What Am I Feeling?
(Some content borrowed from You Can Choose!)

Standards: Content Standard Social Studies Standard C (Political Science and Citizenship)

            NCSS:

·         Enable learners to examine the rights and responsibilities of the individual in relation to their families, their social groups, their community, and their nation.

            MMSD:

·         Describe different ways of expressing emotions and feelings.

·         Demonstrate confidence in expressing one’s own beliefs and feelings.

            UW Madison Teacher Education:

·         Standard 4: Demonstrates Pedagogical Knowledge in Specific Domains – As an adult who has worked through feelings and emotions I have an understanding of how emotions and feelings affect students lives and how learning to appropriately express them is healthy.

Materials Needed:

·         Marker board or chalk board

·         Markers

·         Poster size paper

·         Dealing With Feelings by Dr. Eric Dlugokinski as a teacher resource

Objectives:

Students will be able to recognize different feelings and emotions that they experience through brainstorming.
Students will be able to differentiate which feelings feel good and which feelings feel bad even though they are all healthy.
Students will be able to formulate different strategies to change the way they are feeling if they do not like it.

Lesson Context:

As a class we have gotten to know one another and we have created a safe space within the classroom and the school.  Students will now feel safe and comfortable to discuss feelings and when they feel vulnerable or hurt or happy and how they deal with their emotions.

Lesson Opening:

Gather students on the rug to begin a discussion on feelings and emotions.  Ask students what a feeling is.  Their answers should vary and take all of them seriously but be sure to clarify or steer unclear answers in the right direction. 

Procedures:

Explain that all feelings are normal and healthy but there are good feelings and bad feelings.  Draw a happy face on one side of the board and a sad face on the other side and a line down the middle.  Ask students to brainstorm feelings that make them feel good and feelings that make them feel bad.

Ask students what we do if we feel bad.  Are there actions we can take to feel better?  Be sure that the students understand that it is okay to feel different ways and that they can take their time to feel better.  Write down their ideas and then provide them with the steps provided by Dealing With Feelings.
     Step One: ACCEPT your feelings. Say to yourself: "I am sad." "I am frightened." "I am angry." "I am embarrassed." It's all right to have feelings.
     Step Two: RELAX and take "time out" before you act. Take slow deep breaths and relax all the muscles of your body. Pretend you are in a safe place.
     Step Three: THINK about ways to help yourself. Thinking helps you do something smart instead of harming yourself or making things worse.
     Step Four: DO something to help yourself. Maybe it would help to talk to someone, or to do something you enjoy. If it doesn't work, go back to step 3.

Have the students brainstorm different actions for steps 1-4.  Such as what are things to say to accept your feelings, how can you relax, what could you think about, and what should you do.

Create a poster with the four steps and the list of things to do.  Keep it hung up in the classroom all year.

Now it’s time to practice what we have discussed.  Provide a list of how someone might be feeling and how they want to feel instead.  Have the students’ pair up and create a mini skit of how they could go from one feeling to the other.
     I am feeling nervous.  I would like to feel calm.
     I am feeling afraid.  I would like to feel safe.
     I am feeling sad.  I would like to feel happy.
     I am feeling bored.  I would like to feel excited.

Give each group a feeling and some time to come up with the skit.

Closure:

Have each group perform their skit in front of their peers and have a discussion after each one to identify the feelings and if they handled them in a healthy way.

Assessment:

Informal: While students are listing emotions check to see if they know feelings and emotions and if they categorize them as good or bad and how they defend their choice.
Informal: Listen while students come up with ways to feel better when they are having bad feelings.  Can they come up with a healthy way to change their feelings?
Informal: Watch how the students work in pairs and compromise.
Formal: Watch each skit to see if the students demonstrated a healthy and appropriate way to change their feelings.