We All Have Feelings

    If you're reading this then you obviously already know that we all have feelings!  But is this something that all students understand?  They might know that we all have feelings but they don't necessarily understand what that means for them.  

We often find ourselves trying to teach our students to get along well with each other and to have empathy for one another. (Which is VERY important! So keep doing it!)  But we also need to remember that sometimes our students don't know how to identify with some of their own feelings, let alone other people's feelings! 

This year we decided to take a few days to discuss feelings with our students.  We are going to have a class discussion each day about a different feeling.  We will start out by introducing the feeling and brainstorming what that feeling means to different people.  For example, on the first day, we will discuss the feeling of excitement.  I will ask students to share different times and reasons they might feel excited.  Throughout the discussion students will begin to realize that what makes them excited might be completely different from that of their peers.  

After a meaningful class discussion, students will be given an opportunity to share their ideas through writing and drawing.

This is a sample page from the book I created for my students to use.  You could use any format you like for students to share their ideas.  

Through these meaningful discussions and writing activities, students begin to identify with their feelings.  After drafting out their ideas, it would be wonderful to share their writing.  Other conversations will begin to arise and eventually students will realize that their peers' feelings are just as important as their own.  It would be very easy to transition into conversations about respect and empathy after this type of activity. 

If you would like to download my product for this activity is is available for purchase on my TPT store here. 

I decided to make this post short and sweet for a change!  I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading. :)