Guidance Lesson: "Fishing for Feelings"

For K-2 students

Overview of the Activity “Fishing for Feelings.”

This activity is designed to help students acquire attitudes, knowledge, and skills that will contribute to effective learning in school and throughout the students’ lives. This activity will also help students understand the relationship of academics to the world of work, life at home, and within the community. Fishing for Feelings activity will also help students gain understanding with interpersonal skills and respecting themselves and others. A major outcome of this lesson is to identify and express feelings.

MATERIALS/RESOURCES: (prep time 15 minutes)

The book, A to Z Do You Ever Feel Like Me? By Bonnie Hausman and Sandi Fellman. (You could do this lesson without the book.)

Envelope or glass fish bowl.

Pre cut cards with one feeling word on each card.

ACTIVITY: (20-25 minutes)

If you use the book, each page has a letter of the alphabet with a story. At the end of each story it says I feel so __________. Students guess

the word that fits in the blank. There is a picture that expresses the feeling word. If you don’t have the book, use pictures from magazines, draw them or use patterns from the internet. The A to Z words are in the back of the book, but the following is a feeling word for each letter of the alphabet. The feeling words: angry, brave, confused, delighted, embarrassed, friendly, greedy, happy, impatient, jealous, kind, lonely, mischievous, nervous, overwhelmed, proud, queasy, rambunctious, scared, terrific, upset, vain, worried, exhausted, yucky, and zany.

Next, using a fish bowl or envelope with cards or cards shaped like fish. Have each student pick one word. Have students work in pairs to make their own story using a personal situation about one or more of the feeling words they drew. They may draw the story, write or do both. Have students volunteer to share their words and stories with the whole class.

Information/Comments/Follow- To extend vocabulary have students think, write and say other words that begin with each letter of the alphabet

 If things don’t go as well as planned: School counselor may need to further engage students in a role playing activity if the students are unable to connect with the initial lesson. Sometimes students do have a difficult time identifying the word with an expressed feeling. Relate the feelings to things that have happened in the child’s life. Acting out the emotions could be a way to engage and connect those kinesthetic learners.

Follow up activities for the class: Have students to cut out pictures of people’s faces that show an emotion and make a collage of faces with identified emotions. *old magazines/newspapers would be needed for this portion*

Magic Wand

If I had a magic wand and could change only one thing in/for my school I wish that each child had responsible and competent parents. If the kids in my school had good role models at home, I think that a lot of behavior problems could be alleviated but there are such a large number of students who have no positive example of what exemplary should look like from anyone but school staff. We also have a great amount of kids being raised by grandparents, and grandparents have a difficult time it seems filling in the role of parent. In most instances that grandparents are raising their grandkids is because the moms and dads are in jail or not allowed to have custody because of a variety of reasons, most usually relating back to drugs or DUI’s, and even some domestic violence charges.  If each child did have a positive home life, there would be more literate students coming to school, students would be engaged in appropriate settings and surroundings at home, and not be as aware of sex, drugs, and other things that fifth grade students and under should not know about yet. If I could wave my magic wand I would be able to increase the likelihood that students could have a fighting chance without struggle from where they come from to succeed in life.

First Tape Review

The first peer review assignment that I completed was a classroom guidance lesson about bullying. I did feel fairly confident in my lesson because from a ‘teacher’ standpoint I thought this would be the type of counseling situation that I would be the most familiar with. I do feel confident in my abilities to guide and lead a classroom of kids to talk and learn about specific issues.

I know that I need to continue to work on my questioning styles, I sometimes like to over talk things as I had mentioned in a previous blog. I am consciously aware and trying to be careful in that manner.

I will know that my counseling abilities have improved when I am able to validate my efforts against a well seasoned counselor and when I reflect about my progress I will be able to monitor where I have grown and recognize where I still need growth.

I will continue to work to improve my counseling skills by adding to my experience and seeking knowledge that will be beneficial to me. I will also work with my supervising counselor at my school to gain insight on techniques and applications that will be useful to me.

While we are in class it helps me to hear about what has worked for my classmates and just as much what some may have tried and it did not work. I do like to hear examples as well as non-examples, sometimes hearing what wasn’t successful helps me gain more of an insight and perspective about situations.