Charlotte Teachers Institute

This curriculum unit will introduce early learners to the concept of mindfulness as well as a variety of introductory practices. In this unit, students will learn about feeling words, focusing their minds, how physical and mental health are related, and methods for maintaining a calm body and mind. A variety of comprehension checkpoints will be administered in order to guide instruction. Resources include read alouds, guided meditation, and instructional yoga books. Students will be asked to use words, symbols, colors and body language to explore various mindfulness techniques. This unit aligns with the North Carolina Mental and Emotional Health Education and English Language Arts Writing standards. The summative assessment requires students to recall a specific mindfulness technique and explain its purpose. The rationale behind this curriculum unit is to introduce resiliency strategies to a population that is statistically disproportionally affected by toxic stressors. It has been found that school-aged children exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences are more likely to experience negative long-term health outcomes. Introducing these students to mindfulness strategies at an early age may be effective in counteracting exposure to toxic stress, thus impeding on its lifelong effects.