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GO BACK All Goal Posters THIS SKILL Emotional Recognition THIS GOAL Identifying Feelings

Identifying Feelings

Identifying Feelings aims to help learners identify and label their own feelings and the feelings of others by fine-tuning their interpretation of facial expressions. Children will learn to read the “big three” clues; the eyes, eyebrows, and mouths, in order to tell how someone is feeling.

Preview an SEL skills lesson: Identifying Feelings

1 Show the video to your students

[INTRODUCTION]
Narrator: Welcome to Emotion ID, a game where you have to guess how each person is feeling. To figure out how someone is feeling, we use all the clues they give us.
We focus on:
Their facial expression – How do they look? Can we tell how they feel?
Their tone of voice – how their voice sounds.
And the words they say – What message do their words send?
After we hear from each person, we’ll stop and discuss all of the clues that help us figure out what emotion they are feeling.
Let’s get started!

 

[SCENE 1]
Narrator: Watch Alessandra and decide how she’s feeling.
Alessandra: My best friend is having such a hard time right now. She’s trying to improve her grades but she’s not doing so well.
Narrator: How does Alessandra feel? Let’s look at the clues: Let’s start by looking at her facial expression. How do you think her facial expression looks? [face scanner: eyes&eyebrows, mouth] Now, let’s listen and focus on her tone of voice.
Alessandra: [voice analyzer] My best friend is having such a hard time right now. She’s trying to improve her grades but she’s not doing so well.
Narrator: Is her voice high or low, loud or soft? How do you think she sounds? Lastly, let’s listen to the words she uses.
Alessandra: My best friend is having such a hard time right now. She’s trying to improve her grades but she’s not doing so well.
Narrator: Alessandra told us that her friend is having a hard time. How do you think Alessandra was feeling? Choose one of these emotions: relieved, guilty, concerned, disappointed. Alessandra was feeling… Concerned!
We can tell she was feeling concerned because of her facial expression. Her eyebrows were lowered, her eyes were looking down and her mouth was frowning. Alessandra’s tone of voice sounded concerned because her voice was quieter than normal. Lastly, her words told us that her friend wasn’t doing so well.
What is something you’ve been concerned about? How did it feel?

 

[SCENE 2]
Narrator: Watch Cole and decide how he’s feeling.
Cole: Oh no! I have to get surgery on my knee. I have to stay off of it for weeks. I hope it goes okay.
Narrator: How did Cole feel? Let’s look at the clues: How do you think his facial expression looks? Notice his eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. [face scanner: eyes&eyebrows, mouth] This time, focus on his tone of voice.
Cole: [voice analyzer] Oh no! I have to get surgery on my knee. I have to stay off of it for weeks. I hope it goes okay.
Narrator: How did his voice sound? What about his words? What message was he sending?
Cole: Oh no! I have to get surgery on my knee. I have to stay off of it for weeks. I hope it goes okay.
Narrator: How do you think Cole was feeling? Choose one of these emotions: awkward, relieved, annoyed, anxious. Cole was feeling… Anxious.
We can tell he was feeling anxious because of his facial expression. His eyebrows were raised up and he was shaking his head. Cole’s tone of voice sounded anxious because his voice seemed scared and nervous. Lastly, his words told us that he was worried about the surgery.
What does it feel like when you are anxious? Does anything help you feel better in these times?

 

[SCENE 3]
Narrator: Watch Zack and decide how he’s feeling.
Zack: I tried out for the basketball team two years in a row and I’m always on the alternate team. I don’t want to try anymore.
Narrator: How did Zack feel? Let’s look at the clues: How do you think his facial expression looks? [face scanner: eyes&eyebrows, mouth] How did his tone of voice sound?
Zack: [voice analyzer] I tried out for the basketball team two years in a row and I’m always on the alternate team. I don’t want to try anymore.
Narrator: Did you hear any emotion in his voice? What about his words? What message was he sending?
Zack: [voice analyzer] I tried out for the basketball team two years in a row and I’m always on the alternate team. I don’t want to try anymore.
Narrator: How do you think Zack was feeling? Choose one of these emotions:frustrated, discouraged, guilty, embarrassed. Zack was feeling…Discouraged.
We can tell he was feeling discouraged because of his facial expression. His face was tilted down, showing body language that feels sad. His tone of voice was low and slow. Lastly, his words told us that he felt like giving up.
When was a time you felt discouraged? How did you handle it?

 

[SCENE 4]
Narrator: Watch Julian and decide how he’s feeling.
Julian: I’m presenting my final project today. I’ve been practicing forever, so I think I’ll do a really good job.
Narrator: How did Julian feel? Let’s look at the clues. First, let’s focus on his facial expression. How do you think his facial expression looks? What do you notice about his eyes and mouth? [face scanner: eyes&eyebrows, mouth] Next, think about his tone of voice.
Julian: [voice analyzer] I’m presenting my final project today. I’ve been practicing forever, so I think I’ll do a really good job.
Narrator: How did his voice sound? Lastly, think about his words. What message was he sending?
Julian: I’m presenting my final project today. I’ve been practicing forever, so I think I’ll do a really good job.
Narrator: How do you think Julian was feeling? Choose one of these emotions: worried, confident, awkward, uncomfortable. Julian was feeling… Confident.
We can tell he was feeling confident because of his facial expression. His gaze was steady and he had a big smile on his face. His tone of voice sounded sure of himself. Lastly, his words told us that he had practiced a lot and felt good about his presentation.
What does it feel like to be confident?

 

[SCENE 5]
Narrator: Watch Alessandra and decide how she’s feeling.
Alessandra: At lunch today, Sarah was talking about her birthday party but not everyone there was invited. I don’t think we should keep talking about it in front of them.
Narrator: How did Alessandra feel? Let’s look at the clues: How do you think her facial expression looks? [face scanner: eyes&eyebrows, mouth] Now let’s listen to her tone of voice.
Alessandra: [voice analyzer] At lunch today, Sarah was talking about her birthday party but not everyone there was invited. I don’t think we should keep talking about it in front of them.
Narrator: How did her tone of voice sound?
What about her words? What message was she sending
Alessandra: At lunch today, Sarah was talking about her birthday party but not everyone there was invited. I don’t think we should keep talking about it in front of them.
Narrator: How do you think Alessandra was feeling? Choose one of these emotions: confident, lonely, awkward, jealous. Alessandra was feeling… Awkward.
We can tell she was feeling awkward because of her facial expression. Her face looked uncomfortable because she looked down and away. She also shook her head and bit her lip. Her tone of voice sounded worried or like she didn’t think this was a good idea. Lastly, her words told us that she didn’t want to talk about the party in front of someone who wasn’t invited.
What does it feel like to feel awkward? What might make someone feel this way?

 

[OUTRO]
Narrator: We saw a lot of different emotions today. Remember, to figure out how someone is feeling, we use all of the clues they give us.
We focus on:
Their facial expression – How do they look? Can we tell how they feel?
Their tone of voice – how their voice sounds.
And the words they say – What message do their words send?
When we put all these clues together, we can tell how someone is feeling.
See you next time!

 

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