Implementing Developmental Bibliotherapy to Manage Anger in Students With Learning Disabilities

Step 1: Identify Children and the Problem Behavior

Due to the significant time children spend in school, observing children’s developmental needs is an essential first step to identifying children who can benefit from a DB intervention. These needs include emotional, behavioral, and social aspects, alongside academic demands. Challenges such as bullying, difficulties with social integration, familial strife, or financial instability can evoke emotions like anger, disappointment, or sadness (Heath et al., 2005). The reactions to these challenges may lead to daily crises in the classroom. DB serves as a useful tool for addressing these challenges, promoting self-awareness and emotional insight using literature.

Example. Mrs. Green, the first-grade teacher, observes that Jack starts to scream loudly and hits his peers when he has difficulty with reading and writing activities. He does not know what to do or how to manage his emotions. Mrs. Green realizes that Jack gets angry in these situations. She decides to help Jack with understanding anger, labeling the emotion, talking about anger, thinking about anger, and teaching him what he can do when he gets angry rather than hurting himself or his friends. Mrs. Green decides to use DB during circle time in the general education classroom with a group of 10 students.

Step 2: Determine Readiness

Before starting a bibliotherapy session, ensuring a child’s readiness is crucial (Pardeck & Pardeck, 2021). This involves several key factors: (a) establishing rapport and trust between the child and the facilitator, (b) reaching a mutual agreement on the identified problem, and (c) conducting an initial exploration of the problem (Zaccaria & Moses, 1968 as cited in Pardeck & Pardeck, 2021). Creating emotional safety in the classroom involves recognizing students’ needs and building a foundation of trust. A DB session provides a supportive environment where students can share their emotions, promoting openness when they feel understood by empathetic teachers.

Example. Mrs. Green takes time to develop a connection with Jack, acknowledging his strengths and validating his emotions. She notices that Jack becomes frustrated and angry when faced with difficult tasks, especially in reading and writing. Mrs. Green spends individual time with Jack, asking about his feelings and helping him label his emotions, like frustration and anger. She encourages him to express how he feels instead of acting out, teaching him strategies such as deep breathing and taking breaks. She also reassures Jack that making mistakes is part of learning and consistently praises his efforts, reinforcing his confidence. By creating a predictable and calm classroom environment, the teacher emphasizes Jack’s strengths, providing him with positive feedback, thereby reinforcing his sense of confidence which helps reduce his anxiety and fosters a sense of safety.

Step 3: Collaborate With Other Colleagues and Families

Educators operate within a collaborative environment where the support of various professionals can significantly enhance their efforts (Prater et al., 2006). Special education teachers, school counselors, and child development professionals, among others, play critical roles in supporting different aspects of DB. Collaborating with colleagues when needed promotes a holistic approach to addressing student needs. Furthermore, understanding family dynamics deepens educators’ insight into children’s behaviors, enabling the design of more effective DB sessions for those in need. Involving families in the processes of identification, catharsis, insight, universalism, and projection further enhances the success of DB in children’s lives.

Example. Recognizing the need for a DB intervention, Mrs. Green collaborates with the school’s special education teacher and school counselor to gather a more comprehensive understanding of Jack’s behavior. They also engage with Jack’s family, who share similar observations of his behavior at home. By pooling their expertise, they decide to implement DB, focusing on anger management, not only for Jack but also for other students in the classroom. This collaborative effort ensures a more coordinated and effective intervention, addressing Jack’s needs both in school and at home.

Step 4: Create Goals and Activities to Address the Problem Behavior

The goal is to provide educators with a structured approach to help students manage specific emotional or behavioral issues, such as anger. This step involves defining clear objectives for the DB intervention, tailored to the student’s needs, and designing activities that support these goals. To begin, the teacher can identify the key challenges that the student faces, whether related to emotional regulation, social interaction, or specific academic frustrations (Lockwood et al., 2022). Once the problem is clearly defined, the next task is to establish measurable goals for the intervention. For example, a goal might be to reduce the frequency of anger outbursts or to help the student develop specific coping strategies, such as using deep breathing techniques when feeling frustrated (Baltacı, 2017; Wang et al., 2022). Activities can be directly aligned with these goals and can include both individual and group exercises. For example, role-playing situations that might provoke anger can help students practice newly learned coping strategies in a controlled environment (Prater et al., 2006). In addition, creative activities, such as drawing or writing about feelings, can help students reflect on their emotions and develop greater self-awareness (Pardeck & Pardeck, 2021). These activities not only provide opportunities for students to apply the strategies they have learned but also serve to assess their progress over time. In summary, by creating clear goals and designing targeted activities, educators can ensure that bibliotherapy interventions are effective in addressing the specific emotional and behavioral needs of students, particularly those struggling with anger management.

