Bridget Manley, Upper Elementary conference teacher, and SEL Facilitator, gives weekly lessons to Primary and Lower Elementary students.
In October, the students worked on identifying and labeling 12 major emotions, labeling experiences with emotions, and ways to express their emotions appropriately. Mrs. Manley has shared a variety of books about feelings as discussion starters as it’s easy to point out one’s emotions through text. Students have been able to relate to the characters as a way of better understanding their own emotions. Primary parents may have seen an emotions booklet come home with their child as an option to complete at home as a family.
Emotional agility begins with identifying and labeling our feelings. In a bid to build the practice of tuning in and identifying their own emotions, 3rd-year Primary and Lower Elementary students listened to “The Color Monster” by Anna Llenas. It furthers their understanding of how to independently identify their own feelings and utilize the newly introduced feeling words beyond the previous 12 discussed. Equipping the children with an extensive emotional vocabulary provides them the autonomy to regulate their emotions when going through intense feelings.
