Sorting emotions Tātari kare-ā-roto

Tagged with:

Mental health
Relationships and Sexuality Education
Personal health and physical development
Relationships With Other People
Healthy Communities and Environments
Hauora
Attitudes and values
Health promotion
Socio-ecological perspective
Social and Emotional Learning
Years 5–8
Years 9–10

Explore emotions and discuss their meaning. Choose Emotion cards and sort them on a scale of your choice, e.g. unpleasant to pleasant, high to low energy, or high to low impact on your lifeforce, focus or energy levels.

Ata — Resource collection

This activity is part of the Ata resource collection.

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Essential info

Timeframe:: 1-2 lessons
Years:: 4–10
Format:: Individual or groups

Learners will

Have a deeper understanding of emotions, feelings and moods.
Build their vocabulary.
Explore and discuss different perspectives on emotions.
Develop empathy and insight into their own and others’ emotions.
Develop confidence in expressing their emotions.

Ways to use the resource

Change the scale you are sorting by and discuss what has changed and why.
Take a large set of (curated) Emotion cards and work as a group to place them on a scale of your choice.
Use the base activity, or try the Game of emotions gameplay.

Ataactivity sheet Sorting emotions 1872px — Shown here: The Sorting emotions activity sheet with five Emotion cards placed on it. Each person or group sorts their Emotion cards on an agreed scale.

Instructions

What you will need

Emotion cards.

Sorting emotions activity sheet: One per person/group (not needed for game).

Set up

1. Prepare cards

Add or remove Emotion cards to suit the needs, interests, age or developmental stage of learners.

2. Prepare activity sheets

Print or photocopy one Sorting emotions activity sheet for each person or group.

Activity

1. Choose emotions

Each learner receives five Emotion cards. Either spread the cards out on the table face-up and let the learner(s) select, or shuffle the cards and deal five to each.

2. Sort emotions

Each person or group sorts their Emotion cards on an agreed scale, e.g. unpleasant to pleasant, high to low energy, or high to low impact on your lifeforce, focus or energy levels.

Game variant

1. Set up

Pick someone to be the judge for the first round
Deal three cards to each player(including the judge) and place the remaining cards face-downin a pile
Agree a scale on which to sort the cards, e.g. unpleasant to pleasant
The players sort their three starting cards based on the agreed scale.

2. To play

The judge reveals a card from the top of the pile
Moving clockwise, each other player indicates where the new card would fit within their existing set, and explains why
The judge decides which player provided the best explanation and gives that card to the player to add to their set
The player to the left of the judge becomes the judge forthe next round.

3. To win

Play continues until someone gets six cards in their set.

Discuss & customise

As you go, discuss why the cards (emotions) sit where they do.

Downloads

Next steps

Discuss emotions as part of the Developing strategies activity.
Emotion cards can be linked to other existing social and emotional resources and frameworks, e.g. Zones of Regulation™.