Grade 2 - Lesson 6

Responding to Emotions

Objectives:

The learner will recognize the variety of responses we can have to emotions.
The learner will recall facts and details from a text. (SCS-LA 2.06)

Materials:

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, Matching My Many Colored Days sheet, Pete the Penguin’s Response pictures (angry, happy, quiet), My Many Colored Days student book, art supplies such as finger paints, markers, crayons, and water colors

Introduction

Review the idea that we all experience different emotions on different days and at different times. Explain that when we feel certain emotions our bodies and minds react to them in specific ways. These actions or thoughts that occur with a feeling are called responses. Ask the students why it is important to think about how we respond to the emotions we feel.

Activity I: My Many Colored Days

Tell the students you will be sharing a book about feelings and the responses a person might have when experiencing a specific feeling. Pass out the sheet, Matching My Many Colored Days. Read the story, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. Encourage the students to follow along as you are reading, and to connect each color with the emotion presented. Be sure not to read the story too quickly so that students have time to match the emotions and colors. This will encourage students to listen closely as you are reading.

Activity II: Pete the Penguin’s Responses

Bring out Pete the Penguin and ask him to share some of the ways he responds to his feelings. Pete can also share with the class the pictures he has designed and colored to show how he feels.

When I feel red, I’m angry! I stomp my feet, wave my arms, and scream out loud!
When I feel yellow, I’m happy! I smile, dance, and run outside!
When I feel black, I’m quiet. I find a corner, sit by myself, and read a book.

Note: The emotions and colors above do not necessarily correspond with the colors in the book. This is so students don’t assume that certain colors always represent certain feelings.

Activity III: My Responses to Emotions

Tell the students that they are going to make their own book about colors and feelings. Give each student the pages for My Many Colored Days Book. For each color, students can decorate the page with symbols or pictures to express how they feel and what they do when they feel that color. Students can use finger paints or water colors for their illustrations if they want to make them more abstract like the illustrator’s drawings. The students do not have to use the author’s interpretation of how each color might feel: they can assign their own emotions and responses to the colors. Remind the students that what you do when you feel a certain emotion is called a response. Have the students write a sentence on each page about how they respond to the emotion when they experience it. For each illustration in their book, students should use only the one color they have chosen to represent that particular emotion but they may use different shades of the selected color. (For example: If red is chosen to represent “angry”, then all shades of red may be used on the page, but no other colors.)

When I feel yellow I’m_____ (emotion).

I ____, _____. and______. (responses to emotion)

Conclusion

Ask volunteers to share their Colored Days Books with the class. Discuss appropriate responses to emotions in particular situations, as well as examples of inappropriate responses to emotions. Remind students why it is important to recognize how they are feeling and why it is essential to think about how they should respond to their feelings.

Games and Art Activities

The last section of this manual contains games and art activities that your students can play at various times throughout the year. As you implement the Making Choices lessons, introduce the games when students have free time, when they have finished other assignments, or when you want something fun and different to do in your room. These activities can also be implemented by aides or other adult volunteers.

Activity I Name __________________________

Directions: Read Dr. Seuss’ My Many Colored Days and connect the color to the correct action.