Self-Regulation Strategies

Year Level

Year 5

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

25 students

Unit

Emotional Intelligence in Action (Lesson 6 of 10)

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Curriculum Links

• PH3-IHW-01: Examines and explains factors that influence identity, health and wellbeing of individuals and groups.
• PH3-CWT-01: Creating written texts supports understanding of health, safety and well-being.

These align with the NSW K-10 Health and Physical Education Syllabus Achievement Standard for Years 5 and 6, where students explain how different factors influence identity and health and propose strategies to manage emotions and develop respectful relationships.

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Learning Intention (WALT)

We Are Learning To evaluate self-regulation techniques.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Explain when to use two specific self-regulation strategies.
• Describe how these strategies help manage emotions to support their health and wellbeing.

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Differentiation

• Collaborative learners: Engage in group discussions and paired activities to evaluate and role-play self-regulation strategies.
• Independent learners: Write individual reflective responses about when and how they might use these strategies in real-life situations.
• Additional support: Provide sentence starters or visual prompts where needed.

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Lesson Overview

Time	Activity	Description
0–5 min	Introduction	Recap previous lessons briefly; introduce self-regulation and its importance.
5–15 min	Brainstorm & Discuss	Whole class brainstorm: “What do we do when we feel upset, angry or worried?” Group discussion on different strategies used to calm down.
15–25 min	Explore Strategies Activity	In groups, students explore 4 common self-regulation strategies (e.g., deep breathing, counting to 10, taking a break, positive self-talk). Each group analyses when and why to use these.
25–35 min	Role-Play Scenarios	Groups role-play situations where they demonstrate 2 self-regulation strategies effectively. Peers provide feedback on appropriateness.
35–40 min	Independent Reflection	Students individually reflect in writing: “When would I use these strategies?” and "How will they help me?"
40–45 min	Plenary & Success Criteria Check	Discuss reflective responses. Teacher checks understanding using success criteria. Summarise key points.

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Lesson Details

Introduction (5 minutes)

• Connect with students’ prior knowledge from earlier lessons on emotional intelligence.
• Explain WALT: “Today we are learning about self-regulation strategies — the ways we can manage our emotions when we feel upset or stressed.”
• Emphasise that understanding when and how to use these strategies helps their wellbeing and supports positive relationships.

Brainstorm & Discuss (10 minutes)

• Facilitated whole-class brainstorming on emotional triggers and coping strategies.
• Discuss how everyone feels upset sometimes and that using strategies helps us feel better.
• Link to curriculum: Explores factors influencing identity and wellbeing.

Explore Strategies Activity (10 minutes)

• Divide students into 4 groups; assign each group a self-regulation technique:
• Deep breathing
• Counting to 10 slowly
• Taking a quiet break
• Using positive self-talk (e.g., “I can handle this”)
• Groups discuss:
• How does this strategy help with emotions?
• When would this strategy be most useful?
• Use anchor charts or strategy cards as support prompts.

Role-Play Scenarios (10 minutes)

• Groups prepare and perform short role-plays demonstrating use of two different self-regulation strategies in common school/life situations (e.g., feeling frustrated with a task, conflict with a friend).
• Peers observe and provide feedback on how well the strategy suits the situation.

Independent Reflection (5 minutes)

• Students write a short paragraph responding to prompts:
• Which two strategies would I use?
• When would I use these strategies?
• How will using them help me?
• Supports literacy outcome PH3-CWT-01: Creating texts to understand health and wellbeing.

Plenary & Success Criteria Check (5 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share reflections.
• Teacher summarises key ideas linking back to success criteria.
• Emphasise the importance of practising these strategies regularly to build emotional intelligence.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard or chart paper for brainstorming.
• Strategy cards or visual displays of self-regulation techniques.
• Scenario prompts for role-plays.
• Paper and writing tools for reflection.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment through observation during group discussions and role-play.
• Written reflections will be collected to check understanding of self-regulation strategies and the ability to explain when to use them.
• Teacher feedback given to support further development.

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Extension/Homework Suggestion

• Ask students to try one self-regulation strategy at home and note how it helped.
• Optional: Students bring back reflections to discuss next lesson.

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This lesson supports development of emotional intelligence through practical, age-appropriate strategies aligned with the NSW Health and Physical Education syllabus. Collaborative and independent tasks ensure all learners engage meaningfully to build skills in self-regulation that underpin positive health and wellbeing outcomes for Year 5 students.