Example. Mrs. Green defines the goals in collaboration with the school counselor and special education teacher for this DB session as helping students understand anger, label the emotion, talk about their feelings, reflect on their thoughts about anger, and learn strategies to manage it without resorting to hurting themselves or others. To achieve these goals, she incorporates a hands-on activity where students mold clay to represent how anger feels in their bodies, followed by reflective discussions on what anger looks and feels like. She also introduces calming strategies, such as deep breathing and counting to 10, to help students manage their emotions in the moment. As a follow-up activity, Mrs. Green assigns a drawing task where students create pictures that depict their experience of anger and the steps they can take to calm down, reinforcing the lessons from the session.

Step 5: Select Books

It is important the books selected for a DB session address the targeted problem, instill realistic hope, and are age-appropriate (Pardeck & Pardeck, 2021). The books should be suited to children’s developmental stages and matched to their respective reading levels. In addition, teachers can ensure that the books address the relevant emotions and cater to the children’s individual needs (Pardeck & Pardeck, 2021). Effective books for a DB session facilitate self-discovery, promote communication and growth, incorporate cultural elements (Heath et al., 2005), provide coping models (Heath et al., 2005), and remain engaging for the reader (Somaratna, 2021).

Example. Mrs. Green selected the book “When I Am Feeling Angry” by Moroney (2005) for the DB session. This book, featuring a rabbit as the main character, explores the theme of anger and emotions, making it an ideal choice. Although it is primarily targeted toward preschoolers, it has been selected for Jack and his classmates in the inclusive elementary classroom. The simplicity of the text, combined with vivid illustrations, encourages imagination and provides the teacher with opportunities to discuss the emotions and situations depicted in the story. In the DB sessions, more pictures support the children’s imagination and provide opportunities for the teacher to talk about the situation. The narrative follows the rabbit as it experiences anger, describing the physical sensations and situations that provoke these emotions. The book introduces strategies for managing anger, providing an excellent platform for teachers to engage students in discussions about emotions and coping mechanisms.

Step 6: Implement Prereading Activities

Prereading activities are designed to inspire and engage children, fostering a connection with the upcoming material and tapping into their prior knowledge (Vukadin, 2022). These activities aim to mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare children for the DB sessions. Educators can employ a variety of classroom activities tailored to children’s needs to facilitate this preparation. These may include art projects, creative writing exercises, discussions, dance, music, and drama, among others.

Example. Before the DB session begins, Mrs. Green prepares a series of engaging activities to help students connect with the upcoming material in collaboration with the special education teacher and school counselor. Each student is given several pieces of aluminum foil article, which they can manipulate to create different shapes. As the students handle the foil, observing how it shrinks and wrinkles, they are encouraged to explore its texture. A ball is also formed from shredded, crumpled, and cut aluminum foil, which the children can play with freely to engage their tactile senses. After this hands-on activity, the students are tasked with drawing various facial expressions—such as anxious, scared, sad, happy, calm, and angry—on the aluminum foil using blackboard markers. Once the drawings are completed, the facial expressions are mixed up, and each child selects one without knowing which emotion it represents. Through discussion, Mrs. Green helps the children identify and explore the emotions depicted, with a particular emphasis on understanding and managing anger.

Mrs. Green guides the discussion with questions such as (a) What emotion do you think this facial expression represents—anger, sadness, or something else? (b) Why do you believe this facial expression portrays anger? (c) What circumstances might lead someone to feel angry? (d) How does anger manifest in the body? and (e) What strategies can be used to cope with anger? As the dialogue progresses, Mrs. Green introduces calming techniques, such as slow breathing exercises, counting to 10, and collectively releasing tension by popping bubble wrap. These prereading activities offer students an opportunity to recognize and manage their emotions, fostering emotional intelligence and self-awareness, particularly in how they handle anger.

Step 7: Introduce the Book

The introduction of a book in a DB session can involve either the teacher reading aloud or the students reading independently, depending on the arrangement between the teacher and the students. Some children may prefer to read aloud if they are able to do so. The seating arrangement in the classroom should ensure that all students have a clear view of the book and can actively engage in the session. The teacher can discuss key aspects of the book, such as the author, illustrator, and publisher, and invite students to explore the book’s cover before starting the reading. During the reading, ask questions related to the plot to facilitate identification, catharsis, insight, projection, and universalism among the students.

