E. Feelings

Reading 79

The objectives of this section are to help learners validate their feelings by expressing them, and share them by speaking and writing with others. This exercise assumes that learners are acquainted with each other and have established some trust with each other already. You will need copies of pages 79 - 78 for each learner. Prepare an overhead or blow-up of the "How Do You Feel Today?" chart, without words, large enough so learners can see it clearly.

Prepare an example, using your own feelings, of the writing exercise, Section E-3, including a face. Just before the exercise, arrange a semi-circle of chairs, one for each learner, facing the flip chart stand or the blackboard.

1. Guided discussion

* Show learners the blown-up chart.

* Some questions to consider:

• Were you encouraged as a child to express your feelings?
• Are you encouraged to express your feelings as an adult in your family?
• What are some different family styles of expressing or not expressing feelings?

Handout 78

2. Matching feeling and pictures

* Hand out the word list of feelings and the chart without words.

* Going around the circle of learners, ask each learner, one at a time, to match a cartoon facial expression on the chart with a feeling word. The group helps the learner if she gets stuck. Explain any unfamiliar words, giving examples.

* Ask the learner whose turn it is to write the feeling word matching the cartoon facial expression on a paper strip and to attach the paper strip to the blown-up feeling chart.

* The learners take turns until all the feeling words are matched. The blown-up feeling chart should have a feeling word below each cartoon facial expression.

Reading 80

* Ask the learners to copy the feeling words onto their "How Do You Feel Today?" charts, the feeling word underneath the face that matches it. They can use the complete chart, with words and faces, to check their work.

3. Writing

* Ask the learners to think back and remember how they felt this morning.

* Using the following format, ask them to write about their feelings:

"This morning I felt_________________________________________________
because ________________________________________________________."

Help the beginning learners by printing their short reasons for them to copy.

* Ask the learners to copy the cartoon face that matches their feeling word onto their sheets. Ask them to write the date on their half-sheets.

* Post up the sheets. Post up your own, too.

4. Guided discussion

* Ask all the learners to come and read the feelings and the reasons for them that have been posted.

* Some questions to consider:

• Did all the learners have the same feeling?
• What are the different feelings in the group?
• Do some learners in the group share the same feeling?
• Are the reasons for the same feeling different?
• This was the feeling they felt this morning - do they still feel that way now?

* Ask the group to come up with one or two sentences that sums up what they know about feelings.

* Give the sheets back to the learners. Ask them to copy or tape them into their confidential dialogue journals with the day's entry.