Your Feelings, Your Superpowers! - Teacher Script

(Slide 1: Your Feelings, Your Superpowers!)

Teacher: Good morning, amazing emotion explorers! Today, we're going on an exciting adventure to discover something truly powerful inside each of us: our feelings! We're going to learn how understanding our feelings can be like having a secret superpower. Isn't that cool?

(Slide 2: What is SEL?)

Teacher: First, let's talk about something called SEL. It stands for Social Emotional Learning. Think of it like a superpower training program for your heart and brain! It helps us learn all about:

• Understanding Yourself: What makes you tick? What are your strengths? What do you feel?
• Understanding Others: How do your friends feel? How can you be a good friend?
• Managing Your Feelings: What do you do when you feel really happy, or really frustrated?
• Making Good Choices: How do your feelings help you decide what to do?
• Building Friendships: How can you use your SEL superpowers to connect with others?

Today, we're going to focus on the first part: understanding our feelings!

(Slide 3: How Do You Feel Right Now?)

Teacher: Let's start with a quick check-in. Without saying a word, I want everyone to take a moment and think: How are you feeling right now? Are you feeling excited, a little tired, happy, calm? Just notice it. It's perfectly okay to feel any emotion, big or small. In our Warm Up: How Do You Feel? activity, we talked about this. Does anyone want to share one word or an emoji that describes how they're feeling? [Pause for a few student responses. Validate all feelings.]

(Slide 4: Emotions are Like Superpowers!)

Teacher: That's great! Now, here's a big idea: your feelings are not just random things that happen. They are like special messages, or even superpowers, that your brain and body send you! They tell you important things about what's going on around you and inside you. For example, if you feel happy, it might be a message that something good is happening. If you feel scared, it might be a message that you need to be careful. Just like superheroes have unique powers, you have emotion superpowers that help you navigate your day!

(Slide 5: Meet Your Superpower Emotions!)

Teacher: Let's meet some of our main emotion superpowers. We all experience these!

• Happy: This is when you feel joyful, excited, or cheerful! What makes you feel happy? [Pause for a few responses.]
• Sad: This is when you feel down, gloomy, or disappointed. It's okay to feel sad sometimes. What might make someone feel sad? [Pause for responses.]
• Angry: This is when you feel frustrated, annoyed, or mad. It's a strong emotion! What might make someone feel angry? [Pause for responses.]
• Scared: This is when you feel frightened, nervous, or worried. Our bodies try to protect us when we feel scared. What might make someone feel scared? [Pause for responses.]

These are just a few, and there are many more! We also have a great Reading: The Emotion Explorer's Guide that talks more about these.

(Slide 6: Where Do Feelings Live?)

Teacher: Has anyone ever noticed that feelings don't just stay in your head? They actually live in your body too! When you're happy, maybe your chest feels light and breezy. When you're angry, maybe your fists clench or your face gets hot. When you're scared, perhaps your tummy feels fluttery!

Let's try a quick activity. Close your eyes for a moment if you feel comfortable. Think about a time you felt really happy. Where did you feel that in your body? Now, think about a time you felt a little worried. Where did that feeling show up? [Allow students to reflect. Ask for a few volunteers to share where they feel specific emotions.]

We'll explore this more with our Activity: Emotion Charades right after this!

(Slide 7: Your Emotion Toolkit)

Teacher: Sometimes, our feelings can feel really big, like a storm inside us. When that happens, it's super helpful to have an Emotion Toolkit. This isn't a physical box of tools, but a collection of strategies and things you can do to help yourself feel calm and more in control.

What are some things you already do when you feel a big emotion, like anger or sadness? [Encourage students to share strategies like taking deep breaths, counting, talking to an adult, drawing, listening to music. Briefly discuss the Worksheet: My Emotion Toolkit where they will add more ideas.]

(Slide 8: Superpower Summary!)

Teacher: Wow, what an amazing journey into our feelings today! Let's quickly recap what we discovered about our emotion superpowers:

• Our emotions are important messages that tell us about ourselves and the world.
• It's okay to feel all kinds of feelings – happy, sad, angry, scared, and everything in between.
• We can learn to understand and manage our emotions using our special Emotion Toolkit.

Keep practicing using your emotion superpowers every day! Remember to pay attention to how you and others are feeling. We'll continue to build on these skills with our Project Guide: My Emotion Superpower Shield and other activities. Now, let's wrap up with our Cool Down: One Word Wonder!

My Emotion Toolkit

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Part 1: How Do I Feel?

Draw a face or write an emotion word for each situation.

