SUPPORTING EMOTIONAL LITERACY IN YOUNG CHILDRENTargeted Social Emotional Supports

Beth VorhausMelissa Binkley

Adapted by Team Tennessee from Iowa Train-Coach-Train, Spring 2011 & CSEFEL Pyramid Model Training

The Pyramid Model

Pyramid Model

PROMOTION

PREVENTION →

INTERVENTION →

←

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…….....

…….teach? ……punish?

Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”

Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)

What is Emotional Literacy?

Emotional literacy is the ability to identify,

understand, and express emotions in a

healthy way.

Why is Emotional Literacy Important?

Children with emotional literacy skills…• tolerate frustration better• get into fewer fights• engage in less destructive behavior• are healthier• are less lonely• are less impulsive• are more focused• have greater academic

achievement

Activity: Emotion Words

What emotion or feeling words are important to teach young children?

How Can I Intentionally Teach Emotional Literacy?

• Indirect Teaching • Discussion• Checking In

• Direct Teaching • Songs & Games• Feelings Dice/Wheel• Creative Play Activities

• Children’s Literature• Book Nooks

Discussion: There’s No Time!“I don’t have time to teach

all of these things. I’m already busy teaching

literacy, science, health, math and completing portfolios, and other

assessments!”

Indirect Teaching

• Provide emotional labels as children experience various affective states

• “Tamika and Tanya seem really happy to be playing together! They keep hugging each other!”

Video: Indirect Teaching

Discussion“How Would You Feel If…”

• Discuss typical situations that happen when children are together.• Jeremy wanted to play ball with Katie and Wu-Ying today, but they

wouldn’t let him. How do you think that made him feel? How do you think you would feel if that happened to you? What could Jeremy try next time?

“One time I…”• Ask children to tell about a time the experienced a particular

emotion.• What made them feel this way?• Did anything happen to make them change how they felt?

Checking In

Teachers and children can “check in” each morning by choosing a feeling face that best describes their affective state and putting it next to their name. Children can be encouraged to change their feeling faces throughout the day as their feelings change.

“Checking In” with Direct Instruction

Planned activities or opportunities for children to increase their emotional vocabulary.

Direct Teaching

Activity: Direct Teaching PracticeHow could you use these pictures to teach emotional literacy?

How Do I Feel?

Feelings Center

Feelings Bulletin Board

Songs

Piggy-Back Songs• Use existing song and create new “feelings” lyrics• Example: “If you’re happy and you know it”

• If you’re sad & you know it, cry a tear: “Boo-hoo”• If you’re mad & you know it, use your words: “I’m mad”• If you’re scared & you know it ask for help: “Help me”• If you’re happy & you know it,

hug a friend• If you’re tired and you know it,

give a yawn

Games• Charades• Bingo• Purchased Games

Emotions Memory Game

Feeling Faces Flashcards

Emotion Charades

Make a _____ face.

Emotion Bingo

Feeling Dice/Feeling Wheel

Video: Using Feeling Dice

Examples:Creative Play Activities

• Taming a Scary Puppet

• Life-Size

• Rice Cake Faces

• A Sign of Growing

From Mister Rogers Parenting Resource Book, Fred Rogers (2005)

Taming a Scary Puppet• Using a paper bag and construction paper, allow child to

make a puppet.

• Talk about what would make the puppet look scary. Talk about things that are scary.

• When the puppet is finished, talk with the puppet and find ways to “tame” it so it isn’t so scary – maybe the puppet is scary because it is mad or sad about something.

• Create a story about the puppet and help it to become less scary.

Life-Size• Tape sheets of newspaper together (large enough for a child to lie on). Draw the outline of the child and cut it out.

• The child can fill the outline with pictures of feeling faces and scenes of what makes them feel this way• For example, happy faces with a picture of the child

eating ice cream

Rice Cake Faces

• Spread a rice cake with peanut butter, cream cheese, or jelly (the foundation for the face)

• Discuss what kind of feeling face the child will make. Use raisins, apple slices, banana slices, etc. decorate the faces to reflect the feelings.

• Discuss what makes the child feel happy, sad, surprised, scared, angry, etc.

A Sign of Growing

• Each month, put a new 11”x17” sheet of paper at child height on the wall.

• Mark important social emotional accomplishments on each chart with the date• Example: shared with a

friend, took turns, said “I’m mad” instead of hitting, solved a problem without a teacher

Video: Happy, Sad, Mad, Scared

Children’s Literature

Video: Emotions Book

On Monday When

it Rained

Glad MonsterSad Monster

Hands Are Not for Hitting

Book Nooks

Handout 2

Book Nook Activity

“I feel excited when I get to go to my friend Coby’s house to play.”

“I feet upset when my mommy didn’t get me anything.”

Discussion: Missing Resources?“I don’t have any social

emotional books, games or songs. I need all of my

planning time to take care of regular classroom activities

– I can’t spend it making things for these extra

activities.”

Skill Building: EmpathyIdentifying Feelings in Self & Others

Learning words for different feelingsEmpathy training Learning to recognize how someone else is feeling

• Facial cues• Body language• Tone of voice• Situational cues

Learning how to control anger, relax, and calm down

.

Teaching Empathy

Empathy is the identification with and understanding of another’s feelings and situation.

• Model empathy

• “Alike” & “different” activities

• Draw children’s attention to how others are feeling

• Role plays and role reversals

• Reinforce empathy behaviors

The Big Picture:Supporting Emotional Literacy in Your Classroom

We often make assumptions about children’s Social Emotional Learning. These skills need to be taught intentionally!

Emotional Literacy paves the way for friendships skills, anger management, and problem solving.

• Read books about feelings, Make them available in the story center

• Post photos of people in which various emotions are displayed

• Label your own feelings

• Notice and label children’s feelings

• Plan activities to teach and reinforce emotional literacy

• Reinforce children for using feeling words

• Make daily efforts

www.csefel.vanderbilt.eduwww.teamtn.tnvoices.org

www.challengingbehavior.org

Questions?