Education Standards
2. Who Are We Together- Communicating Emotions (editable)
Emotion Cards - Print and Cut
Synectics_ Emotions and Locations
Who Are We Together - Synectics
SEL-Music Unit: Who Are We Together? Communicating Emotions
Overview
This unit, developed by Northshore School District in Washington, contains four days of lessons where students engage with music from a variety of cultures and analyze how emotions are communicated through different styles of music. Students will make connections between showing emotions with their words, their bodies and with instruments and will perform instruments as an ensemble to communicate different emotions.
Overview
his lesson was developed by Elise Harris- Northshore School District. The lesson format, with its Welcoming Inclusion, Engaging Strategies and Optimistic Closure are based on the components of the SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook 2019
This unit contains activities that connect SEL Standard 2, 6 and Music Standards 7, 8,9. The nine activities can be spread out over multiple lessons or grouped together in the three suggested lessons below.
Table of Contents
Lesson One: We Can Identify Our Own Emotions and Respect the Emotions of Others
Activity 1: (Welcoming/Inclusion Activity) Synectics Locations and Emotions
- Activity 2: (Engaging Strategies) Emotions in Music, Audio World Tour
- Activity 3: (Optimistic Closing) Mix and Mingle
Lesson Two: We Can Understand Each Other’s Emotions
- Activity 1: (Welcoming/Inclusion Activity) Emotions Look Like/Sound Like Maître d’ Game
- Activity 2: (Engaging Strategies) Emotions expressed through instruments, Turn and Talk
- Activity 3: (Optimistic Closing) What emotion do you hear? game
Lesson 3 – We Can Express Emotions as an Ensemble
- Activity 1: Activity 1: (Welcoming/Inclusion Activity) Deedle, Deedle Dumpling Greeting Frenzy
- Activity 2: Engaging Strategies) Hey Diddle Diddle variations
- Activity 3: Optimistic Closing) One Minute Accolade
Attribution and License
Attribution
This lesson was developed by Elise Harris - Northshore School District.
SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook copyright Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and developed by the 2016-2017 Oakland Unified School District SEL Team based on the 2013 work of CASEL Consultant Ann McKay Bryson. | License Agreement
Social Emotional Learning: Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators developed for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction by the SEL Workgroup is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Washington Arts K–12 Learning Standards by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License.
Image by Gustavo Rezende from Pixabay
License
Except where otherwise noted, this lesson by Northshore School District is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Lesson One: We Can Identify Our Own Emotions and Respect the Emotions of Others
WA SEL Standard: Social Engagement
- SEL.K-2.6B.1: With adult assistance, I can engage in activities with peers from different cultures in a way that shows I respect them.
- SEL.K-2.6B.2: With adult assistance, I can identify how members of a diverse community rely on each other.
WA Music Standard:
- Anchor 7.2: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
MU: Re7.2.1 With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify how specific music concepts (such as beat or pitch) are used in various styles of music for a purpose. - Anchor 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
MU: Re8.1.1 With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo) that reflect creators'/performers' expressive intent.
Age Range: Grades K-2
Duration: 30 minutes
Activity One: (Welcoming/Inclusion Activity) Synectics: Locations and Emotions
We can feel different emotions in different places
- Time: 4-7 minutes
- When and why: Open the lesson with this activity to build emotional vocabulary and encourage different viewpoints. Use this activity to prepare students for Lesson 1, Activity 2. (Adapted from SEL Playbook, p. 17.)
- SEL Focus: This activity provides opportunities for Social Awareness, Perspective-taking, and Respect for others.
“Synectics” is a problem-solving technique that seeks to promote creative thinking, typically among small groups of people of diverse experience and expertise.
Definition from Oxford Languages
Steps
- Open the Synectics: Locations and Emotions slides.
- Show the first slide with the title and image of a location.
- Explain that the task is to complete the sentence stem: “The__(location)__ is_(emotion)____ because…” For example, “The playground is happy because there are lots of fun things to do.” “The playground is sad because it is empty.”
- Participants generate as many comparisons as they are able between the given emotion and any of displayed images in 1-2 minutes. They may turn and talk with a partner or small group to share their ideas.
- Ask for several volunteers to share their “location and emotion sentence.” Encourage volunteers that are able to share a new emotion or description to demonstrate how we all have different perspectives.
Debrief: After brainstorming is complete, ask students if they noticed any ideas that were different from what they first thought of. Did hearing someone else’s perspective give you any new ideas?
