as they put the puzzles together. Comment on their emotions. (Ryan, you look frustrated, would you like some help? Alison, you finished that puzzle all by yourself, you must feel proud. Roger, you have done that puzzle three times now, you must be feeling confident).

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of task, activities, projects, and experiences.

Outdoor Play

Run, run, run, run, and run. Then sit down and relax and enjoy the nature your playground provides.  While they are sitting and cooling down, make an awareness of how their breathing and heartbeat have changed.  Remind them that it is important to work their heart muscle everyday.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.  AND Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment.

Transitions

In the story, Sophie lets out a “red, red, roar!”. Let each child let out a red, red roar as they go to the next activity.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Dear Parents, today we read a story about a little girl who gets very angry. We then talked about ways to defuse anger. Ask your child if they can think of ways that they can defuse anger at home. Encourage them to think of multiple solutions. Then ask them which one they would like to try next time they get really, really angry.

Resources