Lesson Name

Recognizing and Channeling Anger

Grade Band

Middle School (6-8)

High School (9-12)

CASEL Core Competencies

• Relationship skills

• Responsible decision-making 

• Self-awareness

• Self-management

• Social awareness

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

• Listening and speaking

• Writing

NCSS Social Studies Themes

• Individual development and identity

• Global connections

• Individuals, groups, and institutions 

Students will:

• Learn about anger triggers, anger feelings, and anger expressions.

• Recognize the impact anger has on feelings and behavior.

• Identify constructive and destructive ways to express anger.

• Connect different expressions of anger with strategies for channeling anger constructively.

• Anger Triggers

• Anger Feelings

• Anger Expressions

• Constructive Expression

• Destructive Expression

Say: Let’s start by understanding what the different parts of
the anger experience are.

Review “anger triggers,” “anger feelings,” and “anger expressions” definitions.

Instruct students to complete each prompt on Handout 2. After students have had time to complete the handout, divide the class into small groups. Ask group members to discuss their responses for each category.

Say: The behaviors through which we express our anger can be
constructive – demonstrating respect for oneself and/or others – or they
can be destructive – demonstrating disrespect for oneself and/or others.
Destructive behaviors tend to escalate anger and conflict situations,
while constructive behaviors tend to de-escalate anger and conflict
situations.

Instruct each group to divide their chart paper into two categories: constructive expressions of anger and destructive expressions of anger. Students should create a list of examples for both categories by drawing from the expressions they brainstormed in Handout 2 or coming up with new examples.

Have students post their constructive/destructive lists around the room and do a “gallery walk” to look through other groups’ lists.

When all students have had a chance to look through all the displayed lists, ask them what they noticed looking at different groups’ lists.

Say: Once we gain awareness of which behaviors are constructive
and which are destructive, we can learn strategies for channeling anger
into constructive, rather than destructive, behaviors. What are some
guidelines or strategies you can think of for constructively channeling
anger during a conflict? List student responses

Taking Informed Action:

1. Think of a character in a book, movie, or TV show where a character became angry with another character. Write a brief essay in which you:
   • State the name of the book, movie, or TV show and the name of the character you are writing about.
   • Explain what made the character angry and why you remember the part in the book, movie, or TV episode so clearly.
   • Describe how the character dealt with their anger.
   • Share what advice you would have given the character about how to handle anger.

2. Make a playlist of music that might help transform anger when working through a conflict. Explain why your choices are meaningful to you.

3. For one week, keep an anger journal. Any time you encounter a conflict, or other experience, that makes you angry, write about it. Any time you observe anger that results from a conflict between other people, write it down. Record in your anger journal:
   • What anger triggers did you observe or experience?
   • How did the feeling of anger get expressed?
   • What did you, or the people in the situation you observed, do to channel their anger in a constructive way?