Educational Media Reviews Online

This short video presents four vignettes on how children can handle anger. An excellent, expressive commentator clearly introduces and, at the end, summarizes each vignette. Throughout the video, it is stressed that everyone feels angry, and that is OK. It’s what you do with your anger that is important. Each vignette is done twice, first where anger is not handled correctly, and then showing realistic, positive alternatives to the same situation. This positive reinforcement is a key part of the video, helping turn a potentially uncomfortable subject into a positive experience.

The four vignettes each present a different point:

• Stop and think.
• Talk out your anger.
• Don’t keep anger inside.
• Use your angry energy to do something positive.

The production values are very good, especially the young, energetic commentator segments. Although the vignettes are well done, there are a few points where a close observer will notice that the child actors seem a bit unnatural “reading their lines.” However, this is a minor distraction that many students in the target age group (grades 3-6) will be unlikely to notice.

A very helpful, loose-leaf teacher’s resource book with learning objectives, tips for teachers, classroom discussion guides, and several student activities is included.