1. Y10 Wellbeing Program: Emotional Literacy Overview Sheet For Teachers Only
Learning Intention
Success Criteria
To answer the following questions:
What is emotional literacy?
Why is it so important to become emotionally literate?
How do emotions manifest themselves?
By the end of the session:
Any student can give one new word to describe an emotion
All students have tried ‘floor breathing’
Most students report back positive verbal feedback about identifying negative emotional states in the future
Some students independently identify the physical ‘base’ of emotional states in their body
Before this lesson begins:
You will need some marker pens and sheets of A1 sugar paper (or other large sheets)
Ask students to move tables to the edges of the room and make a circle or semicircle of chairs. They will need their Wellbeing Logs and a pen or pencil
URLs for the clips used (in case the links don’t work):
Slides 3 and 8:
Slide 4:
Please send any feedback, questions, comments or complaints to us! It would be great to know what you find.
Thank you.

2. Make Me Mindful Y10 Wellbeing Program
Emotional Literacy
Lesson Objectives:
Can you find a still place from which to see the physical base of your emotions?
Why is emotional literacy so powerful?

3. How Emotionally Literate are You?
Click on the words to see how emotionally literate you are
Write down a word to describe the emotion you think each face is showing
ST: (10-15mins) The idea here is that you will show the class the clip now and then again at the end of the session. The intention is that students will find that they use an increased number of words the second time round. Don’t tell them they’re going to see the clip again yet!
Words to be written in their Wellbeing logs
Feel free to take some feedback at this stage if you like but don’t hint to counting the number of different words they’ve used at this stage
Try it yourself if you like – some are quite interesting!

4. So What IS an Emotion?
Emotions are psychological (mind) and physiological (body) states that link you NOW into PAST feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.
They have the power to affect your current behaviour.
They are experienced from the individual point of view.
Some last a few seconds (like surprise), other last years (like love).
M1: (5mins) This slide starts to dissect the foundation of emotional states – an important first step towards understanding them and therefore not being over-run by them.
Project the information.
Ask students to pick 2 out of the 4 points and note them down. Take some feedback if the class is willing.
Click on the image to see a 2 min clip about emotions – this introduces the concept of biofeedback.
(Ext: Ask students to make a cartoon sketch to illustrate the points they have chosen)

5. Feeling the Sensations
Emotions work on biofeedback - communication within your body.
You can feel this – we could call it a background sensation(fizzing, beating, heat, cold, movement etc.)
Lets try a simple exercise to feel this chemistry – its called floor breathing
M2: (10mins) This activity encourages students to become aware of the fluctuating sensations in the body. This is the very aggregate of emotional states and by building awareness, students (and teachers!) can find a still reference point from which to watch this rise and fall of chemistry. Please note that this is not conceptual but experiential; it will make much more sense when tried out!
Move the chairs to the side of the room.
Ask students to lie on their backs (if it is more comfortable, they can bend and raise their legs) hands resting on their belly, eyes closed.
Ask the students to become totally still in their bodies and feel their breathing – don’t change their breathing, just feel it.
Now watch the gap between the end of the outward breath and the next inward breath. By doing this, you will naturally become aware of the background sensations in the body.
Rest with this exercise for 2mins minimum – more if the group feels inclined.
When finished, sit up.

6. Know Thyself: Words for Emotions
Love - Affection -Adoration · Fondness · Liking · Attractiveness · Caring · Tenderness · Compassion · Sentimentality
Lust · Passion · Infatuation
Longing
Joy – Cheerfulness - Amusement · Bliss · Gaiety · Glee · Jolliness · Joviality · Joy · Delight · Enjoyment · Gladness · Happiness · Jubilation · Elation · Satisfaction · Ecstasy · Euphoria
Zest - Enthusiasm · Zeal · Excitement · Thrill · Exhilaration
Contentment - Pleasure
Pride - Triumph
Optimism - Eagerness · Hope
Enthrallment · Rapture
Relief
Surprise - Amazement · Astonishment
Anger - Irritability - Aggravation · Agitation · Annoyance · Grouchy · Grumpy · Crosspatch
Exasperation - Frustration
Rage - Anger · Outrage · Fury · Wrath · Hostility · Ferocity · Bitter · Hatred · Scorn · Spite · Vengefulness · Dislike · Resentment
Disgust - Revulsion · Contempt · Loathing
Envy - Jealousy
Torment
Sadness – Suffering - Agony · Anguish · Hurt
Sadness - Depression · Despair · Gloom · Glumness · Unhappy · Grief · Sorrow · Woe · Misery · Melancholy
Disappointment - Dismay · Displeasure
Shame - Guilt · Regret · Remorse
Neglect - Alienation · Defeatism · Dejection · Embarrassment · Homesickness · Humiliation · Insecurity · Insult · Isolation · Loneliness · Rejection
Sympathy - Pity · Sympathy
Fear – Horror - Alarm · Shock · Fear · Fright · Horror · Terror · Panic · Hysteria · Mortification
Nervousness - Anxiety · Suspense · Uneasiness · Apprehension · Worry · Distress · Dread
M3: (15mins) This activity builds students emotional vocabulary as well as reviewing what was discovered from the floor breathing exercise and previous emotional experience. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Feel free to add words/accept other words as you see fit.
Arrange students into groups of 3 or 4 – they can get chairs if they like.
Give each group a marker pen and a sheet of large paper (A1 is best if available).
Students draw a very simple outline of a body on the sheet.
Ask groups to pick 5-10 words from the list – some the already use alot, some they don’t.
Students now write their words on the body outline in the place where that emotion manifests – for example, most will feel anger in the jaw, face, neck and thumbs – excitement is often experienced as a fluttering in the chest box. If they can’t decide, just write them outside the body.
During this exercise, for the words they are less familiar with, ask them to define them as a group. The words chosen (and the nature of emotion words) means they are supposed to be intuitive, so it is hoped that they will be able to guess at those they don’t know accurately!

7. How Emotionally Literate are You Now?
Have you expanded your emotional literacy?
Remember…
Emotions build from the background sensations in the body – you can watch this happen by doing floor breathing or mindful breathing
Labelling your emotions brings the power back to you
M4: (10 mins) A review of the starter exercise.
Play the clip again.
Students to write a new list of the emotions they think the faces are expressing.
Compare the two lists – which has more words? – by how many? – what are the new words (if any)? – why did students pick the new words they did (if they did!)?

8. The Power of Mindfulness
I feel angry
It must be because… (into the thinking mind)
Emotion in Charge
It must be because… (into the thinking mind)
I still feel angry
I feel angry
The emotion changes
PL: (10mins) This summary diagram condenses the essence of this lesson. Ask students to read/copy this down and take feedback or reflect quietly.
Just feel the chemistry of the body…and breathe
You in Charge
Stop. Breathe. What can you feel?
I can feel heat in the face and tightness in the jaw (for example)