Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Trauma-Informed Strategies
Ashley Sonn
August 4, 2018
WTS 1 and 2 Page 2 of 25
Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 1: Teachers know the subjects they are teaching.
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the
discipline he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of
Knowledge. The teacher understands how students’ conceptual frameworks and their
Dispositions. (a) The teacher realizes that subject matter knowledge is not a fixed body
of facts but is complex and ever evolving. S/he seeks to keep abreast of new ideas and
understandings in the field. (b) The teacher is committed to continuous learning and engages in
professional discourse about subject matter knowledge and children’s learning of the discipline.
Performances. (a) The teacher can represent and use differing viewpoints, theories,
“ways of knowing” and methods of inquiry in his/her teaching of subject matter concepts.
The teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and develop, and
can provide instruction that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development.
Knowledge. The teacher understands that students’ physical, social, emotional, moral,
and cognitive development influence learning and knows how to address these factors when
development, shows respect for the diverse talents of all learners, and is committed to help them
design instruction that meets learners’ current needs in each domain (cognitive, social,
emotional, moral, and physical) and that leads to the next level of development.
Danielson Domains
Students
Lesson adjustment
Response to students
Persistence
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Pre-assessments
Objective(s)
Wisconsin Teaching Standard (WTS) 1 requires that teachers know the central concepts
they are teaching in order to make it meaningful for students. I want to improve my classroom
management strategies for working with students who have experienced significant trauma.
I teach second grade at a K-5 school that has roughly 70% (free or reduced lunch) of
families are living in poverty and a high population of students who have experienced varying
degrees of trauma. When relating my current practice to WTS 1, I use strategies such as Second
Step, point/reflection sheets, and mindfulness exercises, but would also like to find more
research-based approaches for dealing with the high amounts of behaviors associated with these
circumstances. I have used my current strategies with my whole class and the effectiveness
varies for all students. This is an appropriate focus for a summertime entry, as I will be able to
I chose four WTS 1 descriptors to guide my learning through research. The knowledge
descriptor I chose was “the teacher understands how students’ conceptual frameworks and their
misconceptions for an area of knowledge can influence their learning”. Having an understanding
of where students with trauma are coming from and the misconceptions they may have, I can
Staying current with research-based strategies is important because not all strategies work
for all students, so I chose two dispositions descriptors, “the teacher realizes that subject matter
knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex and ever evolving. S/he seeks to keep
abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field” and “the teacher is committed to
WTS 1 and 2 Page 5 of 25
continuous learning and engages in professional discourse about subject matter knowledge and
children’s learning of the discipline”. I will incorporate one strategy at a time and if I notice it is
not working for the student, I look back at other strategies to try.
To improve my teaching strategies and meet the behavioral needs of all my students, I
chose the performance descriptor “the teacher can represent and use differing viewpoints,
theories, “ways of knowing” and methods of inquiry in his/her teaching of subject matter
concepts.” My goal is that these strategies will help keep students’ safe and reduce the number of
classroom disruptions at times where it would be necessary to leave the classroom to regulate
their emotions.
WTS 2 requires that teachers know how children grow and have the ability to provide
instruction that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development. For WTS 2, I want
to focus on ways to hold all students to the same high expectations no matter what their
I chose three WTS 2 descriptors to guide my learning process. The knowledge descriptor
focuses on “understanding that students’ physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive
development influence learning and addressing these factors when making instructional
decisions.” Instructional time can be lost when addressing behavior and can impact the learning
of all students in the class. Implementing strategies to get to know the developmental levels of
and competence” and build up resilience for difficult situations. There are times where my
students arrive in the morning in an unpleasant mood and I know that I could be the first one
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saying good morning to them that day. Other times include independent work, when some
The performance descriptor about “assessing individual and group performance in order
to design instruction that meets learners’ current cognitive, social, emotional, moral, and physical
needs” relates to my desire to design a small or whole group activity or lesson that promotes self-
confidence and problem solving skills for struggling students. Due to the high amount of
behaviors in our school, it is left up to me to handle the situation and decide on logical
consequences. For me it is hard to give a consequence to a student who may not possess the
skills to appropriately handle tough situations. Creating an activity to address an area of concern
for individual students will allow us to brainstorm consequences together so students know what
to expect when their behavior disrupts the learning of the class. This will also create
My second grade class this past year consisted of 19 students, six of which had special
education IEP’s and used point sheets in the classroom. Students on point sheets earned check
marks or smiley faces for expected behavior in the areas of safe, respectful and responsible.
