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 8–9
10–11 12–13 14–15 16–17 18–19 20–21 22–23 24–25 26–27 28–29 30–31 32–33 34–35
36–37 38–39 40–41 42–43 44–45 46
Emotion faces
47
48
Certificate
happy
sad
excited
angry
tired
scared
upset
calm
frustrated
bored
hopeful
confused
fine
disappointed
jealous
surprised
safe
ashamed
guilty
proud
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.
Project
Discussion
?
??
Questions
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’.
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
Single sign in
one direction,
that comes to a
sharp stop
Repetitive sign in
one direction
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
happy
pages 8–9
sad
pages 10–11
excited
pages 12–13
angry
pages 14–15
tired
pages 16–17
scared
pages 18–19
upset
pages 20–21
calm
pages 22–23
frustrated
pages 24–25
bored
pages 26–27
hopeful
pages 28–29
confused
pages 30–31
fine
pages 32–33
disappointed
pages 34–35
jealous
pages 36–37
surprised
pages 38–39
safe
pages 40–41
ashamed
pages 42–43
guilty
pages 44–45
proud
5
happy
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
happy
WORKSHEET
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
sad
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
sad
WORKSHEET
Jack’s
cat
is missing.
Draw a
sad
face.
Jack is sad when he looks at the basket.
Is sad
a nice
yes
feeling?
no
9
excited
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
excited
WORKSHEET
Dan is
going on
holiday.
Draw an
Dan is
going on
excited
face.
an aeroplane.
Is excited a nice feeling?
Dan is feeling
excited.
yes
no
11
angry
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
angry
WORKSHEET
Jack
argued
with his brother.
Draw an
Jack is
angry
angry
face.
with his brother.
Is angry
a nice
yes
feeling?
no
13
tired
ADULTS’
NOTES
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.
•
•
•
•
14
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?
tired
WORKSHEET
Fergus plays on his computer late at night.
Draw a
Fergus will
feel
tired
tired
face.
tomorrow.
Is tired
a nice
yes
feeling?
no
15
scared
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
upset
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
upset
WORKSHEET
Dan is
watching
his parents
argue.
Draw an
upset
face.
What will happen next?
Dan does not know.
Is upset
a nice
yes
Dan
feels
feeling?
no
upset.
19
calm
ADULTS’
NOTES
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
motionless
still comfortable
smooth
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
calm
WORKSHEET
Lucy’s
gran reads bedtime
stories.
Draw a
Lucy
feels
calm
calm
face.
before she sleeps.
Is calm a
nice
yes
feeling?
no
21
frustrated
ADULTS’
NOTES
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 angry
stupid
silly
muddled
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
frustrated
WORKSHEET
Amy
cannot do her
school work.
Draw a frustrated
Amy
feels
face.
frustrated.
Is frustrated a nice feeling?
yes
no
23