Feel you what? What are you feeling? A guide to developing emotional vocabulary for children who are deaf and may have learning difficulties

Feel you what? What are you feeling? A guide to developing emotional vocabulary for children who are deaf and may have learning difficulties

Our vision is of a world without barriers for every deaf child.

Contents 2 3 Introduction 4 5 Ways of working with this book 6-45 Emotions worksheets and adults notes 6 7 happy 8 9 sad 10 11 excited 12 13 angry 14 15 tired 16 17 scared 18 19 upset 20 21 calm 22 23 frustrated 24 25 bored 26 27 hopeful 28 29 confused 30 31 fine 32 33 disappointed 34 35 jealous 36 37 surprised 38 39 safe 40 41 ashamed 42 43 guilty 44 45 proud 46 Emotion faces 47 Certificate 48 Fingerspelling index 1

Introduction All children need the space and opportunity to learn how to explore and understand what is going on around them. Where there are added barriers to effective communication, the world can be a very bewildering place. Deaf children and young people are likely to have difficulty finding a way to identify and describe their feelings or emotions. This is even more difficult for a deaf young person who also has a learning difficulty. We hope that this booklet will help deaf children with learning difficulties find a way to manage their feelings safely. It is widely recognised that the ability to identify and understand our feelings and those of others contributes to the growth of our personal and social development. There is evidence to suggest the presence of a significantly higher level of emotional developmental problems and disturbance in people with learning disability Arthur (2003). In 2001, NDCS published What Are You Feeling? A guide to teaching emotional literacy in the classroom. The booklet aims to provide tools for teachers to support the expansion of the emotional vocabulary of deaf children. It offers a wide range of activities and provides topics for discussion around different emotions. No single resource will be suitable for all children. However, in order to support adults working with or caring for deaf children who have may also have learning difficulties, we have adapted the original booklet here. This booklet should be viewed as a tool to support the development of emotional literacy and can be used in conjunction with other resources. It can be used flexibly to meet the differing needs of individual deaf children, either in group activities or in one-to-one situations. It can also be used in the home. The questions in the adult guidance notes are suggested prompts to help you further explore and explain the emotions. You can use them over several sessions at the correct pace and level to suit the children you are working with. The booklet can be used as a colouring book, or as a starting point for role-play. The aim is for the child to understand the different types of emotions they may feel using different scenarios. It may take many sessions for the child to grasp the emotion. The concepts have been arranged in an approximate developmental order for example, happy and sad come first. We will continue to review the booklet to ensure its effectiveness. To be emotionally literate is to be able to handle our emotions in a way that empowers and enriches our lives Reed (2001). This booklet is based on the original What Are You Feeling? resource book created by Helen Foulkes née Reed in 2001. References Arthur AR (2003) The emotional lives of people with learning disability. British Journal of Learning Disabilities 31 25 30 Reed H (2001) What Are You Feeling? A guide to emotional literacy in the classroom. London: NDCS 2

Symbol index These three symbols are used throughout the adults notes to denote the different types of work suggested. The signs used throughout this booklet are a combination of British Sign Language (BSL) and Widgit. Widgit Widgit aids understanding and communication for people who find reading difficult. Here is the Widgit symbol for happy.?? Project Discussion Questions? British Sign Language (BSL) BSL is a visual language used by some deaf people to communicate. Here is the BSL illustration for happy. Directional arrows are used on some of the BSL illustrations to make any movement involved in the depicted sign easier to understand. A lot of BSL signs involve movement. It is important apart from hands and fingers making the correct basic shape that the direction of the sign is also correct. The arrow-heads below depict basic movements: Single sign in one direction Repetitive sign in one direction Single sign in one direction, that comes to a sharp stop Sign which alternates between two directions For signs which are more complex, the arrow-heads are attached to circles etc. which help to describe the direction and flow of the movement. If a back-to-front letter S is incorporated, then the hands are making alternate movements. 3

Working with this book This book helps deaf children to recognise and name emotions, and to learn signs for new emotions. There are various ways in which teachers and parents can work with this book: For younger children, you could use it as a colouring book and ask them to colour in the pictures. When completed, ask the children questions about the scenarios and about how the people in them are feeling. You can use the simple story beneath each drawing, or ask the children to create their own stories, either in BSL, written English or their preferred method of communication. The pages are ideal for photocopying, so they can be circulated amongst a group for use as activity sheets. They can also be enlarged to poster size for classroom use. You could cut out and separate the three sections on each worksheet to avoid overloading children with information. 4

