Week 3: Embracing Challenges with Heart

Introduction to Facing Challenges

Objective: Students will explore the emotional journey of facing challenges and learn strategies to move through difficult emotions toward growth.

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Why It Matters

Challenges often bring feelings of frustration, fear, or doubt. These emotions are normal and can even guide us toward growth if we understand and embrace them. By recognizing and working through these feelings, students can build resilience and confidence in the face of challenges.

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Main Activities

Class Discussion: Mapping the Emotions of a Challenge 

• Warm-up question: "What kinds of feelings come up when you face something really hard?"
• Introduce the concept of an emotional timeline:

"When you start a challenge, you might feel nervous or frustrated. As you keep going, those feelings might shift to pride or relief when you finish."

"Serena Williams talks about feeling frustrated during tough matches but uses that energy to push herself harder. How do you think she manages those feelings?"

Emotional Timeline Activity

• Students create an “emotion timeline” for a real or imagined challenge:
  • Start: Write what the challenge is and how they feel at the beginning.
  • Middle: Describe the emotions they might feel as they work through it.
  • End: Reflect on how they might feel after completing the challenge.

Encourage students to use colors or symbols to represent their feelings on the timeline.

Challenge Toolkit Practice

• Revisit the Challenge Toolkit steps:
  • Pause: Acknowledge the challenge and take a deep breath.
  • Break It Down: Identify what’s making it difficult.
  • Plan: Decide on one small step to take.
  • Act: Try it, and adjust if needed.
• Ask students to apply the toolkit to one of the emotions on their timeline:

Example: "If you feel stuck in frustration, how can you pause, break it down, and take a step forward?"

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Mindset Mantra

"Every big success starts with small, brave steps."

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Teacher’s Note

• Remind students that emotions are a natural part of challenges and that it’s okay to feel stuck or frustrated.
• Growth comes from learning how to move forward.
• Encourage students to reflect on their timelines later and consider journaling about how their feelings shift as they tackle real-life challenges.
• Consider linking to the journaling prompts page for additional reflection activities.

Optional Video

If time allows, show a brief video of a famous individual discussing the emotional aspects of their challenges. Ensure the video is age-appropriate and connects with the lesson’s theme.

Acknowledgment:

This lesson plan was developed collaboratively with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, blending expert insights with creative tools to support educators in fostering growth mindset concepts in the classroom.