4th Grade Coping Unit

4th Grade is starting a unit on coping.  We talk about the definition of coping and how it applies to us.  Coping is dealing with difficult things in an ok way.  I start the lesson by giving a volunteer a rock and asking him/her to change the rock.  After watching him/her throw it down, stomp on it, scratch it, etc. they start to realize they cannot change the rock.  I then give another volunteer some playdoh and ask him/her to change it.  Of course it is easily changed.  I relate this experiment back to our coping definition and expand- sometimes in life, problems happen.  These problems can be easy to deal with or not; they can be in our control or not.  The problems that are easy for us to deal with and we can change I label as "clay problems."  The problems that are not easy to deal with and we cannot change I label as "rock problems."  We discuss about the rock problems- we cannot do anything about it, and so we must cope.  We talk about problems we must cope with.  I ask the kids to reflect on their experiences- what in their life has been a rock problem and what has been a clay problem.  We will continue to coping next lesson!