For 13 of the 19 students in my class, I knew of at least one traumatic experience they
encountered. I could group the thirteen students affected by trauma into three categories based on
their behaviors; low functioning, medium functioning, and high functioning. I would place three
students in the low-functioning group, all of which had the most traumatic experiences
towards adults, verbal and physical aggression. Two of the students were labeled with Emotional
Behavioral Disorder/ Other Health Impairment and the other had a Significant Learning Delay.
They needed constant adult support and prompting to accomplish tasks and regulate emotions.
In the medium functioning group I would place six of the thirteen students. This group of
students needed minimal support, but constant reminders especially when helping to regulate
emotions. All but one student was on either a point sheet through an IEP or Tier 2 check-
in/check-out sheet. Behaviors seen in these students were defiance, refusal to follow directions
right away, inability to stay focused on tasks, goofing around during work times and getting
easily frustrated or mad when something did not go the way they had planned (losing/getting
“out” in a game). However, they were all responsible in bringing their point sheets around with
them throughout the day and making sure a teacher filled them in. For the high functioning
group, I would place four of the thirteen students. These students were able to self-regulate their
emotions, followed directions with minimal reminders, worked hard to complete tasks, and were
able to express their feelings in an appropriate way. Two of the students had an IEP for Other
My classroom environment is first and foremost a safe and welcomed space, a home
away from home. Students are able to collaborate with peers and feel that their input is validated
and respected. One way I make it feel like their space is having flexible seating and community
shared supplies. Community supplies take the anxiety away from students who do not have the
In my classroom, students have the power of choice in order to be successful. This is seen
in students creating classroom rules, choosing a flexible seating option, and varying choice for
how assignments are completed. I teach the power of growth mindset and use of positive
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language in interactions between peers, teachers and other adults. For a lot of our students, this is
not something that is modeled for them at home, so we strive to embrace everyone’s differences
and learn that we all have different needs in order to be successful. Each day I incorporate a
Second Step lesson into our morning meeting, which teaches students about social and emotional
skills. Skills are taught, modeled, and practiced in weekly lessons though relatable scenarios.
Break spots are available to all students as a way to regulate their emotions and behaviors.
The use of flexible seating, student created class rules, and teaching growth mindset and
social/emotional skills, has a strong correlation with student achievement and behavior. When
students are comfortable in their workspace, their motivation increases and behaviors decrease.
assessment show that I have strategies in place to help students affected by trauma continue to
grow and be successful. I will continue to use those strategies, but need to implement research-
based methods that take into account the social, emotional, and cognitive development of the
students. I will implement trauma-informed strategies at the beginning of the school year and
keep record of the effects the strategies have on students with trauma in all aspects of the school
day. The essential question to guide my research draws its wording from WTS 2: What
research-based strategies “support intellectual, social, and personal development” for elementary
Research Summary
Many of these behaviors, such as defiance and aggression, are associated with students who have
experienced trauma. The American Psychological Association defines trauma as “an emotional
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response to a terrible event” (APA, 2015). Examples of traumatic experiences include: (a)
physical and/or sexual abuse, (b) neglect, (c) experiencing and/or witnessing domestic violence,
(d) witnessing community or school violence, (e) natural or man-made disasters, and (f)
terrorism, suicide, or war (Cavanaugh, 2016, p. 41). According to Souers and Hall (2016), one
out of three of us grow up with three or more powerful experiences that can have dramatic
affects on the development of our brain (p. ix). These powerful experiences are called ACEs
(adverse childhood experiences), and the higher the number, the more traumatic experiences a
person has had. Felitti et al. (1998) completed a 1995-1997 study of ACEs through the Centers
for Disease Control and found ACEs to be very common. Results concluded, roughly 64% of
people experienced at least one ACE and 22% experiencing three or more. When discussing and
dealing with trauma-affected students, the focus is on the impact the events have on the child, not
Students affected by trauma find themselves in survival mode; the flight, fight, freeze
mode. When a situation in the classroom interrupts a child’s sense of safety, fear sets in and
misbehavior is brought on. Teachers with students-affected by trauma may see increased
aggression, issues with a child’s attendance, depression, anxiety, and more than likely language
and cognitive delays. Thirty percent of students diagnosed with Emotional Behavior Disorder
(EBD) have experienced trauma or show signs of PTSD (Mueser & Taub, 2008). Knowing this
information and the impact trauma has on behaviors in the classroom, teachers need to be aware
and be prepared to use effective trauma-informed strategies to meet all the needs of their
students.