Modifications and variations: Add new location images that will have meaning to your students, like pictures from around your school building or town. Students may also bring in their own images. Allow students to use a sentence stem that shows the opposite: “__(location)___ is not ___(emotion)____ because…”
Activity Two: (Engaging Strategies) Emotions in Music, Audio World Tour
Music can make us feel different emotions
Time: 20 minutes
- When and why: This is an adaptation of “Gallery Walk,” (SEL Playbook, p. 27). Rather than walking around the room like at an art gallery, this activity allows students to brainstorm the emotions they can hear in music and make predictions about the occasions at which each piece of music might be heard.
- SEL Focus: During this activity, students show Self-Awareness (Identifying emotions) by connecting emotions with musical elements that can communicate these emotions. They will show Social Awareness (Appreciating diversity and Respect for others) by experiencing music from different cultures that may not fit their predictions for how musical elements and emotions are related.
Steps
- Start by brainstorming a list of emotions that can be felt through music. Write on a whiteboard or chart paper with space next to each word. Try to group similar words together (i.e., anger, mad)
- Using another color marker, go back to each group of emotions and ask what clues students might hear in the music to know what emotion the music is communicating. This list can include many expressive elements such as tempo, dynamics, and pitch as well as specific instruments.
- Listen to 4 musical examples from different cultures but don’t tell students yet what occasion this music is used for. You can use any song you like or choose from the suggestions below. Share recordings of performances for different occasions: wedding, festival, holiday, patriotic, funeral, lullaby, war, etc.
- A note on choosing recordings: It is ok if you don’t know all of the elements of a country’s unique musical style. It is more important to represent a variety of cultures, especially those that represent your students. Be open with students that you are learning as well and that you are excited when they can be the experts in a new style of music.
- Consider sharing only the audio if you are using a video example so that students aren’t influenced by the images and have to use the musical clues to determine the emotions.
- After each song, analyze the musical clues (tempo, dynamics, pitch, instruments, etc.) and make a prediction of what type of occasion this music might be used for. Encourage students to give evidence with their reason. (For younger grades, encourage complete sentences. You can provide sentence starters such as “This music sounds like it would be at a ______________ because _______________.”
- After students make their prediction on a piece, reveal the occasion it would be used at. Ask if it matched their prediction? If not, can they make some guesses why it might be different?
Recording suggestions
- Native Wedding Dance by Melvin John, Moosachie Hills Canada YouTube Link
- Olympic Hymn, Official Olympic Anthem YouTube Link
- Dungdungwen kanto, Wedding Song/Lullaby from The Phillipines YouTube Link Translation Link
- Siman Tov U'mazal Tov, Wedding/Celebration song from Israel YouTube Link Translation Link
- La nòvia, Wedding Song from Occitania (Southern France) YouTube Link Translation Link
- Senzenina (Senzeni), Funeral and Protest Song from South Africa YouTube Link Translation Link
- Aijā žūžū lāča bērni, Lullaby from Latvia YouTube Link Translation Link
- Arrurú, Lullaby from Mexico YouTube Link Translation Link
- Er is een jarig hoera hoera, Birthday song from Belgium YouTube Link Translation Link
- La mulţi ani cu sănătate! Birthday song from Romania YouTube Link Translation Link
- 恭喜恭喜 (Gong Xi Gong Xi) Chinese New Year Song YouTube Link Translation Link
Debrief: Ask one or more of these questions:
- What is something you appreciated about doing this activity?
- What was challenging about it?
Modifications and variations:
Play four examples of music from one country, but for different occasions.
- Play four examples of music for the same occasion, but from four different countries.
Activity Three: (Optimistic Closing) Mix and Mingle
We can understand emotions from each other’s experiences
Time: 3-5 minutes
- When and why: Close the lesson with this activity to build community by encouraging participants to interact with each other and sets the expectation that everyone’s emotions and experiences are valued. (Adapted from SEL Playbook, p. 16.)
- SEL Focus: This activity builds Relationship Skills (Accurate Self-Perception and Social Engagement), as participants share their ideas and actively listen to divergent perspectives.
Steps
- On a whiteboard or piece of paper, ask participants to write down a response to a prompt related to the previous activities from the lesson. Examples: “What is a place that makes you feel happy?” “Where do you go to feel calm?” “What sound surprises you?”
- When you announce, “Mix and Mingle!” and turn on music, students move around the room.
- When the music stops, students find a partner near them. Help with pairing if needed.
