Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

Positive Behavior Support Module V

Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

1. Can the child identify or label the emotions he/she is experiencing?

2. Does the child understand why he/she feels that way?

3. Does the child respond in a socially appropriate way to that emotion?

Emotional literacy involves a hierarchy of skills.

Possible discussion prompts:

How do you think that person feels? Identify

Why do you think they feel that way? Understand

Have you ever felt that way? Identify

What did you do? Respond

 

 

Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

Discuss literature, photographs, pictures, and posters that portray people in various emotional states to provide children with an opportunity to identify and label their own emotional state.

Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

By validating feelings, we allow children to feel understood so that they can calm themselves. This puts children in a state that will allow them to seek out solutions.

Validating feelings does not mean approval of the way in which the child expressed the feeling. Offer the child more acceptable ways of expressing his/her feelings.

Use validation, acknowledgment, mirroring back, labeling feelings, voice tones, or gestures to show an understanding of children’s feelings.

Role play or use puppets to act out scenarios where children express emotions appropriately and inappropriately. Link both expressions with its’ resulting social consequence.

Possible Prompts: How do you think that makes the other person feel? What do you think will happen next time?

Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

Use opportunities to comment on occasions when children state they are feeling upset or angry but are remaining calm. Teach that all emotions are okay, but not all expressions of those emotions are okay.

Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

Play games using emotion cards. Be sure that students identify the emotion and an appropriate response to that emotions.

Bingo – Teacher acts out the emotion.

Charades – Students act out the emotion.

Emotion Cube – One student rolls the cube and the

whole class acts out the emotion.

Label own emotional states and provide an action statement. (e.g., I am feeling frustrated so I better take some deep breaths and calm down).

Emotional LiteracySelf Awareness

Don’t forget about T.E.D.Temperament

Environment

Development

T.E.D. must be considered when planning social-emotional instruction. One size does not fit all. As with any other skill, some children will need a variety of support for their learning while others will be quite proficient with little instruction.

Pre-K GuidelinesSocial and Emotional Development Domain

B. Self Control

2. Emotional Control

a. begins to understand difference and

connection between feelings and

behaviors

b. is aware of own feelings

c. is able to increase or decrease intensity of

emotions more consistently, although adult

guidance is sometimes necessary

Self Reflection and Action Plan

Home Connection