In order for teachers to implement trauma-informed strategies, they must have a deeper
understanding of why they are necessary to the success of their students. According to Steele
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and Malchiodi (2012), trauma-informed strategies should be reparative, restorative and enhance
experiences to help restore a sense of safety and bring about a renewed sense of empowerment”
(p. xix). Only a person specialized in trauma-informed interventions can provide that care, but
there are strategies that a general education teacher can incorporate in the classroom, that will
One strategy is to teach students self-regulation by using their body as a resource through
getting children to learn to use their bodies as a way to decrease unpleasant situations that may
be related to past traumatic experiences or even daily situations they face (Steele & Malchiodi,
2012). Children and adolescents should be questioned about their feelings and begin to describe
them or if younger, draw pictures, or use movement and music. According to Malchiodi (as
cited in Steele and Malchiodi, 2012), the use of music, movement, and the expression of
emotions help to activate both sides of the brain achieving a self-regulation experience.
(1993), mindfulness is “a state of mind that results from drawing novel distinctions, examining
information from new perspectives, and being sensitive to context” (p. 44). In other words,
connecting the body and mind helps to maintain regulation. In the classroom, teachers can
practice mindfulness in many different ways such as brain breaks, yoga, or body awareness
exercises (Souers & Hall, 2016). An important piece of practicing mindfulness is deep
breathing. Souers and Hall (2016) described a breathing activity called “peekaboo” breathing,
Grab a small stuffed animal and lie down on your back on the floor. Place the stuffed
animal on your stomach so that it rests stably. Now, breathe in deeply and slowly so that
the stuffed animal rises with your belly. Continue to inhale until you can make eye
contact with the little fellow. Hold your breath in for a moment, and then slowly exhale,
allowing the stuffed critter to lower slowly with your belly. As the animal rises, you can
say, “Peekaboo!” It is best to perform this exercise 10 times in a row (p. 67).
Self-regulation and mindfulness strategies are most effective when used proactively and
usually if triggers for behavior are known. Sometimes for students with trauma those triggers are
harder to figure out and a de-escalation strategy has to be used. Brunzell, Stokes and Waters
(2016), completed a study of teachers who implemented physical rhythm and escalation maps
with students to help them de-escalate. “Physical Rhythm” is a strategy one teacher used when a
student needed to leave the classroom to help regain control of emotions. The teacher had a pre-
determined spot in the hallway for the student to go to. The student would sit or stand and
follow a rhythm lead by the teacher. When the teacher noticed the student starting to calm down,
they stated that observation to the student and gave the control of the rhythm to the student. The
entire process happened before any conversation took place about the incident. Teachers in the
study who used the “Physical Rhythm” strategy concluded that having a differentiated spot for
individual students to go when needing to de-escalate gave students a chance to regain control of
the situation as well as provide the rest of the class a continued successful learning environment
(Brunzell et al., 2016). The second tool the study looked at was the use of escalation maps. This
tool had students draw a continuous line to show events throughout their day where they felt
escalated (math work) or de-escalated (seeing their friends at school). Teachers noted this tool
was helpful to the student because they were able to express their feelings, as well as to the
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teacher to be able to pin point specific events that spark triggers for the child and how to avoid
Research Implications
My question to guide research was, what research-based strategies work best with
elementary students affected by trauma? During my research and reflection of past students, I
have learned that effective strategies need to be in place to help students affected by trauma have
success in managing their emotions. I learned about the significance of self-regulation and de-
escalation strategies to decrease the amount of behavior issues and students needing to leave the
room. I envision starting with one strategy at the beginning of the school year and building on
the others when I get to know my students affected by trauma, and any observable triggers they
may have. I realize the strategies I researched can be implemented for not only students affected
1. Continue to utilize strategies I have found to be successful so far; Second Step, teaching
2. Teach the whole class about the “upstairs” and “downstairs” brain using the vocabulary
affected by trauma decrease behavior problems and the amount of time spent out of the
5. Monitor behavior on point sheets and make note of improvements/ successful strategies
Students will learn about the “upstairs” and “downstairs” brain and how both parts are
affected when our emotions are high. Students will learn specific strategies to help them regulate
their emotions. By utilizing research-based strategies, students will be able to reduce behavior
problems and the number of times needed to leave the room to calm down with teacher support.
