Image of a kid meditating and thought bubble is filled with random things like sun, sleep, love
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Infographic,

Ready, Set... Breathe!

Back to school can throw a lot your way. The next time your brain needs a break, follow this 3,500-year-old advice: Meditate!

By Gabby Bing
From the September 2024 Issue
Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    This infographic presents information about meditation and its benefits.
  • Structure
    Information is presented with text and images in four sections arranged around a central image.
  • Language
    The language is familiar and straightforward.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required.
Featured Skill: Main Idea and Supporting Details,
Topics: SEL,
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.7, W.2, W.4, SL.1, SL.2 Grade 4: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.7, W.4.2, W.4.4, SL.4.1, SL.4.2 Grade 5: RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.7, W.5.2, W.5.4, SL.5.1, SL.5.2 Grade 6: RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.7, W.6.2, W.6.4, SL.6.1, SL.6.2
  • TEKS
    Grade 4: 4.6; 4.7c, d, e, f, g; 4.9d, f; 4.12a Grade 5: 5.6; 5.7c, d, e, f, g; 5.9d, f; 5.12a Grade 6: 6.5; 6.6c, d, e, f, g, h; 6.8d, f; 6.11a

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Meditating

means calmly reflecting on our thoughts and feelings. It helps us relax when we are stressed. Start by getting comfy, closing your eyes, and taking deeeep breaths. There are many ways to meditate!

Meditating can

  • boost our focus. 
  • help us stay positive. 
  • improve our sleep. 
  • make us kinder.

By the Numbers

  • People first began meditating in about 1,500 B.C. in India. 
  • Today up to 500 million people around the world regularly meditate. 
  • Meditating for just 3 minutes a day can help us feel better.  

MEDITATION STATION! Try this when . . . 

You feel anxious. 

Imagine your worries are bubbles. Watch them float higher and higher until they pop! 


You can’t focus. 

Take 20 deep breaths and count each one. 


You want to be kind. 

Think of someone you love and someone you don’t get along with (yet!). Send them the same kind wishes in your mind. 

Write to Win

Try one of the meditations from this infographic or the video. Then write a journal entry about the meditation you did, telling how you felt before and after trying it. Entries must be submitted to “Meditation Contest” by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian.* Three winners will each receive a $25 gift card for the Scholastic Store Online.

Contest deadline: November 1!

*Entries must be written by a student in grades 2-8 and submitted by their teacher, parent, or legal guardian, who will be the entrant and must be a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 or older. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.

This infographic was originally published in the September 2024 issue.

video (1)
Activities (4)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Activities (4) Download All Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Table of Contents
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. Preparing to Read

  • Have students preview the infographic, including the headline, subhead, images, and the “Write to Win” box.
  • Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to:
    • explain something to you?
    • convince you of something?
    • tell you how to do something?
  • If a video is included with the infographic, show it to the class.

2. Reading and Discussing the Infographic

  • Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, convincing, or confusing.
  • Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Distribute the Guided Writing skill builder, which will help students identify key details in the infographic and respond to the writing prompt in the “Write to Win” box. If you’d like, you, a parent, or legal guardian can submit students’ entries to the writing contest. Find more details at storyworks.scholastic.com/pages/storyworks-contests.
  • Optional: Distribute the Make Your Own Infographic activity, which guides students to choose a topic, research it, and create an infographic to share information.
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