Books, Books, and More Books

In the Classroom

Teachers can promote emotional literacy in several ways...
-Book discussions
-Read alouds with feeling
-Journal their thoughts and emotions 
-Signs that show appropriate actions to take when you are feeling happy, sad, scared, angry, etc. (walk away, sit down, hug, get an adult, etc.)
-Question of the day board regarding emotions, such as "Do friends, sometimes, make us angry?" 
-Stop light chart: Each child has a green, yellow, and red card.  If a student is acting out, begin by taking the green card, then the yellow, and the red if it still continues.  This is a visible reminder to the child of your emotion and their's.
-Feelings wall: Hang different emotional faces on a wall in the classroom, with the students' names nearby.  Throughout the day, allow the children to move their name to how they are feeling.

  

Successful Emotional Students

In order to help shape successful, emotional literate children, there are four aspects that need to be achieved. 


1) Developing a healthy and positive self-esteem in each child
2) Setting appropriate expectations
3) Disciplining in a positive manner
4) Teaching empathy


Without these, frustration, anger, tears, and violence are a likely result. 
http://www.familylinks.org.uk/nurturing/fourconstructs.htm

Emotional Illiteracy

Some children enter school without the emotional capability to succeed.  Boys tend to move through life with restricted language for expressing their emotions, which can keep them locked up and unwilling to articulate their experiences.  Also, the lack of support from adults can put both boys and girls at risk for emotional, social, behavioral, and academic problems. http://www.childcareaware.org/en/subscriptions/areyouaware/article.php?id=19 

Why it's Important?

It is important that children feel comfortable enough to express their emotions to their friends, family, peers, teachers, etc. inside the classroom, out on the playground, and at their home.  "Many of the problems in modern society are due, to people being unable to understand and appropriately express emotion. Emotional literacy is a preventive tool, which can help solve many social ills -- violence, illness, drug abuse, dysfunctional relationships, and global societal conflicts." http://www.feel.org/emotional_literacy.php.

By helping children express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions verbally and in writing, you can guide them toward emotional literacy, and a foundation to succeed in school.  Additionally, helping children express their thoughts and feelings through writing, whether it is in short stories, poems, or letters, their language can become a way to support their ability to deal with a peer, with conflict, with sad or scary feelings.  The words can help children sort out their feelings, and come to terms with their own behavior. http://www.childcareaware.org/en/subscriptions/areyouaware/article.php?id=19     

The Five Key Elements

1) Knowing our emotions - The ability to recognizing a feeling as it happens; self-awareness.
2) Managing our emotions - The ability to handling a feeling, such as soothing ourselves when we are feeling upset.
3) Motivating ourselves - The ability to be in charge of feelings, instead of being overwhelmed by them.
4) Recognizing emotions in others - The ability to be aware of what neighboring people are feeling.
5) Handling relationships - The ability to cope with emotions of others, while managing and expressing our own in an appropriate manner.
http://www.familylinks.org.uk/nurturing/literacy.htm

What is Emotional Literacy

"Emotional literacy is the ability to recognize, understand and appropriately express our emotions. Just as verbal literacy is the basic building-block for reading and writing, emotional literacy is the basis for perceiving and communicating emotions. Becoming emotionally literate is learning the alphabet, grammar and vocabulary of our emotional lives.  Emotions are an integral part of human nature. Through emotions we respond to life in many different ways -- with anger, happiness, fear, love and loneliness. Emotions influence our thoughts and actions; they inspire our needs; they affect our bodies and impact on our relationships." http://www.feel.org/emotional_literacy.php