1. Task: Students affected with trauma will have their behavior tracked throughout the day
2. Task: Students will participate in social skills lessons through Second Step and practice
mindfulness strategies. Strategies will be modeled and reinforced throughout the day
1. Gather data for incoming students (previous years data for point sheets, behaviors, etc.)
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2. Connect with last year’s teachers and Special Education staff about students’ individual
3. Analyze and compare student data with new strategy tracking log
Post-assessments
trauma become more independent in self-regulation and allow a sense of calm for the rest of the
class. The research overall related very well to WTS 1 and 2 because I now have a deeper
understanding of trauma and the effects it has on classroom behavior as well as strategies to help
students build confidence in their social and emotional skills. By teaching all students about how
we react to situations using the upstairs and downstairs parts of our brains, they will be able to
select calming strategies that are not disruptive to everyone else. Holding them accountable to
use the vocabulary and strategies from the lesson will help them later process situations easier
when they have to explain how they felt and what they could do the next time they feel that way.
When I began my research of strategies, I was overwhelmed with the amount of trauma-
informed interventions that were done outside of school with a certified person. More than
likely, my students are not getting the outside help needed for their experiences and this is
causing the behaviors to get worse. This led me to an insight that I need to do as much as I can
in the classroom for these students. I need solid strategies that could easily be implemented by
breathing and yoga during pre-determined times as part of our daily schedule. Allowing students
to practice this daily will help them to use these strategies more independently.
WTS 1 and 2 Page 15 of 25
Another insight I gained with envisioning the use of these strategies is the order of the
Second Step lessons I currently teach and how they fit in with the lesson I created. I will switch
the order of Second Step lessons to have the emotion management lesson at the beginning of
year. This will allow me to reference the vocabulary, like “flipping your lid”, when using the
Based on envisioning delivery of the lesson plan (Artifact D) and use of trauma-informed
strategies, I anticipate students overall having a stronger sense of tranquility in the classroom.
Students will know it is ok to be upset or frustrated but it is the way we choose to handle it that
matters. I can envision a change in how students will respond to their new point sheets (Artifact
B). Having them think more in terms of self-regulation, instead of reflecting on negative or
positive marks, will give them more choice and responsibility in selecting strategies. I can
envision a decrease in the amount of times needed to leave the room due to behaviors because
students will find strategies that are helpful. My low functioning students will be more
independent during work times and know that adults are here to help if they ask. My medium
functioning students with trauma will need less reminders when frustrated because they will
come to regularly use the strategies on their own. Lastly, my high functioning students affected
by trauma will continue to self-regulate and possibly help other students, as buddies or mentors,
I expect to keep using flexible seating, growth mindset, and the power of choice in my
classroom. Noticeable changes I expect to see are less whole class disruptions and students
students would leave the room as soon as it became a disruption, which was sometimes
immediately. Now specific spaces will allow de-escalation to happen in the general education
classroom. Educational Assistants will be informed of the strategies as we learn them as a class,
so they are able to provide reminders or assist students if I am not the adult dealing with the
disruption.