- Partners share their responses, listen actively to each other, and ask a follow-up question. Example: “What about your room makes you happy?” “Why does the park make you feel calm?” “When do you usually hear the sound that surprises you?” (You may want to coach the class on follow-up questions with a few student leaders before starting the activity.)
- Start the music again and repeat with as many partners as time allows.
Debrief
- What were some of the things you appreciated about doing this activity?
- What was challenging about it?
- What SEL skills did you use?
Modifications and Variations
Use this activity at the beginning of class to prepare students for the content that will be
Lesson Two: We Can Understand Each Other’s Emotions
WA SEL Standard: Social Awareness, Social Engagement
- SEL.K-2.4A Demonstrates awareness of other people’s emotions, perspectives, cultures, languages, histories, identities, and abilities.
- SEL.K-2.4A.1 Identify emotions and perspectives expressed by others.
- SEL.K-2.6B.3 With adult assistance, I can positively and respectfully interact in peer and group activities and interactions.
WA Music Standard:
- Anchor 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
MU: Re9.1.1 With limited guidance, apply personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music for specific purposes
Age Range: Grades K-2
Duration: 25-35 minutes
Activity 1: (Welcoming/Inclusion Activity) Emotions look like/sound like, Maître d’ game
We can show different emotions with our faces, our bodies, and our voices.
Time: 4-7 minutes
- When and why: Open the lesson with this activity to build emotional vocabulary and encourage different viewpoints. Use this activity to prepare students for Lesson 1, Activity 2. (Adapted from SEL Playbook, p. 17.)
- SEL Focus: This activity provides opportunities for Social Awareness, Perspective-taking, and Respect for others.
Steps:
- Using a list of emotions, ask students to select 5 emotions they would like to focus on to perform today.
- Write the selected emotions on the board or chart paper to create an emotion menu. Only fill in the left column for now.
- Play the game “Maître d’” (p. 30 in SEL Playbook)
- Share that the vocabulary word maître d’ is a word in French that means “master of the house.” They are the person at a restaurant who is the head waiter and often takes reservations and leads you to your table.
- Students mingle while the music is playing.
- When the music stops the maître d’ calls out a table and number, for example: “Table for three!”
- Students quickly make their table of three. Students without a table walk up to the maître d’ and form a small group or are joined with the closest table.
- The maître d’ calls out an emotion from the menu. Students show the emotion with their body and make any sounds that match the emotion.
- Continue the game by calling out different size tables and different emotions off of the menu.
- After several rounds of the game, invite students back to their spots. Ask for suggestions of what each emotion looked like and sounded like and write the ideas on the menu.
Debrief:
- Ask students which emotion was the funniest at their table.
- Which emotion was the hardest to show?
Modifications and variations:
- Try the game maître d’ with pantomime. Explain that this is a silent restaurant so when an emotion is called out, students show the emotion with their body but can’t make a sound.
Activity 2: (Engaging Strategies) Emotions expressed through instruments, Turn and Talk
We can describe emotions using words and sounds
- Time: 15-20 minutes
- When and why: This activity can be used for instrument exploration and to provide all students a low-risk opportunity to perform alone.
- SEL Focus: During this activity, students show Self-Awareness (Identifying emotions) by connecting emotions with musical elements (dynamics, tempo, pitch) that can communicate these emotions.
Steps:
- Prior to the lesson, have a variety of instruments set out in a circle, rows or any formation that works for rotating between instruments. Create any combination with the instruments you have or allow students to help you select instruments they want in the ensemble.
Instrument suggestions include:
- Large drums: tubanos, djembes
- Hand drums with mallets
- Small percussion: wood blocks, maracas, egg shakers, guiros, rhythm sticks, etc.
- Barred instruments C Pentatonic Scale (remove all Fs and Bs): Xylophones, metallophones, bells
- Making connections: Ask the class to “Think about the emotions from the maître d’ game. We will be trying to communicate these same emotions on our instruments but won’t have our words or body language to communicate, only the sounds of the instruments. Take one minute to yourself and think if you had a drum or other percussion instrument, how you would play your instrument to make it sound like each emotion.”
- After a few moments of think-time, invite students to turn and talk with their partner to describe how they would play each emotion. They can also act out with their hands how they would play the instrument differently for each emotion.
- Go through the Emotion Menu and add student ideas of how they would play an instrument for each emotion in the “Sounds like “column.
- Invite students to move to the instruments already arranged in the room or hand out instruments in the manner that works best in your class.
