DAY 3: EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION

Length of Session: 20 – 40 minutes

VIP facilitators may choose to combine the Day 2 and Day 3 curriculum to make one 40–60-minute presentation.

Introductions

Take a few minutes to remind the class who you are, where you are from and why you are back in the classroom.

• Acknowledge the traditional territory you are on.
• Thank the teacher for the invitation to the classroom.
• Discuss additional housekeeping matters and review the plan for kids who may want or need to take a break from the material. Remind the students to take care of themselves and that you will be available after class if anyone needs support or has questions, including wanting support because you know someone else is having this experience.

Dialogue to Introduce the Presentation

Today we are going to talk to you about F-E-E-L-I-N-G-S.”

“What are feelings? Can anyone list some feelings?”

“Everyone has feelings, and all feelings are okay. Feelings are a message from our body to our brain to pay attention to what is happening. It’s healthy and sometimes challenging to put our feelings into words. Today we might practice talking about some of our feelings.”

“Feelings can create energy in our bodies, like being excited, scared, sad, and they can make us feel different. It is important to allow this feeling energy to move and to get this energy out in a safe way that makes us feel better and is not hurtful to anyone.”

Activity

“Let’s make a list of all the feelings we have felt in our body before.”

Consider sharing with the class that there are no bad feelings, however, certain feelings are more uncomfortable than others and that can feel hard.

“Feelings do not equate to certain behaviours. For example, there are many things we can do if we feel happy or sad or frustrated. What are some safe things we can do if we feel frustrated? And, what might be some unsafe behaviours you have seen, or experienced, when people are frustrated?”

Grounding Exercise

Talking about feelings can create sensations in the bodies of young children. Staying attuned to your audience and shifting to a grounding exercise in a timely manner is an effective way to keep kids engaged
and listening.

Activity – Watch & Discuss a Video

Please note that there is a choice of videos to watch for this lesson.

Video A – Riley Fights with Her Parents scene

This clip is from the movie “Inside Out”. This video clip explores the feelings of the three main characters in “Inside Out”, Riley and her parents. It illustrates how feelings and emotions can affect behaviour.

Dialogue to Introduce Video A

“Who here has watched the movie “Inside Out”? We are going to watch a clip from it today to introduce and explore the topic of feeling.”

Video B – Kids Want to Know. (March 12, 2017). Why Do We Lose Control of Our Emotions?

Dialogue to Introduce Video B

“This video explores our emotions and what can happen when a person loses control of their emotions. It also helps to teach us about our brains so that we can understand what happens when big feelings are present. Let’s watch the short video and we will have a discussion afterwards.”

Video C – VOX ATL. (March 1, 2017). I am … I am not … Teens’ Identity

Dialogue to Introduce Video C

“This video is about different identities and the assumptions we might make about what it means to be, to behave or to act in a certain way.”

Break up the class into small groups and ask them to discuss and answer the questions below.

• What do you think the main messages were in the video?
• What is self-identity? Did you related to any of the identities in the video?
• What factors do you think influence self-identity and how can it change?

Ask them to come up with a list of things that are important to them and factors that have positively influenced their mental well-being and self- identity. If possible, provide the class with a poster board they can use to illustrate their small group message. They can draw, write, or use magazine cut-outs to illustrate their message for the class. Ask each group to share what factors they illustrated that have positively influenced their mental well- being and self-identity.

Closing

Remind the class that with practice, all emotions can be safe to have in our bodies. It is what we do with feelings when they happen in our bodies that matters.

Thank them for being a wonderful class. Tell the students what information you will be sending home with them, and ask them to review the three main messages of the VIP Program.Take the time to review the three main messages.

• Violence is not your fault.
• You are not alone.
• There are people who can help.

Staying safe is an important message we want young people to remember, regardless of how many other topics you have covered during your time in the classroom.