1. You just received a wonderful surprise!
   
   
   

2. Your favorite toy broke.
   
   
   

3. Someone took your turn without asking.
   
   
   

4. You are about to give a presentation in front of the class.
   
   
   

5. You just finished a really fun game with your friends.
   
   
   

Part 2: Where Do Feelings Live?

Think about these emotions. Where do you feel them in your body? Draw or write in the box.

Happy

Sad

Angry

Scared

Part 3: What Can I Do?

When you feel a strong emotion, what are 3 things you can do to help yourself? These are your emotion superpowers!

1. ______________________________________________________
   
   
   

2. ______________________________________________________
   
   
   

3. ______________________________________________________
   
   
   

The Emotion Explorer's Guide

Hello, brave Emotion Explorer! Your feelings are like a secret map inside you, guiding you through your day. Let's learn to read this map!

What Are Emotions?

Emotions are special signals from your brain and body. They tell you how you are reacting to things happening around you. Every human experiences emotions, and it’s completely normal to feel a lot of different ones, sometimes even all in one day!

Meet Some Common Emotions:

Joyful Jumps (Happy!)

When you feel happy, it’s like a sunbeam shining inside you! You might feel light, smiley, and full of energy. Your cheeks might lift, and you might even want to laugh or jump. Happy feelings often come when good things happen, like playing with friends, getting a compliment, or eating your favorite treat.

Teary Tides (Sad!)

Sadness can feel like a big, soft cloud settling over you. You might feel quiet, a bit heavy, or like you want to cry. Your eyes might get watery, and you might feel a little tired. Sad feelings can come when you miss someone, something doesn't go your way, or you feel disappointed.

Fiery Fists (Angry!)

When you feel angry, it can be like a fire sparking inside you! Your face might feel hot, your muscles might tense up, and you might want to shout or stomp your feet. You might feel frustrated, annoyed, or mad. Angry feelings can happen when things are unfair, you feel misunderstood, or someone breaks a rule.

Fluttery Fright (Scared!)

Scared feelings can make your body feel all fluttery, like butterflies in your tummy! Your heart might beat a little faster, and you might feel like you want to hide or run away. You might feel nervous, worried, or even a little shaky. Scared feelings often come when you face something new, unexpected, or something that feels dangerous.

Calm Currents (Peaceful!)

Calm is a wonderful feeling, like a gentle, smooth stream. Your body feels relaxed, your breathing is slow, and your mind feels clear. You might feel peaceful, content, or comfortable. Calm feelings can happen when you are reading a good book, spending time in nature, or taking deep breaths.

Why Are Emotions Important?

All your feelings are important! They help you understand yourself and the world. Even strong or uncomfortable feelings like anger or sadness are sending you a message. Learning to notice and understand these messages is the first step to becoming an amazing Emotion Explorer!

Sharing Our Superpowers: A Class Discussion

Teacher: Okay, emotion explorers! We've talked about how feelings are like superpowers. Now it's time to share and learn from each other. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to feelings, just different experiences. Let's practice being respectful listeners.

Discussion Guidelines:

• Listen carefully when others are speaking.
• Raise your hand if you want to share.
• Be kind and respectful of everyone's feelings.

Discussion Prompts:

1. What's an emotion superpower you feel often? Can you describe a time you felt that way today or recently? What happened?
   
   
   

2. Think about the different emotions we just learned about (happy, sad, angry, scared). Does anyone want to share where they usually feel happiness in their body? What about sadness? Anger? Fear? (For example: 'When I feel excited, I feel it in my chest like my heart is doing a little dance!')
   
   
   

3. Why do you think it's important to understand our own feelings? How does it help us?
   
   
   

4. How can noticing how someone else is feeling (like a friend or a family member) help you? What clues might you look for?
   
   
   

5. Is it always easy to know what you're feeling? Why or why not? What can you do if you're not sure?
   
   
   

Emotion Charades!

Teacher: Alright, emotion explorers! We've talked about what feelings are and where they live in our bodies. Now, let's have some fun acting them out!

How to Play:

1. Prepare Emotion Slips: The teacher will have small slips of paper with different emotion words written on them (e.g., Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared, Excited, Surprised, Confused, Proud, Shy, Brave).

2. Volunteers: One student will volunteer to come to the front of the class.

3. Pick an Emotion: The volunteer will secretly pick an emotion slip. They should not show or tell anyone what emotion they have.

4. Act it Out: The student will then act out the emotion using only their body and facial expressions – no talking or making sounds! Think about what that emotion looks like and how it feels in your body.

