Seeing Red

An Anger Management and Anti-Bullying Curriculum for Kids

Jennifer Simmonds

• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780865717602
• eBook ISBN: 9781550925647
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Behavioural Management

A unique, proven approach to anger management for elementary and middle-school aged children.

Anger is a natural human emotion, but if it isn't managed properly its effects can be devastating. Seeing Red is a curriculum designed to help elementary and middle-school aged students better understand their anger so they can make healthy and successful choices and build strong relationships. This completely revised and updated edition includes a comprehensive anti-bullying component, complete with cutting-edge material specific to cyber-bullying and social media.

Designed especially for use with small groups, Seeing Red enables participants to learn from and empower one another. Its unique group process helps children and teens build important developmental objectives such as leadership skills (taking initiative, presenting in front of the group), social skills (taking turns, active listening), and building self-esteem (problem solving, interacting with peers). Key concepts and activities include:

• Spotting anger triggers and taking responsibility for mistakes
• Finding healthy ways to deal with provocation and avoiding losing control
• Identifying feelings, learning steps to control anger and exploring consequences.

Facilitators will learn how to empower participants through role playing, helping them to identify associated feelings and recognize negative behaviors. Each session includes objectives, a list of supplies, background notes and preparation tasks for the leader, a warm-up activity, an explanation of the various learning activities, and a closing activity. See for yourself why Seeing Red remains one of the most highly-regarded resources among professionals in the field of children's anger management.

PART 1

Introduction

About Seeing Red

Anger is a natural human emotion, but if it isn’t managed properly, its effects can be devastating. Seeing Red is a curriculum designed to help elementary and middle-school-aged students better understand their anger so they can make healthy and successful choices and build strong relationships. This completely revised and updated edition includes an anti-bullying component, specific to cyber-bullying and social media, as well as a strong focus on learning to self-regulate their behavior.

Designed especially for use with small groups, Seeing Red enables participants to learn from and empower one another. Its unique group process helps children and teens build important developmental objectives such as leadership skills (taking initiative, presenting in front of the group), social skills (taking turns, active listening), and building self-esteem (problem solving, interacting with peers).

Key concepts and activities include:

• Identifying anger triggers

• Taking responsibility for mistakes

• Finding healthy ways to deal with provocation and avoid losing control

• Stating feelings, learning steps to control anger, and exploring consequences

• Building their “tool box” with over a dozen strategies to self-regulate their feelings and behaviors

Facilitators will learn how to empower participants through role-playing; helping them to identify associated feelings and recognize negative behaviors.

Design and Framework of Lesson Plans

Key Principles of Seeing Red

Kids have the ability to…

1. Regulate and control their behavior

2. Problem solve together and make healthy choices

3. Be leaders and role models among their peers

4. Take responsibility for their behavior and choices

One of the key components throughout the Seeing Red sessions is helping kids learn to self-regulate their behavior. Self-regulation is not an isolated skill so kids must translate what they experience into information they can use to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Instead of impulsively pushing someone, for example, they can learn to say to themselves, “I’m not going to push her back,” and then fold their arms. These skills develop gradually as they learn to identify their anger triggers, and think through the situation and demonstrate self-control. Everyone learns to self-regulate at a different pace, and it comes more easily for some than others, but it’s a crucial life skill to learn. According to Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute and author of Mind in the Making, regulating one’s thinking, emotions, and behavior is critical for success in school, work, and life (2010).

Framework

• This curriculum is specifically designed for a small group (six to eight participants) of elementary or middle-school-aged children who are willing to participate in such a group.

• The ideal group should convene weekly in a confidential space with the same group members and facilitators attending each session.

• The curriculum is meant to be used in generally the same order because as the lessons progress, group members will build upon skills learned from previous sessions.

• Depending on the age and “personality” of your group, you can add, substitute, or leave out certain activities or sessions. For example, if you have a group of eight- and nine-year-olds, it may not be appropriate to focus on cyber-bullying and social media (but general bullying, yes!).

• Because not all strategies work for all kids, there are a variety of activeities described throughout the sessions. Customize specific needs and goals of your group.

In this order, each of the twelve sessions includes:

• Goals and objectives

• List of supplies needed for the various activities

• Description of tasks to be done prior to the start of the lesson

• Background notes to the leader about the general theme of the session

• Warm-up activity at the start of each meeting

• Thorough explanation of each learning activity

• Closing activity, and

• Tool box item to take home with them each week

Additions to the Newly Updated and Revised Seeing Red

The purpose of this updated and revised Seeing Red is to keep some of the “tried and true” themes and activities that have proven effective in helping kids manage their anger, but also offer new themes and new activities to use.

New themes included in the updated and revised Seeing Red:

• Building an internal tool box each session with a focus on a specific skill to either help them regulate their emotions strategies to making positive choices

• Explore the roles of the bully, victim, and bystander, with an emphasis on the powerful role the bystander plays in the dynamic

• Sessions focused on technology specific to cyberbullying and social media

• The importance of asking for forgiveness, as well as saying “I’m sorry”

• Teaching self-regulating calming techniques

• Weekly affirmations

• Supplemental ideas and learning activities to incorporate in your Seeing Red group

• Section on facilitating groups with kids and key elements of group process

• Additional list of books and resources

Importa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Sessions
• Supplemental Seeing Red Activities and Self-regulation Techniques
• Seeing Red’s Wood Block Statements
• List of Resources
• About the Author