In order to choose effective strategies for managing particular emotions, students need to be able to accurately identify how they are feeling in a particular situation. To identify how they are feeling, they need to have the vocabulary express it and to differentiate between emotions, such as the difference between feeling “sad” and feeling “disappointed”. Explicitly teaching emotions vocabulary can be an effective for building self awareness.
Roleplay
Recommended for grades K-12
Put students into groups of 2 or 3 and have them draw from a list of emotions that are commonly experienced in their age group. In their groups, students will discuss situations that have caused them to feel that emotion and what strategies have helped them manage that emotion when they experienced it. Then each group will create a short skit that they will present to the class and have the class guess the emotion they dramatized. That group will also lead the class in a discussion of strategies to help manage that emotion in that particular situation, and share any strategies they discussed in their smaller groups. Create a class resource or vocabulary wall using the learning from the activity. |
Concept Attainment
Recommended for grades 9-12
Put students in groups of two and give each pair cut outs with each listing a different emotion. Then have each pair make a chart with one column titled “Basic Emotion” and another titled “Dyad”. Explain that a “Dyad” is an emotion that is a combination of two or more basic emotions”. Then provide an example that is not in the cut out. For example, “fear” is a basic emotion whereas “stress” is a dyad.
Put students in groups of two and give each pair cut outs with each listing a different emotion. Then have each pair make a chart with one column titled “Basic Emotion” and another titled “Dyad”. Explain that a “Dyad” is an emotion that is a combination of two or more basic emotions”. Then provide an example that is not in the cut out. For example, “fear” is a basic emotion whereas “stress” is a dyad.
Ask students what basic emotions create the feeling of stress (ie.fear, frustration, etc.) One you have practiced the example with the class, have the pairs sort the cutouts using the chart. For each emotion they place under “Dyad”, ask students to also write down the basic emotions that create it. Afterwards, take up the activity as a class, putting an asterisk next to any emotions that the class had different answers for and discuss why that is the case.
Then, display or distribute Robert Plutchik’s Psychoevolutionary Theory of Basic Emotions and have students compare their responses with the diagram. Discuss the diagram with the students, including emotions that is left out of Plutchik’s diagram and where they would add it. It is suggested that teachers consult the diagram beforehand when preparing for this activity. |