- Go around the circle and ask each student to say any emotion and then demonstrate the sound. The class then copies that sound for 4 beats. They can choose from the menu, choose a new idea, or use an idea that has already been said. Example, “Angry sounds like this…” “Silly sounds like this…” Remind students that the sound of instruments may not change much with each emotion, but the physical motion of how they play it can also communicate the emotion.
Debrief
- How did you decide to play the instrument?
- What emotions were difficult to communicate on an instrument?
- Which emotions have a similar sound?
- What differences did you hear?
Modifications and variations
- This instrument activity can be a noisy one! If students struggle to stop playing after the 4-beat echo, try using a visual cue like bringing your hands together as a timer. Another option is having smaller groups echo.
- If you have a wide assortment of instruments, day one use only unpitched instruments. Day 2 use barred instruments.
Activity 3: (Optimistic Closing) “What emotion do you hear?” game
We can interpret each other’s emotions
- Time: 4-7 minutes
- When and why: Close the lesson with this activity to further apply the skills in lesson 2.2, giving students the opportunity to perform for the class and demonstrate their ability to play a variety of emotions on an instrument.
- SEL Focus: This activity helps students demonstrate Self-Awareness (Identifying emotions and Self-confidence)
Materials
- two drums for the performers
- whiteboards and markers or paper and pencils for all students
- emotions written on note cards or print and cut the emotion cards
Steps
- Prepare students for the game by asking a student to suggest an emotion and another student to tell you how to demonstrate it on the drum. With each emotion you demonstrate, point out a difference in how you played to communicate the emotion.
- Invite two volunteers to perform a secret emotion at the front of the room.
- Give each a drum and have them face the class.
- With your back to the class and facing the performers, hold up a secret emotion card.
- The two performers play what they think the emotion would sound like for approximately 8 -16 beats while students draw an emoji showing their guess.
- The performers each choose one person to take their place until every student has had a turn to perform.
Debrief
- Did you prefer performing or guessing?
- How does your energy feel after this activity?
Modifications and variations
- Rather than two drums, try one drum and one pitch instrument.
- Rather than two instruments, have one student use an instrument and one student pantomime the emotion.
- If there isn’t time for all students to perform, use it over several lessons until everyone has had a turn.
Lesson Three: We Can Express Emotions as an Ensemble
WA SEL Standard: Social Engagement
- SEL.K-2.6B.3 With adult assistance, I can positively and respectfully interact in peer and group activities and interactions.
WA Music Standard:
- Anchor 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
MU: Re9.1.1 With limited guidance, apply personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music for specific purposes
Age Range: Grade K-2
Duration: 30-40 minutes
Activity 1: (Welcoming/Inclusion Activity) Deedle, Deedle Dumpling Greeting Frenzy
We can collaborate with a partner on ideas to perform
Time: 5-7 minutes
- When and why: “Greeting Frenzy” lifts up the energy in the room and reinforces positive connections. (adapted from SEL Playbook, p. 12)
- SEL Focus: This activity helps students demonstrate Self-Awareness (Identifying emotions and Self-confidence)
Steps:
- Practice a short poem together.
- Practice again while keeping the steady beat (patting, clapping, etc.)
- Explain: “You will have 15 seconds to find a partner, say hello by name and decide together what motion you will do to keep the beat.”
- Use an agreed-upon attention signal to quiet the room and say the poem together. This could be something like four beats played on a drum, clapping a rhythm echo pattern, or counting “1,2, ready, go.”
- As the pairs all perform the poem with their motion, notice several students to highlight. “I noticed how student A and B kept the beat by tapping their toes. I noticed how student C and D were able to keep the beat while doing a chicken dance.” Encourage both the simple and silly movements.
- Repeat at least 4 times so that everyone gets a chance to be greeted by name by a variety of classmates.
Debrief:
- Ask students “How is your energy?”
- Do you notice a lift in the room? Why do you think that is?
Modifications and variations:
- Rather than wandering to find a partner, set up two concentric circles. Students go through the activity with the partner they are facing then the outer circle takes one step to the right to find their next partner. This will speed up the activity and ensure that everyone has a different partner each time.
Activity 2: (Engaging Strategies) Hey Diddle Diddle Variations
We can perform emotions as an ensemble
- Time: 20-25 minutes
- When and why: This activity can be used in any instrument exploration activity to help students experiment with emotions in music and elements of musical expression.
- SEL Focus: This activity builds Self-Awareness (Identifying emotions and Self-confidence), Responsible Decision-Making (Evaluating and reflecting) and Relationship Skills (Communication and teamwork) as participants identify emotions, demonstrate how to play them on an instrument and work together as a class to perform together.
