The Mindful Knight

8-10 yrs old

11-13 yrs old

Social and Emotional Health

Introduction to the basics of mindfulness to help students understand the benefits and main concepts.

March 30, 2020

Minecraft world to support lesson plan.

This framework provides guiding principles, standards, and benchmarks that provide the foundation and system for effective SEL programming.

SELF-AWARENESS An individual has the ability to identify and name one’s emotions and their influence on behavior.
COPING SKILLS An individual develops and demonstrates the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts and behaviors in context with people different than oneself.
SOCIAL MANAGEMENT An individual has the ability to make safe and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.

How can mindfulness support both emotional and academic growth in students?
- When practiced regularly, mindfulness can help to improve a students’ focus, emotional awareness, and emotional regulation.
How can educators help students establish a regular mindfulness practice?
- Educators can help students understand the benefits and basic concepts of mindfulness, and encourage them to set aside a few minutes each day to practice. They can also set aside time at the start or end of their classroom periods for this.

Teacher Preparation and Notes:

Pre-teach medieval concepts: quest, knights, armor, emotional armor
Pre-teach mindfulness concepts: breathing, being present, “Emotional Plains”
Background vocabulary:
- Trial, serenity, relics, acquire, quarry, weathered, cuirass, greaves, bravery, obstacle, embracing, anxious, aware, resilience
Identify ways to support students who speak more than one language , for example, how you can use Immersive Reader built into the game

Student Activities:

Students will learn and practice the use of new vocabulary words shared at the beginning of the lesson (Approximate time: 15 min)
Students will complete pre-writing exercise by responding to the prompt: "How do you manage your emotions when you get upset by your experience at school?" (5 min)
Students will take part in a short classroom discussion on strategies they use when they need to self-regulate their emotions. (5 min)
Students will then go into the Mindful Knight world (see resources) and complete each of the four quests. (20 min)
Students will close the lesson by sharing their reflection with a partner in the classroom or by recording a Flipgrid video of their experience in the Mindful Knight world. (5 min)

Students will demonstrate understanding of mindfulness practices by completing a reflection entry in their portfolio in the game. Educators can review and respond to these reflection entries.
As an extension, educators can request feedback via Flipgrid on their students' reflections on mindfulness.