Goal: To improve skills for expressing feelings
Objective(s): The student will express feelings appropriately.
Process Steps:
1. Stop and think of how you feel.
2. Decide what it is you are feeling.
3. Think about your choices:a. Say to the person, " I feel".
b. Walk away for now.
c. Act out your best choice.
Discuss
Definition: What are the 6 basic feelings (review mad,
sad, glad, scared, surprise, love). A feeling is the way your
body reacts to something that happens in your life.
What is a feeling? (i.e. the way your body reacts to something
that happened).
What is glad? (to feel good)
What is mad? (to feel mad)
What is scared? (to feel frightened or scared)
What is love? (to care about something or someone, to show
fondness).
What is surprise? (a feeling when something unexpected happens)
Rationale: Why do you feel? (i.e. humans have emotions and feelings in response to things that happen in their environment). Why do we express feelings? (i.e. it makes us feel better, it lets other people know how we feel). Nobody can guess what you are feeling. Body language may not indicate true feelings or is difficult to read on some people.
Where/When/Comments:
• You can learn to take good care of yourself by letting
people know when you are
scared, mad, sad, glad. You need to first identify what you are
feeling, what made you feel that way and what your choices are.
Feelings are our indicators that something is happening in your
world. Listen to them, then think and express them if it is the
best choice.
• When do you express feelings? (at all times).
• When do you express feelings? (only in acceptable ways at
appropriate times).
• When do you feel glad? (i.e. when you get what you want,
when someone says they like you).
• When do you feel sad? (i.e. when someone dies, when your
parents punish you).
• When do you feel mad? (i.e. when someone calls you a name,
when someone pushes you).
• When do you feel scared? (i.e. when you hear noises, when
you watch a horror movie).
• When do you feel surprise? (i.e. when you walk into your
surprise party, when you get an unexpected gift).
• When do you feel love? (i.e. when your mom hugs you, when
your dog lays his head on your lap).
Activities for Teaching Express Feelings/Emotions Appropriately
Set stage:
• Read a few Hallmark cards, appropriate to student's age.
Discuss what feeling the
card is expressing, why you might send the card etc.
Model/Role-play with Feedback
Role play situations:
• You are short-changed at McDonalds.
• You move to a new school.
• You leave your lunch on the bus.
• You go home to an empty house.
• Play board game: Students color index cards labeled with 6
feelings. Throughout the day they put appropriate card on the
desk.
• You raise your hand but don't think your answer is right..
• Your parents won't let you watch TV.
• Someone calls you a name.
• Review 6 feelings and identify personal cues.
• Have students keep a diary revealing their feelings.
• Honesty training - throughout day students reveal "I
am feeling ".
• Teacher models this throughout year by appropriately
expressing her emotions. Be honest about your feelings; students
will respect that honesty.
• Learn sign language for simple "I feel
statements".
• Brainstorm non-verbal ways to express (giving a hug or
gift, walking away when angry).
Application with Feedback
• On bottom of assignments, students write how they feel
about that particular assignment.
• Each student writes scenarios where he would like to tell
someone he is angry (Mom grounds you, friend wins an award,
etc.). Drop them in hat, when student draws them out, they
correctly label feeling and express it appropriately. ( Special
School District, 1989 p 160)
• Each student makes a desk chart and sets pointer to
indicate current feelings.
• Students carry "log" around (index card) etc.
When they express emotion to someone, that persons signs the card
noting the circumstances. When card is full, it can be redeemed
for some reward.
Social Skills Curriculum Guide, 1992
Special School District of St. Louis County