Example: Mrs. Green and the children gather in a semicircle, ensuring everyone can see the book. She holds up the book and asks the students what they think the book is about. After listening to the children’s responses, Mrs. Green begins to read from the book, “When I am feeling angry, I feel like there is a boiling hot volcano in my tummy that is about to explode.” She then asks the students where they feel anger in their bodies. After she listens to their responses, she continues to read from the book, “When I am feeling angry, I want to kick and scream and stomp, stomp, stomp my feet so hard that the whole world shakes.” She then asks the students what they feel like doing when they feel angry. After listening to student responses, Mrs. Green reads, “Everyone gets angry sometimes. Feeling angry isn’t wrong, but letting my anger hurt someone else is.” She then asks students what they can do to feel better when they are angry. Mrs. Green then leads a discussion on calming strategies, introducing deep breaths and counting to 10. She guides the children through the exercise together.

Step 8: Incorporate Follow-Up Strategies

Follow-up activities provide children with an opportunity to integrate what they have read into their own lives. These strategies may include creative writing, art projects, drama, role-playing, puppetry, and discussions (Pardeck & Pardeck, 2021). Implemented after reading, these activities encourage reflection on the material and foster processes such as identification, catharsis, insight, projection, and universalism. Teachers may encourage children to:

Example. Mrs. Green facilitates a discussion with the students about the book, focusing on its themes and the strategies the main character uses to understand and manage his anger. Together, they explore what actions they would take if they were in the character’s situation. After the discussion, Mrs. Green provides article to the students and invites them to express their own experiences with anger through drawings. Once the drawings are completed, the students engage in a dialogue where they share and discuss their artwork, reflecting on how they manage their own emotions.

Step 9: Assess Student Progress

As a final step, it is important to assess the effects of a DB intervention on children’s behavior. By identifying what is effective and what is not, teachers can adjust and adapt their approach, ensuring that ineffective methods are replaced with more suitable strategies throughout the bibliotherapy process (Prater et al., 2006). Formal and informal assessment methods might be used. Types of assessment might be behavioral observations, regular tracking of specific behaviors related to anger and social interactions, pre- and postintervention surveys (questionnaires used to measure participants’ emotional, social, or behavioral changes before and after an intervention, providing a way to assess the effectiveness of the intervention), and interviews (collecting qualitative data from children and parents about their experiences and observed changes).

Example. Mrs. Green and the special education teacher observe Jack and the other children’s behavior in the classroom, using direct observation and note-taking. For instance, when an anger-related issue arises, Mrs. Green documents how Jack and the other children express and manage their anger, the words they use to describe their emotions, their coping strategies, and whether they seek help from the teacher. These observations provide valuable insight into the immediate behavioral responses and the effectiveness of the strategies being implemented. The school counselor administers the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990) to assess the children’s emotional and social behaviors. In addition to the observations and rating scales, Mrs. Green, the school counselor, and the special education teacher conduct in-depth, semistructured interviews with both the children and their parents to assess behavioral changes before and after the intervention.

Some Considerations for Implementation

The nine steps in the DB intervention promote self-awareness, emotional regulation, and problem-solving for students like Jack to recognize and manage anger. There are three key considerations to ensure that a DB intervention is implemented effectively in the classroom. First, the length of a bibliotherapy intervention can vary depending on the students’ needs and the complexity of the emotional issues being addressed. However, for most students dealing with anger management, it is recommended that bibliotherapy be implemented over a period of 8 to 12 weeks with a new book in each session. Each session can last approximately 45 to 60 min and occur once or twice weekly. This provides enough time for students to engage with the material, practice new strategies, and reflect on their emotions in a supportive environment. Second, teachers need a carefully curated list of books that are thematically aligned with the emotions or issues being addressed, such as anger management. It is recommended to use one book per session, giving students ample time to discuss the themes and reflect on the content. By selecting a range of books, teachers can ensure that the intervention covers various emotional experiences and coping mechanisms. Third, to help students effectively practice and apply the anger management strategies introduced during DB sessions, incorporating hands-on activities, role-playing, and reflective discussions in each session is an important consideration. Follow-up activities such as drawing or journaling can further reinforce these strategies, helping students internalize what they’ve learned. Consistent reinforcement, both within and outside of bibliotherapy sessions, is a key to ensuring students can effectively use these techniques in real-life situations. By following these guidelines, teachers can structure a comprehensive DB intervention that addresses anger and equips students with practical tools for emotional regulation.