Mindfulness Lesson Plan: Social Emotional Learning

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic, Mindfulness, and supports students’ awareness of how their emotions and thoughts connect with how they feel physically, which can result in positively impacting their stress level, relationships, ability to focus and more.  Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of  projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Prompt students to think of a time they felt stressed. Ask: 

• What made you feel that way?
• What happened in your mind and body?
• What helped you to feel better? 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read aloud the description on the Mindfulness topic page. 
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
• Assign Related Reading. Have students read the article, “In Depth.” With a partner, allow them to practice at least two of the stress relief strategies, and discuss how they felt.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the Mindfulness Challenge and Quiz,  prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about mindfulness while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

• Make-a-Movie: Choose a mindfulness technique to practice. Document each step you took, and then produce a movie that answers this question: How did your body and your mind feel before and after?
• Make-a-Map: Outline a step-by-step guide on how to practice a mindfulness strategy. 
• Creative Coding: Code a meme that shows a way to make mindfulness a habit. 

More to Explore

Social-Emotional Learning Collection: Continue to build understanding around mindfulness with BrainPOP’s six-week SEL curriculum that addresses the five CASEL competencies.

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students  to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.