Worksheets The following two page spreads consist of adults notes (left) and worksheets (right). There are 20 spreads in total and the emotions they deal with are as follows: pages 6 7 pages 8 9 pages 10 11 pages 12 13 pages 14 15 pages 16 17 pages 18 19 pages 20 21 pages 22 23 pages 24 25 pages 26 27 pages 28 29 pages 30 31 pages 32 33 pages 34 35 pages 36 37 pages 38 39 pages 40 41 pages 42 43 pages 44 45 happy sad excited angry tired scared upset calm frustrated bored hopeful confused fine disappointed jealous surprised safe ashamed guilty proud 5

ADULTS NOTES happy The story Today is Dan s birthday. He is having a party with his friends. Dan is going to blow out all the candles on his cake. He feels very happy.??? Questions What makes us feel happy? Receiving an award certificate Seeing family and friends Receiving presents Going places e.g. park, cinema What does a person look like when they are happy? smile wide eyes blushed red face laughing jumping up and down clapping of hands What does it feel like to be happy? bubbly fidgety light flying Discussion Ask the children what makes them happy. What does being happy feel like? What s the best thing about having a birthday? Do birthdays usually make you feel happy or sad? Project Children could either draw or use stickers or symbols to explain all the things that make them happy. Then ask them to draw a picture of themselves or bring in a photograph of when they are happy. 6

WORKSHEET happy Today is Dan s birthday. Draw a happy face. Dan is having a party with friends. Is happy a nice feeling? Dan feels very happy. yes no 7

ADULTS NOTES sad The story Jack s cat is missing. He loved his cat and misses him. When Jack looks at the empty basket he feels sad. This may be Jack s first experience of loss. What can be done to help him through these painful feelings???? Questions What makes us feel sad? Friend or relative dying Not having any friends Being told off What does a person look like when they are sad? teary/crying head down avoid eye contact withdrawn quiet What does it feel like to be sad? heavy feel sick don t want to move tired Discussion Ask children if they have any pets. Ask if any of them have ever lost a pet. How did that make them feel? What other things have made them sad? What happens when they feel sad? Example, do they cry or shout or something else? Is it ok to cry? Project Ask the children if they have ever watched a film that made them sad? What was the story and why did it make them sad? They could draw something from the film that made them sad. 8

WORKSHEET sad Jack s cat is missing. Draw a sad face. Jack is sad when he looks at the basket. Is sad a nice feeling? yes no 9

ADULTS NOTES excited The story Dan and his family are going on holiday to America. They will fly away in a big aeroplane. Dan is feeling very excited.??? Questions What makes us excited? Celebrations birthdays, Christmas Going to the cinema, swimming, etc. Family/friend visits, sleepovers School musicals New pet at home What does a person look like when they are excited? look energetic jump around smiling fidgety lively loud talking pump fist rub hands talk lots What does it feel like to be excited? on fire quick jumpy warm awake electric moving Discussion Ask the children to think about when they were last excited. What happened to make them feel excited? How long did the excitement last? How did they feel when the excitement died down? Project Children to design a collage (postcards, magazine cuttings, photographs) of the things that make them excited. 10

WORKSHEET excited Dan is going on holiday. Draw an excited face. Dan is going on an aeroplane. Is excited a nice feeling? Dan is feeling excited. yes no 11

ADULTS NOTES angry The story Jack had a fight with his brother. His mum told them to stop. Jack still feels angry with his brother.??? Questions What makes us angry? Someone shouting at you Not being listened to Being hit or pushed Hurting yourself What does a person look like when they are angry? red face clenched fist tension in face and shoulders teary loud stamping feet What does it feel like to be angry? hot tense teary too much energy want to throw something burning Discussion Ask children if they have a brother or sister. Do they fight with each other? What does mum or dad do when the children are fighting? How do they feel when they are angry? Why isn t it ok to hit each other even when we are angry? Project Ask the children what makes them angry. They can use stickers or drawings or symbols to explain. Ask them each to name one thing it is ok to do when we are angry, for example: go to our room to be alone tell the other person you are angry with them play your music loudly. 12

WORKSHEET angry Jack argued with his brother. Draw an angry face. Jack is angry with his brother. Is angry a nice feeling? yes no 13

ADULTS NOTES tired The story Fergus is staying up late. He is playing on his computer instead of sleeping. Fergus will be tired at school tomorrow.??? Questions What makes us tired? Playing sports Baby brother crying in the middle of the night Being poorly School work Travelling on buses Physiotherapy What does a person look like when they are tired? yawning snappy lack of concentration short tempered lack of energy sluggish What does it feel like to be tired? sluggish drained dragging feet sleepy irritated easily annoyed burned out grouchy Discussion Discuss the benefits of being alert as opposed to be being tired throughout the day. Project Act out the following questions. How does a tired person look? How do they behave? How do they treat others? What do we need to do to prevent feeling tired? 14

WORKSHEET tired Fergus plays on his computer late at night. Draw a tired face. Fergus will feel tired tomorrow. Is tired a nice feeling? yes no 15

ADULTS NOTES scared The story Wendy sometimes wakes up in the night. When she does, she feels lonely and frightened. Wendy is scared of the dark.??? Questions What makes us feel scared? Meeting strangers Travelling in a car that is going too fast Seeing someone angry Being lost What does a person look like when they are scared? freeze panic startled shaken crying white faced What does it feel like to be scared? heart thumping sweaty cold breathe faster Discussion Ask the children to think of solutions to help Wendy. Project Encourage children to write, draw, collect images that make them feel scared. Explore why these make them feel scared and what they can do when they are next scared. 16

WORKSHEET scared Wendy sometimes wakes up in the night. Draw a scared face. Wendy is scared of the dark. Is scared a nice feeling? yes no 17

ADULTS NOTES upset The story Dan is watching his parents arguing. He worries about what will happen. Dan doesn t want to go to sleep because he feels too upset.??? Questions What makes us upset? Falling over Toy/game broken Friends moving away Argument with friends Not invited to a party Not understanding what has been said What does a person look like when they are upset? crying frown shouting jumpy jittery talking very quiet What does it feel like to be upset? low tearful heavy sad down Discussion What can be done when someone is upset? Project Ask the children to draw a picture story about when they were last upset and what they did to make themselves feel better. 18

WORKSHEET upset Dan is watching his parents argue. Draw an upset face. What will happen next? Dan does not know. Is upset a nice feeling? yes no Dan feels upset. 19

ADULTS NOTES calm The story Lucy and her gran read stories at bedtime. Lucy likes doing this. The stories make her feel calm before she goes to sleep.??? Questions What makes us calm? Listening to music Watching TV Sitting with parents Drawing pictures Playing with pets What does a person look like when they are calm? good eye contact smiling sits still takes part slow movements What does it feel like to be calm? peaceful slow quiet smooth motionless still comfortable Discussion Encourage the children to explore and share what makes them feel calm. What do they do before they go to sleep? How do they feel when they do a test or take part in a school play? Project When we are angry/scared/afraid, what can we do to help ourselves calm down? 20

WORKSHEET calm Lucy s gran reads bedtime stories. Draw a calm face. Lucy feels calm before she sleeps. Is calm a nice feeling? yes no 21

ADULTS NOTES frustrated The story Amy could not do the work the teacher gave her. She thought the work was too difficult. Amy became very frustrated. Amy is not coping with her work. She sees her classmates working around her and she feels frustrated because she fears being left behind.??? Questions What makes us frustrated? Not being able to hear or understand what someone is saying Unclear information, attitudes of staff, not being able to physically enter a building because doors not wide enough or there is no lift to a service e.g. swimming pool Other people treating you as though you are stupid or a baby Not passing a test Not winning a game What do people look like when they are frustrated? throw items shout/loud voice deep breaths tense body heavy breathing rubbing of hands/head give up on task sulking What does it feel like to be frustrated? knotted upset sad muddled angry stupid silly Discussion What can Amy do? Project Ask the children to show where in the body frustration is felt, e.g. tightening of the chest. 22

WORKSHEET frustrated Amy cannot do her school work. Draw a frustrated face. Amy feels frustrated. Is frustrated a nice feeling? yes no 23