Student Workshop Handling Your Anger 265740 TM i Table of Contents About the Program Introduction ...................................................................................................2 Learning Objectives......................................................................................3 Using This Program .....................................................................................4 Summary of the Program............................................................................5 Bibliography General Reading for Educators and Parents...........................................8 Fiction for Grades 5 to 9..............................................................................9 Nonfiction for Grades 9 and up...............................................................11 Additional Resources.................................................................................12 Program Script Script..............................................................................................................16 Part 1: Anger Cues & Anger Triggers ....................................................17 Part 2: Anger Styles & Consequences.....................................................23 Part 3: Dealing With Anger ......................................................................36 Part 4: Wrap-Up..........................................................................................48 Handouts Table of Contents........................................................................................50 Handouts (may be copied for class distribution).................................51 Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC A b o u t t h e P r o g r a m i About the Program 2 Introduction Any teacher who works with middle-school-age children knows that many young teens are not equipped to handle anger effectively and constructively. Yet, uncontrolled anger can create a hostile school environment, destroy rela- tionships, make teaching and learning difficult, and escalate into violence. Of course, anger itself is normal and unavoidable, but there are ways of handling it that provide emotional relief while helping to bring about desired outcomes. A number of research studies have demonstrated that young people can learn anger-management skills and apply them constructively to the problems that arise in their own lives. To this end, SUNBURST has created Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger. This program, along with the accompanying materials, is a hands-on program that teaches anger-management skills to young adolescents. The style of the pro- gram is modeled on a contemporary TV music channel, with the material pre- sented in a casual, light-hearted way to hold students’ interest and attention. Students learn how to identify their anger triggers and anger cues, understand the consequences of their behavior, express and manage anger effectively and constructively, and respond to anger directed at them. The program is divided into four parts and should be stopped after each sec- tion so students can do the follow-up handouts that clarify and reinforce the main points. This will also provide opportunities for them to apply what they have learned to their own lives. Controlling one’s anger is a lifelong challenge. Through anger-management techniques, teachers and counselors are able to give young teens the necessary skills to deal constructively with their anger so they can successfully meet this challenge throughout their lives. Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC i 3 About the Program Learning Objectives Viewing the program and completing the accompanying worksheets will help students to: • understand that anger is a normal human feeling. • recognize the difference between angry feelings and angry behavior. • identify what triggers their anger. • become familiar with their physical anger warning signs. • identify their characteristic ways of expressing anger. • consider the consequences of angry behavior. • develop constructive and effective ways of expressing and handling their anger. • respond effectively to someone else’s anger. Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC i About the Program 4 Using This Program This program is designed as a workshop to teach anger management skills to middle school students. The material is presented by program hosts on TV’s The Anger Channel and is reinforced by scenarios, skits, and the TV station’s rap artist. The program is supplemented by exercises and activities that help reinforce the concepts presented and allow students to practice handling an- ger. The subjects addressed in the program are: anger triggers, anger cues, anger styles, the consequences of angry behavior, effective ways of expressing anger, handling anger constructively, and responding to others’ anger. These subjects are presented in four separate segments, the last a review of key points. Part 1: Anger Triggers & Anger Cues— running time: 6:18 min. Part 2: Anger Styles & Consequences— running time: 11:11 min. Part 3: Dealing With Anger— running time: 11:45 min. Part 4: Wrap-Up— running time: 3:06 min. The best way to ensure maximum understanding and retention of the concepts is to show the four segments of the program over the course of several class periods. The program should be stopped after each part, so the accompanying hand- outs can be distributed to the class. These handouts include information sheets, exercises, activities, and directed role-plays that elaborate and reinforce each concept. The activities provide students an opportunity to reflect on the material and relate it to their own experiences. In addition to this program, you may also wish to use the SUNBURST pro- gram, Student Workshop: Conflict Resolution Skills, to help your students build a foundation of conflict resolution skills. While each program program is designed to stand alone, together they form a meaningful unit to help students manage anger and peacefully resolve conflicts. An extensive annotated bibliography and resource section lists background materials that can be rich sources for further reading and additional activities. Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC i 5 About the Program Summary of the Program In this program, hosts on TV’s The Anger Channel present true-to-life scenarios, humorous skits, and the rap artist, A.D.O.R., to help viewers explore their own anger and the anger of others, and to teach appropriate skills and strategies for expressing and handling anger constructively. To open the show, the hosts explain that anger, while a normal human emotion, can be difficult to handle and can sometimes get out of hand. Al- though it’s okay to feel angry, the hosts point out, it’s not okay to act angry. They assure their audience that there are strategies for handling anger. Then, they invite viewers to learn how to control their anger before it controls them. In Part 1: Anger Triggers & Anger Cues, the hosts discuss some common anger triggers— the provocations that set off anger. After different anger triggers are illustrated, the hosts point out that anger triggers are different for each person, and that knowing your own can be the first step toward gaining control of your reactions. They go on to explain anger cues— the internal physical re- sponses that accompany feelings of anger. Being alert to these sensations can heighten an awareness of angry feelings before behavior gets out of control. After The Anger Channel rap artist, A.D.O.R., reviews the points presented so far, the hosts invite viewers to stop the tape so they can check out their own anger triggers and anger cues. Part 2: Anger Styles & Consequences addresses some of the counterproductive ways people behave when they’re angry— their anger styles— and the consequences of these behaviors. After the hosts introduce some common anger styles, each one is depicted in a short scenario. The first is acting out— venting angry feelings through uncontrolled angry behavior. This often backfires, creating additional problems for the angry person. The second anger style is displaced anger— aiming anger at an inappropriate target. Not only is this unfair to the recipient, but it leaves the person who caused the anger unaware. The third anger style is ignored anger— ignoring or refusing to admit anger, perhaps even to oneself. Ignored anger leaves the initial problem unaddressed and can lead to depression, physical problems, or a delayed explosion. After the three Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC i About the Program 6 common dysfunctional anger styles are presented, A.D.O.R. winds up Part 2 with a rap on anger styles and their consequences. The hosts again ask viewers to stop the tape in order to explore their anger styles. Part 3: Dealing With Anger introduces techniques for effectively expressing and constructively handling anger. The first is to take a break and calm down. This can be facilitated by counting to 10, taking deep breaths, walking away from the situation, or calming self-talk. One of the most crucial techniques is to ex- press feelings in words, as accurately and honestly as possible, to the person causing anger. Not only does it offer some relief to the angry person, but it can also help solve the problem that provoked the anger. Another tip is to discuss the problem with a friend or a trusted adult. Part 3 also addresses the issue of how to respond to someone else’s anger. First, try to stay calm and help the other person to calm down. Apologize if it’s appropriate, and then try to help solve the problem that initially caused the anger. The hosts point out that not all problems can be solved; sometimes an undesirable outcome cannot be avoided. Accepting this idea can help students overcome anger. After A.D.O.R. presents a review of the key ideas in this section, the hosts invite the audience to stop the tape one more time so they can practice the techniques on how to deal with their own and others’ anger. Finally, Part 4: Wrap-Up summarizes the main points of the program, as A.D.O.R. brings the program to a close. Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC B i b l i o g r a p h y i Bibliography 8 Bibliography Anger: General Reading for Educators and Parents “Anger and Resentment Can Trigger Discord.” USA Today Magazine, April 1996, p.3. Strategies for helping the younger and older generations work together to keep relationships on an even keel. Eastman, Meg and Sydney Craft Rozen. Taming the Dragon in Your Child: Solutions for Breaking the Cycle of Family Anger. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1994. How to deal with your child’s anger—from toddler stage to adolescence. Freeman, Lucy. Our Inner World of Rage: Understanding and Transforming the Power of Anger. New York: Continuum, 1990. How to distinguish between destructive anger and productive anger, and how to transform the latter into a positive assertiveness that is in our best interest. Gaylin, Willard, M.D. The Rage Within: Anger in Modern Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984. An analysis of the aspects of anger that have become a way of life, and a plea for community and understanding. Madow, Leo, M.D. Anger: How to Recognize and Cope With It. New York: Scribner’s, 1972. Why repressing anger can make you sick and how recog- nizing and dealing with it can keep you healthy. Rubin, Theodore Isaac, M.D. The Angry Book. New York: Macmillan, 1969. Steps that can lead to a reasonable resolution of anger. Samalin, Nancy. Love and Anger: The Parental Dilemma. New York: Viking, 1991. Constructive advice for parents for dealing with that most destructive of human emotions—anger. Tavris, Carol. Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983. Why venting anger may do more harm than good. Thomas, Dr. Sandra P., ed. Women and Anger. New York: Springer Publish- ing Co., 1993. How the health problems that disproportionately affect women may partly stem from their unhealthy reactions to anger. Student Workshop: Handling Your Anger © 1997 Sunburst Visual Media, a division of Global Video, LLC