Jack Yeatts
Classroom Guidance 1
Classroom Guidance: Columbus and Comfort Zones

Guiding

Principles
Integration 
Integration into the school’s core social studies curriculum.
Collaboration with administration and world history instructors
Equitable access with inclusion class representing general population,
students in special education curriculum, ESL
Classroom: World History II
Core Subject: Age of Exploration (Christopher Columbus)
Guidance
Healthy Risk-Taking
Subject:
Grade: High School
Healthy risk-taking is the hallmark of human progress.
Content:
In this lesson students will examine the risk-taking of Christopher
Columbus as he embarked on his mission to find the new world,
identifying his abilities, barriers, level of challenge, etc. They will also
identify their own comfort zones, areas of challenge, and areas of
debilitating anxiety. Students will understand that comfort zones are
definitely not “one size fits all.” What brings high anxiety to one student
may be perfectly comfortable for another. What one student welcomes as
a challenge may cause paralyzing fear for another.
Counselor goal: Increase students’ awareness of their zones,
understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and recognition of
potential barriers to academic, personal/social, and career success.
Objectives:
Materials:
Students will:
 Demonstrate understanding of the concepts of Comfort Zone,
Challenge Zone, Panic Zone
 Demonstrate awareness, understanding and respect of unique
zones within self and others
 Understand healthy risk-taking is a part of personal development
 Recognize areas of zone strengths and weaknesses
 Recognize problematic zones for personal/social, academic, and
career success




Christopher Columbus ZONES Activity Sheet
My Zones Activity Sheet
Pencils or pens
Whiteboard/markers
Jack Yeatts
Classroom Guidance 2
1. Introduce your students to the three zones risk taking:
 Zone One- Comfort zone. People feel very comfortable.
Anxiety level is zero. It’s easy to do what you are doing in this
zone, no challenges or worries.
 Zone Two-Challenge zone. People feel some conflict and a
sense that activity might present some problems. Still, people
feel they can succeed at these tasks though it might require
some resourcefulness and hard work. Achievement is sweet in
this zone.
 Zone Three-Panic zone. People feel helpless to accomplish a
task because they are not prepared and don’t have any
experience. They feel they have little chance of succeeding.
Just thinking about the task brings on strong physical and
mental distress-PANIC. Pushing too hard and too fast is not
always best. Can make a person “gun shy” to ever risk again.
Activity:
2. Give students the Christopher Columbus Zones Activity Sheet and
have them identify probable comfort, challenge, and panic zones using
suggestions and their own ideas based on what they are studying in
class. These will be shared orally along with a discussion of how his
risk-taking proved beneficial for progress.
3. Give students My Zones Activity Sheet and have them write down a
few events/tasks (Drawings or visuals for students with written
language challenges is a good accommodation) under the appropriate
zone. Counselor participates also.
4. Mark off squares on the whiteboard for the three zones and label
them Comfort- Challenge - Panic.
4. Students will come to the whiteboard to write their activities in the
proper square. Students will immediately see a pattern of how one
student’s comfort zone causes another student to feel challenged or to
panic. Students will discuss their interpretations and insights.
5. Facilitate discussion about risk-taking and moving beyond one’s
comfort zone. Get student suggestions. Counselor shares a few
appropriate personal examples. Identify the hazards of risk taking and
conclude with identifying rewards that accompany mastered skills and
accomplished tasks.
Jack Yeatts
Christopher
Columbus
Based on what
you’ve learned of
this historical
event, identify the
explorer’s probable
comfort, challenge
and panic zones.
Here are a few
suggestions:





Childhood in
Genoa
First voyage as
a teenager
Mutiny at sea
Near death
experience
near Portugal
Convincing
Queen Isabella
to fund his
New World
voyage
Classroom Guidance 3
Christopher Columbus ZONES
Comfort Zone
Challenge
Zone
Panic Zone
Jack Yeatts
Now identify your
zones of comfort,
challenge, and
panic.
**Remember,
your zones are
UNIQUE






Understand
Name
Identify
Question
Use
Explore
Here are a few
suggestions:







Public
speaking
Sports
Taking big
tests
Planning for
your future
Making new
friends
Moving to
new home
Reading
Classroom Guidance 4
My ZONES
Comfort Zone
Challenge
Zone
Panic Zone
Jack Yeatts
Discussion
Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Classroom Guidance 5
What patterns do you see in the zones?
How do you move from comfort to challenge zones?
How do you move from panic to challenge zones?
Which zone accounts for most of your time and energy? Are you
satisfied there? Why or why not?
Lesson idea adapted from: Quaglia, R. J., & Fox, K. M. (2003). Raising student
aspirations: Classroom activities for Grades 9-12. Champaign, Ill: Research Press