Mindfulness Glitter Jar Direct Instruction/Gradual Release Lesson Plan

Anika Craig and Megan Sudduth

Yellow Highlight: Indicates feedback from Needs Lesson

Green Highlight: Checks for Understanding
Blue Highlight: Assessment Strategies
Pink Highlight:Classroom Strategies
Orange Highlight- Learning Styles
1. List the Objectives
a. Students will be able to formulate and prepare a design plan for their Mindfulness
Glitter Jar. (Literacy Standard will be covered in the Guided Practice section.
Standards Includes: Prewriting strategies will be used to apply knowledge gained
from teachers’ demonstration and use of visual representation to plan their future
creation)
b. Students will be able to recall the steps and procedures for the creation of a
Mindfulness Glitter Jar.
c. Students will be able to create their own Mindfulness Glitter Jar.

Evidence:
a. Guided practice Worksheet-Formal, Formative Assessment
b. Exit Slip-Formal, Formative Assessment
c. Each student’s individual Mindfulness Glitter Jar-Informal Formative as the
students get to keep their jars.

2. 2. List Key academic language

a. Glitter
b. Glitter Glue
c. Mason Jar
d. Glue
e. Popsicle Sticks
i. Key academic language will be assessed when the students do their
Independent Practice. The teachers will evaluate the students based on
the order they create and how they use the materials.

3. Introduction (hook) (2 Minutes)

a. Teacher will read objectives and agenda out loud to students
b. Megan walks in disheveled and stressed out. She sits down at the front of the
room rummaging through folders and mumurring to herself, “How do I find the
derivative of a curriculum map?” “Wait am I supposed to do that?””No I have to
find the limit of New York state’s P-12 standards, that's it!” “No that doesn't seem
right either.” “Why do all the professors assign everything at the same time?” “I
bet they get together at the water cooler and align everything?” “Whoever said
grad school was easier than undergrad obviously wasn't in the M.S.T program?”
 “I need to destress!” Anika walks in, calm and collected. Meanwhile, Megan
continues to look at her planner and frantically look at her work. Anika says, “Hey
Megan, you seem really tense and stressed out. What’s up?” Megan replies,
“Anika, how are you so calm?!?! We have like a thousand things due.” Anika
says, “Well I have just the trick. I made a Stress Jar!” Megan states, “that
seems….stressful.” Anika reassures,” No no, it’s actually super easy and it
makes me calm down when the going gets tough!”
c. Popcorn ball : Promotes a class discussion(Anika)-
i. Teachers will introduce Popcorn ball
ii. Teachers will explain briefly how to play: the students will take turns
passing the ball and answering the question,”How do you deal with
stress?”
iii. The teachers will ask two students to repeat the directions to check for
understanding. The students will have an option to pass. CFU-directions
4. Development/Teaching/I Do and We Do It (input, modeling, and checking for
understanding) (3 Minutes)
a. Teachers will re-introduce the Mindfulness Glitter Jar
b. Teachers will provide summary of why Mindfulness Glitter Jars can be helpful
i. Mindfulness Glitter Jars can help us calm down by guiding our focus to
the glitter or objects that are suspended within the jar. When the jar is
shook, the slow descent of the glitter can help people of all ages to
alleviate anxiety when emotions become overwhelming. It takes the
average person about 20 minutes to calm down after a stressful situation,
or when someone becomes too overwhelmed. When we can learn to take
the time after these situations, and try different strategies to help us relax,
our heart rate decreases and our breathing can be controlled, allowing us
to gain focus and clarity (Schafer, 2011).

c. Teachers will present all the materials we will be using to make the Mindfulness
Glitter Jar (Visual/Auditory):
i. Glitter
ii. Glitter Glue
iii. Mason Jar
iv. Glue
v. Popsicle Sticks

d. Teachers will demonstrate the steps and talk aloud while performing each step:
i. Obtain an 8 oz Mason Jar
ii. Fill the jar with ¾ water
iii. Fill the remainder of the jar with clear glue
iv. Then add glitter and funfetti
v. Add glitter glue
vi. Stir the mixture with the popsicle stick
vii. Shake!
5. Guided Practice with Feedback and Correctives/You Do It Together (Megan)
a. Teachers will pass out guided practice worksheet and activity with directions for
the students to start planning their Mindfulness Glitter Jars.

b. Students will be asked to follow along as the teachers read the directions out
loud.
c. Teachers will notify students that this is a group activity and that when they get
into their groups, they will be finding their peers with the same color/ flower
sticker on the corner of their paper. Purposeful Grouping: Groups determined
based upon differentiated content area.
 i. Yellow Group:
1. Ken Alton
2. Erin Sorrell
3. Paige Dominic

ii. Green Group:

1. Breeana Stone
2. Adam Weeks
3. Elliott Munger

iii. Pink Group:

1. Riza Grey
2. Adam Khater
3. Jessie Kalvitis

iv. Flower Group:

1. Anna Stitt
2. Heather VanAlphan
3. Sarah Slater

d. Teachers will ask two students to repeat the directions. CFU-directions

e. Teachers tell students they now have 30 seconds to find their group members
and start on the activity.
f. Students will get into their groups and work as a team to unscramble the steps
of creating the jar. The teachers will go around to check for understanding by
seeing if the scramble was put in the right order . CFU-Informal
g. Once the group of students have completed putting the order together, students
will write down the steps for their own individual worksheet. Then, they can fill in
the sectioned out Mason Jar with the correct layers labeled on their own
individual worksheets. CFU-Formal (Visual/Kinesthetic/Auditory)
h. The teachers will go around and check on the students’ plans. (Proximity)
i. Teachers will go around and check every students’ guided notes. Teachers will
encourage the students to hold onto their sheets until the end of the lesson.
j. Teachers will use “Class, yes” to regain the whole group’s focus.

6. Provide a Brief self-assessment and review of results

a. The teachers will ask :”Why do you think we asked you to create a plan?” The
teachers will give a few seconds for students to process the question.
b. The plan was used to help map out your future actions and help you prepare for
the final project which is→ creating the Mindfulness Glitter Jar.

7. Independent Practice/You Do It Alone

 a. Students will use this time to create their own Mindfulness Glitter Jars.
b. Teachers will explain that students are now going to make a Mindfulness Glitter
Jar on their own.
c. Teachers will inform students to use their plan that they have just created to now
make their own jars. CFU-Formal
d. Students will be asked to repeat what they will be doing before they are released
to make their Mindfulness Glitter Jar...x2. CFU-directions
e. Students will have approximately 8 minutes and will be reminded at 2 minutes
remaining and 1 minute remaining. (Kinesthetic)
f. Teachers will wrap up activity, start using positive reinforcement if they are
cleaning up material, and start transitioning to the closure.
8. Closure
a. The teachers will explain to the students how they shake their jars:
i. Shake the jars for 7 seconds
ii. Place jar on the desk and watch the glitter fall back to the bottom of the
jar.
iii. Students will observe their glitter jar and take a moment to reflect.
iv. Teacher will then present the Exit Slip and read directions and questions
aloud.

Exit Slip- Please answer the two following questions. If there is more time, please do the anchor

activity that is found on the back of this Exit Slip.

1) What was step 3 of the Mindfulness Glitter Jar process?

2) What are the materials used for creating a Mindfulness Glitter Jar?

v. Teachers will then notify students of anchor activity on the back of the
Exit Slip and read directions allowed for students.

Anchor Activity- Breathing Exercise:

Rainbow Breathing

1) Close your eyes

2) Visualize the color red

3) Take a deep breath

4) While exhaling, slowly imagine red turning orange, then yellow, then green, blue, and

violet.
 5) Control your breath so that as you reach violet you are ready to inhale again and

visualize red

6) Repeat as many times as you need to feel calm and collected again.

vi. Teacher will ask two students to repeat the directions- CFU-directions
vii. Teachers will pass out Exit Slips and notify students that they have 2
minutes to answer.
viii. Students will complete exit slip. CFU-Formal
ix. Students will be told when they have 30 seconds left.
x. Teachers will collect Guided Practice Worksheet (Student’s Plan) and
their Exit Slip.

9. Review
a. The students will be encouraged to use their Mindfulness Glitter Jar when they
need to take a break or when they feel stressed. Practice mindfulness once a
week in class.

References:

Schafer, J. R. (2011). Controlling angry people. Retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/let-their-words-do-the-talking/201101/controlling-

angry-people