LESSON PLAN 3
Feelings and Reactions
In the Aftermath
6–8
Young people have a difficult time understanding the different feelings
and reactions they will experience after a disaster. Encourage them to
talk about their feelings and the changes they will go through in order
to relieve confusion, worry and shame.
Key Terms and Concepts
Life, Loss and Grief
antonym
emotions
historical event
imagery
reaction
synonym
thesaurus
trigger
uncomfortable
feelings
uncomfortable
thoughts
Purposes
To help students share their feelings and understand that feelings
change over the course of time
To help students understand that people have recovered from
tragic events throughout history
Objectives
The students will—
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• Use ABCs of Feelings to identify words that describe feelings.
• Write stories to illustrate changing and recurring emotions.
• Use ABCs of Feelings to describe and share feelings within a
family. (Home Connection)
• Categorize into a thesaurus a list of words that describe emotions,
building sets of synonyms and synonyms with antonyms. (Linking
Across the Curriculum)
• Identify and write reviews of literature or movies that present a
wide range of emotions. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Use history texts and other sources to identify historical events that
evoked strong emotions and illustrate how these emotions changed
with time.
• Use Where Were You When…? to interview family members about
some of these events. (Home Connection)
• Analyze charts to present the data in graphs or data “snapshots” in
news articles or letters to the editor. (Linking Across the
Curriculum)
• Read historical accounts of tragic events to discover the emotional
responses they evoked and the changes that occurred. (Linking
Across the Curriculum)
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
1
Activities
“A Change of Feelings”
“Have We Felt This Way Before?”
In the
Aftermath
6–8
LESSON PLAN 3
Feelings and
Reactions
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Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
2
“A Change of Feelings”
SET UP 5 minutes CONDUCT 2 class periods
Language Arts: Writing; Science: Health
In the
Aftermath
6–8
LESSON PLAN 3
Feelings and
Reactions
Materials
• Chalkboard and chalk or chart
paper and markers
• ABCs of Feelings, 1 copy per
student
1. Distribute ABCs of Feelings. Then, give students five minutes to jot
down as many words as they can that describe emotions or feelings
beginning with as many different letters of the alphabet as they can.
Remind them to consider a wide range of emotions. These words may be
about feelings in general, or you may have students focus on feelings
following a particular event or situation.
2. Write the letter A on the chalkboard or chart paper and have students
share all the words they have listed that begin with A. Continue going
through the alphabet to have students add words or phrases. Discuss how
many different feelings are represented in the class or how many
different feelings can be evoked by a single event. Have students use the
class list to add to their own ABCs of Feelings.
TEACHING NOTE Here are some words that describe feelings.
afraid
aggressive
angry
anxious
ashamed
bashful
bored
carefree
calm
confident
confused
content
distracted
“down”
dull
eager
elated
envious
exalted
excited
fearful
fidgety
flighty
frustrated
furious
glad
gloomy
guilty
happy
helpless
hopeful
irritated
joyful
lonely
loved
mad
miserable
mixed up
proud
puzzled
relaxed
restless
sad
safe
satisfied
secure
self-conscious
self-confident
shocked
shy
sorry
startled
surprised
tearful
terrified
tired
trusting
truthful
unsure
“up”
upset
vengeful
vicious
worried
zany
3. Have students select 7 to 10 words describing feelings and use these
words to write a character study of changing emotions. Students may
write an autobiographical or a fictional story. The main requirement is
that the reader sees the character move through a wide range of
emotions in a relatively short period of time. For example, a day at
school where the character sees his best friend flirting with his girlfriend
and, surprisingly, he aces his science exam; or a hard-fought ball game
where emotions on and off the field run high; or the character’s reactions
to an event that affects her, her family, the nation or the world.
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Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
3
Wrap-Up
In small groups, have students critique each other’s character
studies.
• Do the emotions seem real? Why or why not?
• Are the changes valid? Explain.
• Do even contradictory emotions seem possible? Why or why not?
In the
Aftermath
6–8
LESSON PLAN 3
Feelings and
Reactions
Have each group choose one or two studies to share with the rest of the
class. Have students discuss the characters’ reactions. Would everyone react
in the same way? If not, does that make any character’s reaction less valid?
Why or why not?
As you review and as students share their stories, be sure
students have illustrated how different, often contradictory
emotions should be expected and dealt with after a disaster.
Linking Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
Challenge students to create an Emotion Thesaurus. Have them
set up an index and categories of synonyms and add antonyms for each
category. As a class, continue to add words to the thesaurus.
Language Arts; Dramatic Arts
Students will do research to identify books, stories or movies whose characters illustrate a wide range of emotions. Have them write reviews that use
the changing emotions of the characters to entice prospective readers or
viewers but that do not give away the storyline.
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
4
“Have We Felt This Way Before?”