Prior to the lesson, have a variety of instruments set out in a circle, rows or any formation that works for rotating between instruments. Create any combination with the instruments you have or allow students to help you select instruments they want in the ensemble.
Instrument suggestions include:
- Large drums: tubanos, djembes
- Hand drums with mallets
- Small percussion: wood blocks, maracas, egg shakers, guiros, rhythm sticks, etc.
- Barred instruments C Pentatonic Scale (remove all Fs and Bs): Xylophones, metallophones, bells
Performance note. If using barred instruments, guide students through different ways of performing: one note at a time, two notes together, notes that are close together, notes that are far apart, etc.
Steps:
- Practice a familiar poem or song that can represent different emotions.
Suggestion:
- After speaking the poem together several times, encourage students to think of what emotions could be felt by the characters in this poem. For example, “What character might be feeling scared?” “What character might be feeling silly?” “What character might be feeling joyful?” “What feeling do you think the dish and the spoon might have?”
- Practice the poem again as students clap the rhythm. (Match the syllables of each word.)
- Explain that we are now going to work as an ENSEMBLE, a group that performs together, to communicate each emotion with our instruments instead of our words.
- Move to the instruments in the circle or allow each student to bring an instrument back to their spot.
- Review with students some of the ways they communicated emotions on instruments during Lesson 2, Activity 2 and 3. Ask a student to name an emotion and show on their instrument how they would play (happy, sad, scared, silly, etc.) The class copies the example of the leader. Do this process for a few emotions. Consider asking if there is another way we could show each emotion. Example, “I notice how student A played MAD on their instrument by playing really loud. Does someone have an idea of another way we can play mad?”
- Ask a volunteer to choose a character and emotion. (Example: Silly like the dog. Scared like the cow.) The class all performs the rhythm of the poem on their instrument conveying the emotion that was suggested.
- After performing, have the whole class rotate instruments and ask a new volunteer to choose a character and an emotion. Repeat this process as many times as you like.
Debrief
- Is there an instrument that didn’t seem like it fits a certain mood?
- Is there an instrument that you wish we had that would have made our music sound more happy, sad, scared, etc.
Modifications and variations:
- If you have a wide assortment of instruments, day one use only unpitched instruments and day two use barred instruments.
- If the triple meter of “Hey Diddle Diddle” is a challenge for younger students, consider a poem in duple meter such as “Two, Four, Six, Eight.”
Activity 3: (Optimistic Closing) One-Minute Accolade
Celebrate our performance!
Time: 4-5 minutes
- When and why: Quick, meaningful, and informative! Use this activity immediately following a performance activity, such as “Hey Diddle Diddle Variations.” Musicians grow from reflecting on their own performance as well as the performance of others. (Adapted from SEL Playbook, p. 41.)
- SEL Focus: This activity focuses on Self-Awareness (Accurate Self Perception) as participants reflect on their learning and performing; Self-Management (Impulse Control) as they choose how to contribute and share airtime; and Social Awareness (Respect for Others) as they absorb the reflections that are shared.
Steps
- Inform the class that you will be setting a timer for one minute (or longer if time permits.) During that time, the group will see how many people they can hear from.
- Invite students to think silently for one minute about just ONE of the reflection questions provided. Reflection suggestions: Something you appreciated today. Something that went well today. Something you improved as the class time went on. Something you noticed a classmate working hard on. Something that you are grateful for. Tell them to raise their hand or give a thumbs up when they have their idea ready.
- Choose one topic to start with, for example “Something you appreciated today.” Select one person to start when the timer starts. After they share, students can chime in with their own idea. They do not have to wait to be called on, but they do need to pay attention to when the speaker is done and be mindful not to interrupt. Encourage students to mind their airtime so that many students can share.
- When the timer goes off, allow the student speaking to finish, and end the activity.
- Move to the next reflection question and choose a different student to share. Repeat the same process with the other reflection questions.
- It is ok if not everyone has a turn. This activity can be used frequently, and students will become more comfortable with the flow of sharing and listening.
Debrief
- As students transition to the next activity, encourage them to think about one thing that was shared that stood out to them.
- Encourage the students that shared to think how they can help other voices be heard next time.
Modifications and variations
- You can change the reflection prompts and the time limits in any way that suits your group.
- If you are noticing a few voices dominating the conversation, utilize those students as the timekeepers and facilitators. Empower them to invite other students into the conversation with questions like “student A, I am curious what you thought.”