5. Guess the Emotion: The rest of the class will watch carefully and try to guess what emotion the student is acting out. Students should raise their hand to guess.

6. Discuss and Affirm: Once the emotion is correctly guessed, the teacher can ask:

   • "What clues did you see in their face or body that helped you guess?"
   • "How might someone feel when they are experiencing that emotion?"

7. Take Turns: Continue with new volunteers and different emotion slips as time allows. Ensure everyone who wants to participate gets a chance.

Teacher: Great job, everyone! This helps us practice noticing how others might be feeling, which is a super important SEL superpower!

Emotion Match-Up Memory Game

Teacher: Ready to put your emotion detective skills to the test with a fun memory game?

How to Play:

1. Prepare Cards: Create pairs of cards. One card in the pair will have an emotion word (e.g., "Happy," "Sad," "Angry"), and the other card will have a picture or emoji representing that emotion. You'll need at least 5-6 pairs for a good game.

2. Layout: Shuffle all the cards and lay them face down in a grid on a table or on the floor (e.g., 4 rows of 3 cards each).

3. Taking Turns: Students will take turns flipping over two cards. The goal is to find a matching pair (an emotion word and its corresponding picture/emoji).

4. Match or No Match?

   • If the two cards match, the student keeps the pair and gets another turn.
   • If the two cards do not match, the student flips them back over in their original spots. It's the next student's turn.

5. Remember! Encourage students to try and remember where different emotion words and pictures are located to help them make matches on future turns.

6. Winning the Game: The game ends when all the pairs have been found. The student with the most pairs wins!

Teacher: This game helps us quickly recognize and remember our emotion superpowers! Good luck, emotion detectives!

Emotion Check-In and Test Answer Key

Emotion Check-In Quiz Answers

1. Which emotion might you feel if you just found out you're going to your favorite amusement park?

   • Correct Answer: Excited
   • Thought Process: Going to an amusement park is typically a thrilling and anticipated event, leading to feelings of excitement and joy.

2. Name two different emotions you might feel during a school day.

   • Correct Answer: (Open Response - Examples include: Happy, Sad, Tired, Bored, Excited, Frustrated, Curious, Calm, etc.)
   • Thought Process: Students experience a wide range of emotions throughout a school day based on activities, interactions, and learning experiences. Accept any two valid emotion words.

3. If your friend looks like they are frowning and their shoulders are slumped, what emotion might they be feeling?

   • Correct Answer: Sad
   • Thought Process: Frowning and slumped shoulders are common physical expressions associated with sadness or disappointment.

4. Describe a time you felt a strong emotion and what your body felt like. (e.g., When I was angry, my face felt hot.)

   • Correct Answer: (Open Response - Students should provide an emotion and a corresponding physical sensation they experienced. Examples might include: 'When I felt scared, my tummy felt like butterflies' or 'When I felt excited, I had a lot of energy and wanted to jump.')
   • Thought Process: This question encourages self-reflection on interoception (awareness of internal bodily states) and linking physical sensations to emotional experiences.

5. Which of these is a good strategy to use when you feel a big, overwhelming emotion?

   • Correct Answer: Take a few deep breaths
   • Thought Process: Deep breathing is a widely recognized and effective calming strategy that helps regulate the nervous system and manage intense emotions. Shouting, ignoring, or hitting are not constructive coping mechanisms.

Emotion Understanding Test Answers

1. What does SEL stand for?

   • Correct Answer: Social Emotional Learning
   • Thought Process: This is a direct recall question about the acronym introduced at the beginning of the lesson.

2. Why are emotions important? Give one reason.

   • Correct Answer: (Open Response - Examples include: They give us messages, they help us understand ourselves, they help us understand others, they help us make good choices.)
   • Thought Process: Emotions serve as vital information systems, providing insights into our internal states and external environment.

3. If your stomach feels fluttery and your heart is beating fast, which emotion might you be feeling?

   • Correct Answer: Scared
   • Thought Process: These are common physiological responses associated with fear or anxiety.

4. Name three different things you can do when you feel a strong angry emotion.

   • Correct Answer: (Open Response - Examples include: Take deep breaths, count to ten, talk to a trusted adult, draw, listen to music, take a break, go for a walk, squeeze a stress ball.)
   • Thought Process: This assesses students' ability to recall and apply coping strategies discussed in the 'Emotion Toolkit' section.

5. Which of these is NOT a common emotion discussed in class?

   • Correct Answer: Geometry
   • Thought Process: Joy, sadness, and annoyance are all emotions. Geometry is a subject in mathematics, not an emotion. This question tests the ability to distinguish emotions from non-emotions.

6. Describe a time you felt really proud. What did it feel like in your body, and what made you feel that way?

   • Correct Answer: (Open Response - Students should describe a personal experience, including the emotion of pride, how it manifested physically, and the situation that caused it. Example: 'I felt proud when I finished a challenging puzzle. My chest felt warm and strong, and I had a big smile on my face.')
   • Thought Process: This encourages deeper personal reflection and connection between emotional experience, bodily sensation, and context.

7. What is an 'Emotion Toolkit'?

   • Correct Answer: A collection of strategies to help manage emotions
   • Thought Process: This directly assesses understanding of the key concept of the 'Emotion Toolkit' as discussed in the lesson.

8. Why is it important to try and understand how your classmates are feeling?

   • Correct Answer: (Open Response - Examples include: To be a good friend, to know how to help them, to avoid upsetting them, to play together better, to build better relationships.)
   • Thought Process: This question delves into empathy and the social aspects of emotional intelligence, highlighting the importance of understanding others' feelings for positive social interactions.

Project Guide: My Emotion Superpower Shield

Teacher: Now that we've explored our emotion superpowers, you get to create your very own Emotion Superpower Shield! This shield will represent your understanding of different emotions and the tools you use to manage them.

Project Goal:

To create a visual representation of your emotion superpowers and personal strategies for handling strong feelings.

What You Will Do:

1. Design Your Shield Shape: On a piece of paper or cardboard, draw a shield shape. It can be any shape you like! This is your personal shield.

2. Choose Your Core Emotions: Pick 3-4 emotions that you feel most often or that you want to focus on. These are your main emotion superpowers.

3. Represent Each Emotion: For each chosen emotion, dedicate a section of your shield. In that section:

   • Draw a picture, symbol, or use colors to represent the emotion.
   • Write the name of the emotion clearly.
   • Write one sentence describing how that emotion feels in your body.

4. Add Your Toolkit Strategies: In a central or prominent part of your shield, add your personal 'Emotion Toolkit' strategies. These are the 2-3 things you do when you feel a big or challenging emotion. You can draw small symbols for each strategy or write short phrases (e.g., 'Deep Breaths,' 'Talk to an Adult,' 'Count to 10').

5. Decorate Your Shield: Make your shield colorful and creative! Use crayons, markers, colored pencils, or even cut-out shapes. Make it truly represent you!

Presentation:

• Be ready to share your Emotion Superpower Shield with a small group or the class.
• Explain why you chose your emotions and how you represented them.
• Share one or two strategies from your Emotion Toolkit and why they help you.

Materials You Might Need:

• Paper or cardboard
• Crayons, markers, colored pencils
• Scissors (optional)
• Glue (optional)

Teacher: Your Emotion Superpower Shield will be a reminder of how powerful you are in understanding and managing your feelings! Have fun being creative!

Emotion Superpower Shield Rubric

Project: My Emotion Superpower Shield

Student Name: ________________________

Total Score: ________ / 16

Teacher Comments:

Warm Up: How Do You Feel?

Teacher: Good morning, everyone! Before we start our exciting lesson, let's take a moment to check in with ourselves.

Instructions:

1. Silent Reflection: Take a deep breath. Close your eyes for a moment if you feel comfortable. Think about how you are feeling right now.

2. Choose a Word or Emoji: Silently choose one word (like happy, calm, tired, excited, curious, sleepy, worried) or imagine an emoji that best describes your feeling in this exact moment.

3. Share (Optional): I will call on a few volunteers to share their word or emoji with the class. Remember, there are no right or wrong feelings! All feelings are okay.

Teacher: This quick check-in helps us notice what's going on inside us, which is the first step to understanding our amazing emotion superpowers!

Cool Down: One Word Wonder

Teacher: Amazing work today, emotion explorers! We've learned so much about our feelings and how they can be our superpowers. To wrap up, let's do a quick 'One Word Wonder' exit ticket.

Instructions:

1. Reflect: Think about everything we discussed and learned today about emotions and SEL.

2. One Word: On a sticky note or a small piece of paper, write down ONE WORD that describes:

   • Something new you learned today about emotions.
   • How you feel about learning about your emotions.
   • One emotion superpower you're excited to practice.

3. Share (Optional): As you leave, you can share your word with me or stick it on our 'Emotion Superpower' board.

Teacher: Thank you for being such thoughtful and brave emotion explorers today! See you next time!