SET UP 15 minutes CONDUCT 2 sessions, plus research time
Social Studies: History
In the
Aftermath
6–8
LESSON PLAN 3
Feelings and
Reactions
Materials
• History and/or social studies
texts, books on historical
events from the media center
and/or Internet resources
• Where Were You When…?,
copy per student interview
1. Review the list of feelings generated by the class in “A Change of
Feelings,” or use the Teaching Note list. Have students talk about major
events, either personal or more far-reaching, that have evoked strong
feelings for them.
• What happened, and how did you feel?
• How long did you feel that way?
• Did your feelings change? Why?
• Did your life change? How?
• Is “normal” different than it once was?
• How often do you think back to that event?
• What emotions does it still evoke?
• What smells, sounds or sights trigger those emotions today?
2. Tell students that major events have occurred throughout history, and
that people have reacted strongly. Adults remember some of these events
along with details, such as where they were when they heard about an
event.
3. Have students work in small groups to use history texts and/or Internet
resources to discover stories and headlines of major events or natural
disasters from the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, Pearl
Harbor and September 11 to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 or
later events.
• Chart paper and markers
Wrap-Up
Have students talk about the events they have found and then
create a time line. Which events have occurred in their lifetime?
Which events occurred in their parents’ lifetime? Which ones may have
occurred in their oldest living relative’s lifetime? What feelings must have
been evoked? What made these feelings evolve?
Look for accuracy in the time line, as well as an understanding
of the feelings evoked and how these feelings evolve as time
progresses.
Follow the steps in Home Connection below to complete the wrap-up of
this activity.
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
5
Home Connection
TEACHING NOTE Based on the ages and abilities of your students, decide how
many different interviews they should conduct.
In the
Aftermath
6–8
LESSON PLAN 3
Feelings and
Reactions
Distribute several copies of Where Were You When…? to students. Go over
the questions on the activity sheet and tell the students to complete it by
interviewing several adults about a tragic event. The event may be one
listed in class or it may be a personal tragedy. Have students bring in their
completed interviews.
Title six sheets of chart paper: The Event, Where I Was, What I Sensed, What
I Said, What I Felt Then and What I Feel Now. Divide the class into six
groups, giving each group one of the charts to complete with information
from their interviews. When students complete the first chart, have them
trade with other groups until they have recorded the information from all
their interviews on the proper charts. Post the completed charts on the wall.
Discuss the information from the charts. Compare the comments and feelings with those students have felt during a tragic event they have experienced. How are the reactions similar? Different? How might our feelings
change in one year? Two years? Five years?
Linking Across the Curriculum
Mathematics: Graphing; Language Arts: Writing; Social
Studies: Geography and History
Have students analyze the data from the interview charts. What events were
chosen by most class members? Were there more national or personal
events explored? What was the longest time described before returning to
“normal”? Have students create graphs or data “snapshots” to depict the
data from the charts. Use these in letters to the editor or articles in the
school newsletter, discussing the effects of tragic events on the people in
your community.
Language Arts: Research and Writing; Social Studies: History
Have students research to find and read historical accounts of major events.
Have them discover and discuss the emotional responses they evoked. How
did the events change the nation? The world? Individuals?
Have small groups write “what if ” stories that look at what might be
different today if these certain events hadn’t occurred. For example, if the
Dust Bowl hadn’t occurred in Oklahoma, would Oklahoma and California
be different places today? Or, if the 1900 hurricane in Galveston hadn’t
occurred, would Houston be a small town on the outskirts of the Galveston
metropolis?
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TEACHING NOTE An excellent resource for the 1900 hurricane is Isaac’s Storm by
Erik Larson (Vintage Books, 2000). John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath provides
an emotion-filled look at the effects of the drought in Oklahoma.
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
6
ABCs of Feelings
Page 1 of 1
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Directions: You have five minutes to jot down as many words to describe emotions or feelings that begin
with each of the letters below. Depict a wide range of feelings.
A
N
B
O
C
P
D
Q
E
R
F
S
G
T
H
U
I
V
J
W
K
X
L
Y
M
Z
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ABCS OF FEELINGS
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Where Were You When...?
Page 1 of 2
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Tragic events are upsetting to everyone. In class, we compared the way we felt after the most recent tragedy
to how others may have felt following tragedies in the past. Please complete the following activity to help us
gather and analyze information.
1. When asked to think of a personal or national tragedy or disaster that you have experienced or lived
through, which one comes to mind first?
2. What happened?
3. Where were you when it occurred?
4. What did you hear others say?
5. What did you say?
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WHERE WERE YOU WHEN...?
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Where Were You When...?
Page 2 of 2
6. Describe your feelings:
How did you feel at first?
How long did you feel this way?
How did your feelings change?
How do you feel now?
What helped make you feel better?
7. What sights, sounds or smells do you remember?
8. What were your thoughts about the event then? Now?
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN...?
Masters of Disaster® In the Aftermath, Life, Loss and Grief, Lesson Plan 3/Feelings and Reactions
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross