FIRST YEAR
WORKSHOP 1: WHAT ARE EMOTIONS?

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING CATEGORY

Self-Awareness

PURPOSE

• Identifying Emotions
• Accurate Self-Perception

OBJECTIVE

Goal: By comparing emotions to weather, students learn that emotions, like the weather, are constantly changing.

After the class watches a video using weather as a metaphor for emotions, students document how their emotions change by responding to weather prompts. Students will demonstrate understanding by creating drawings that compare changeable weather to changeable emotions.

MATERIALS

Classroom Equipment

• Technical set-up (Internet connection, white board, projector and space to project)
• Board, chalk or paper and marker to chart student answers
• Crayons, pencils, tape, glue
• Blank 8.5x11 white paper

Emotional ABCs Program

Online Resources

• Video Clip #1 - You Know a lot of Feelings Already Path: Top Tabs > Lesson List > Unit 1, Lesson1, Video: You Know A Lot Of Feelings Already
• Video Clip #2 - Feelings are Like the Weather Path: Top Tabs > Video > Video #2
• Video Clip #3 - It’s OK to have Feelings Path: Top Tabs > Video > Video #3

PDFs

• 6 Weather Pictures PDF
• Self-Reflection #1 w/Weather Pg PDF
• Full Workshop #1 PDF [Printable version of Overview and Workshop Instructions]

CONNECTIONS

May connect to these Common Core Standards & National Arts Standards:

WARM-UP

• Introduce Topic: Play Video #1 - You Know a Lot of Feelings Already Path: Top Tabs > Lesson List > Unit 1, Lesson1, Video: You Know A Lot Of Feelings Already
• Evaluate Current Knowledge: Ask students to recall any emotion words from the video and to add any other emotion words they know. (You are establishing current vocabulary knowledge of emotional words.)
• Chart Answers

MINI-LESSON

• Teaching Point: "I can see from the chart that you already know a lot about emotions and have many words to describe how you feel. We all have feelings, all the time, and they change, just like the weather. Feelings are how we respond to what is happening to us."
• Reiterate Teaching Point: Play Video #2 - Feelings are Like the Weather. Path: Top Tabs > Video > #2 Feelings are Like the Weather

ACTIVITY

• Vote With Your Feet: Activity uses weather as a metaphor for emotions. Display the 6 Weather Pictures PDFs in different areas of the room. Students will be moving to them in response to prompts: "How would you feel if..." Students will evaluate their personal responses to situations. Use a timeline of a ‘typical’ day as a source of scenarios.

SHARE-OUT

• Discuss Vote With Your Feet Experience
• Review basic concepts about emotions, i.e., feelings are a natural, human response to events: Play Video #3 - It’s OK to Have Feelings. Path: Top Tabs > Video > #3 It’s OK to Have Feelings
• Summarize Lesson: "Feelings are how we respond to things that happen to us. Like the weather, they come and go. Sometimes they are intense, and it is OK to have feelings, even strong ones."

SELF-REFLECTION

• Print individual Self-Reflection #1 w/Weather Page PDF for each student.
• Students use Self-Reflection #1 to demonstrate understanding that emotions, like weather, change.

TEACHING TOOL: Tech-Video, Charting

GOAL: Teacher identifies classroom baseline knowledge about emotions and emotional vocabulary.

PREPARATION

• Locate Video #1 - You Know a Lot of Feelings Already Path: Top Tabs > Lesson List > Unit 1, Lesson1, Video: You Know A Lot Of Feelings Already

TEACHER DOES

1. Play Video #1 - You Know a Lot of Feelings Already Path: Top Tabs > Lesson List > Unit 1, Lesson1, Video: You Know A Lot Of Feelings Already
2. Replay video, cueing students to listen for any emotions that are mentioned.

TEACHER SAYS

"Let’s list emotion words that we know."

TEACHER DOES

Chart students’ responses. Expand the students’ use of vocabulary. For example, if a student says, "Mad," elicit more complex synonyms. (Frustrated, Annoyed, Furious, etc.) Write these additional words underneath Mad. (Chart other emotion words and their synonyms in similar groupings.)

TEACHING TOOL: Tech-Video, Demonstrate

GOAL: Students notice that their emotions, like the weather, change often.

PREPARATION

• Locate Video #2 - Feelings are Like the Weather Path: Top Tabs > Video > #2 Feelings are Like the Weather
• You are creating a general introduction to emotions.

TEACHING POINT

"I can see from the chart that you already know a lot about emotions and have many words to describe how you feel. We all have feelings, all the time, and they change all the time, just like the weather. Feelings are how we respond to what is happening to us."

MODEL

"Let’s watch Video #2 - Feelings are Like the Weather." Path: Top Tabs > Video > #2 Feelings are Like the Weather

FACILITATE STUDENT TO STUDENT INTERACTION

• Divide students into pairs.
• Tell the class, "Talk with your partner about a time when you had a feeling, and then you noticed that the feeling changed. Use vocabulary words from our chart if you can."
• Ex: "Here is an example: I felt FRUSTRATED when I could not find my teaching roster, but then I saw it on the floor under my desk, and I began to feel CALM."

RESTATE TEACHING POINT + STUDENT VOICES

TEACHER SAYS

Ex: "Who wants to share what they heard their partner say?" (Take a few responses)

Reiterate: "Emotions are how we respond to what is happening to us, and they change all the time, just like the weather."

TEACHING TOOL: Vote with Your Feet

GOAL: Students become aware that their emotions change often. Students imagine typical daily events and use weather as a metaphor to represent their changing emotions.

PREPARATION

• Put the 6 Weather Pictures PDFs up in different areas of the room. Students will be moving to them.
• You will be asking a series of questions that will cue students to move to the various weather pictures. Option: Use your own questions, or see below for a series of questions based on hypothetical events in a typical school day.

TEACHER DOES

Optional: Briefly discuss each weather picture before the activity begin.

TEACHER SAYS

"Look at the weather pictures around the room and think about the weather in each one. I will be telling you some short stories called Scenarios. Imagine how the situation might make you feel then walk to the weather picture that matches your emotion. It is OK if you feel differently than your friends. There may be many different choices. There are no wrong answers."

TEACHER SAYS: (repeat opening phrase for each event)

"Walk to the weather picture that shows how you might feel if...

• you are running late to school."
• you know the answer to the math question in class."
• someone cuts in front of you in the lunch line."
• the cafeteria runs out of your favorite food."
• you get to play with your friends after school."
• you see a big dog coming in your direction."
• you see that the big dog is with its owner and on a leash."

TEACHER OBSERVATION

Comment on your class choices.

TEACHING TOOL: Targeted Share - Individual Voices leads to Group Discussion

GOAL: Students review the concept that emotions are constantly changing, like the weather, and that it is OK to have emotions.

PREPARATION

• Locate Video #3 - It’s OK to Have Feelings. Path: Top Tabs > Video > #3 It’s OK to Have Feelings

TEACHER SAYS

"We’ve learned that emotions are like the weather, they come and go, they change. Emotions are how we respond to what is happening to us."

Example Questions:

"Does anyone want to share how their emotions changed throughout the scenarios?"

"How many weather pictures did you choose?"

"Was anyone surprised by how many different emotions they experience in a typical day?"

"Why would different people choose different weather pictures for the same question?"

TEACHER DOES

Play Video #3 - It’s OK to Have Feelings. Path: Top Tabs > Video > #3 It’s OK to Have Feelings

TEACHING TOOL: Self Reflection/My Thoughts

GOAL: Students are able to draw/write a story that connects their changing emotions to changing weather.

PREPARATION

• Print individual Self-Reflection #1 w/ Weather Page PDF pages for each student.
• Create your own Self-Reflection #1 to use as a model if needed.

TEACHER SAYS (Options)

Option 1: "Tell a story about a time when your emotions changed. Cut out 2 or more weather pictures, and then attach them to your Self-Reflection page to help tell your story. Add emotion words."

Option 2: "Using the Weather Page, play Connect the Weather. Draw a line from one weather picture to another weather picture to show a timeline of how your emotions changed throughout the day. Give an emotion word, what you were doing, or time of day to any weather you use. You don’t have to use all of the weathers."