The Turkey With the Terrible Temper

To support our November focus on the Zones of Regulation, our 2nd and 3rd graders read the story The Turkey With the Terrible Temper. This fun, colorful story introduces students to emotional awareness by following Tom Turkey, who loses his temper throughout the week, turning a different color each time.

Each color he turns represents a different emotional “zone,” giving students a memorable and engaging way to understand big feelings and how our reactions affect others.

🦃 What the Story Taught Us About Emotions

Throughout the week in the story, Tom experiences a variety of strong feelings:

• Red – Anger and rage

• Blue – Sadness and low energy

• Purple – Frustration and intensity

• Green – Envy and jealousy

• Yellow – Anxiety or embarrassment
  
  

Each time Tom loses control, he turns a new color and then hides, sulks, or blames someone else. This helped students identify what different feelings look like, feel like, and how they might show up in our bodies.

We discussed how emotions are normal, but how we express them matters.

Zones of Regulation Connections

Using Tom Turkey’s color changes, students connected each moment in the story to a Zone of Regulation:

🔴 Red Zone

Intense feelings: anger, rage, explosive reactions

• Tom lashes out, yells, and turns bright red.
  
  

🔵 Blue Zone

Low energy: sadness, tiredness, disappointment

• Tom sulks and feels discouraged after losing his temper.
  
  

🟡 Yellow Zone

Heightened emotions: frustration, stress, jealousy, silliness

• Tom turns purple with frustration, green with envy, and yellow when overwhelmed.
  
  

🟢 Green Zone

Calm, ready-to-learn, controlled

• When Tom reflects, thinks, and tries again, he moves back toward calm.

Students learned that all feelings are okay, but we need strategies to help us move back to the Green Zone.

Classroom Discussions

Students explored questions that helped them connect Tom’s feelings to their own experiences:

• What zone was Tom in during each part of the story?

• Have you ever felt like Tom? What color would YOU be?

• What tools could Tom have used to calm down?

• What tools help YOU calm your body and mind?

These questions supported emotional self-awareness and built empathy for others.

Tools for Each Zone

We also reviewed tools students can use when they start to feel like Tom Turkey:

Red Zone Tools

Deep breaths, counting, taking space, talking to an adult

Yellow Zone Tools

Movement break, positive self-talk, stretching, asking for help

Blue Zone Tools

Water break, talking to a friend, taking a short walk, asking for a job to do

Green Zone Tools

Staying focused, participating, being a role model, helping others

Students identified tools that work for them personally — just like Tom Turkey began learning to do.

What We Learned

By the end of the lesson, students understood:

• Feelings come and go, just like Tom's colors

• We can recognize when we are moving into a new zone

• We are responsible for how we react

• Using tools can help us return to the Green Zone

• With practice, we can manage even BIG emotions

Like Tom Turkey, students discovered that self-control grows stronger when we slow down, think, and practice our calming tools.

Try This at Home

Ask your child:
“Which zone would Tom Turkey be in right now? What zone are YOU in?”
or
“What tool helps you when you start feeling like Tom?”

This helps students carry their Zones of Regulation strategies into daily life.