Beyond Happy and Sad: Understanding Our Deeper Feelings
Learning Goals:
- Learn new words to describe more complex emotions.
- Talk about these emotions and what makes us feel them.
- Read a story about someone experiencing different emotions.
- Listen to an expert talk about dealing with negative emotions.
- Write about a time when you felt a strong emotion.
Key Words:
- Jealousy: Feeling unhappy because someone has something you want.
- Disappointment: Feeling sad because something didn’t go the way you hoped.
- Grief: Feeling very sad because someone has died or something bad has happened.
- Nostalgia: A warm feeling when you remember happy times from the past.
Let’s Talk About It!
- Have you ever felt jealous of someone else? What made you feel that way?
- What’s something that has disappointed you recently?
- What are some things that make you feel nostalgic? (An old song, a childhood toy, a certain smell)
Let’s Read a Story!
Alex felt different emotions throughout the year. In the spring, they felt jealous when their friend got a new bike. In the summer, they were disappointed when their vacation plans were cancelled. In the fall, they felt grief when their pet dog died. But in the winter, they felt nostalgic remembering happy times with their family during the holidays.
Questions About the Story:
- What did Alex feel jealous about?
- What caused Alex to feel disappointed?
- What memory made Alex feel nostalgic?
Listen and Learn!
(Teacher plays a short clip of a psychologist talking about how to cope with difficult emotions like grief and disappointment.)
Talk with a Partner!
One of you is a friend who is feeling down. The other is a friend offering support and advice.
Example:
- Friend 1: “I didn’t get the job I applied for. I’m so disappointed.”
- Friend 2: “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s okay to feel sad, but don’t give up! Maybe you can learn from this experience and try again.”
Homework:
Write a short story about a time when you felt a strong emotion. It could be any of the emotions we talked about today, or a different one. Describe the situation, how you felt, and what happened next.
Extra Fun:
Make a list of words to describe different emotions. How many words can you think of? Can you find some new words in a dictionary or online?