With a high population of students living in poverty and facing traumatic events
sometimes daily, it is important to understand where they are coming from and effective ways to
handle behavioral situations that arise. The entire process had me thinking back to previous
students and which strategies I thought would work for each of them. I gained valuable
strategies to use for classroom management. I want to teach students that they are in control of
themselves and teachers and other adults are just there to teach them the tools they need to do so.
1. Reflecting on previous students and the behaviors I have encountered in the past. I was
2. Thinking of the set up of my classroom last year, I was able to rearrange furniture to
1. Changing around the lessons in the Second Step curriculum. I need to make sure it
2. I may need to teach some strategies in small groups or individually, if I notice a lesser
3. I may also need to differentiate how I teach students about the parts of the brain if I
notice students do not understand the concept as I have it written in my lesson plan.
My next steps
1. Create a reference sheet of the strategies to share with adults assisting in my room and to
send home to families after the students have learned and practiced them at school
2. Make anchor chart posters of each strategy, possibly with help of students, to hang near
break spots.
References
www.apa.org/topics/trauma.
Brunzell, T., Stokes, H., & Waters, L. (2016). Trauma-informed flexible learning: Classrooms
Cavanaugh, B. (2016). Trauma-informed classrooms and schools. Beyond Behavior, 25(2), 41-
46.
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss,
M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction
to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The adverse childhood experiences
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
Mueser, K. T., & Taub, J. (2008). Trauma and PTSD among adolescents with severe emotional
Souers, K., & Hall, P. A. (2016). Fostering resilient learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-
Artifact A
This is an example of an old student point sheet. The classroom teacher or educational
assistant fills out this sheet with (plus/minus) or (smiles/frowns) for each thirty-minute time
period throughout the day. Points are given if student is following directions, working quietly
and using nice words and actions. The student is responsible for keeping track of the point sheet
and taking it with them when leaving the classroom. Points are added up at the end of the day
WTS 1 and 2 Page 20 of 25
and students can exchange for “money” to purchase items like snacks or small toys. Point sheets
Artifact B
This is an example of a tracking sheet that I will use to collect data on what strategies are
being used for individual students. It will use it to find patterns in behavior across environments,
find which strategies the student or teacher selects and whether they are proving to be successful.
This data can help determine when a strategy is working and help lead to independence of
students self-regulating. This will be the new sheet students carry around and can be used as a
Artifact C
This is student example of their Escalation Map (Brunzell et al. 2016). In my lesson with
students about the parts of our brain “upstairs” and “downstairs”, I will have them think about
times they are at escalated and de-escalated states throughout the day. Students will have a blank
sheet where they will make a continuous line to show those times. This will be referenced when
Artifact D
**Will tie in with Second Step Grade 2- Unit 3, Lesson 11: Introducing Emotion Management
Learning Target: I can think about my feelings and help the thinking part of my brain get back in
control.
Vocabulary: “flipping your lid”, “feeling part”, “thinking part”, “upstairs brain”, “downstairs
Introduction: When you have strong feelings, it’s hard for your brain to think. The feeling part
of the brain can take over! When this happens, it’s like you “flip your lid” or lose control of the
thinking part of your brain. Try to focus your attention on your body for clues about how you’re
feeling. This gets your brain thinking again, so it can start to take back control.
Have students name a feeling (excited, angry, frustrated, sad) and practice showing the
https://youtu.be/3bKuoH8CkFc
WTS 1 and 2 Page 24 of 25
Create a diagram of upstairs/downstairs (anchor chart) and list emotions/events that cause
one to “flip your lid” and ways to stay downstairs (breathing, mindfulness, yoga, etc.)
Small group or whole class: map Escalation Maps. See Artifact C for student example.
Introduce terms escalate, de-escalate and compare them to being upstairs (mad, excited,
Lesson 11 teaches students about “flipping your lid” using the hand-brain model. It correlates to