I love these emoji sticks, especially the little ones… they’re pretty cute. But they’re smart, too. And they’re perfect for reading discussions, writing workshop, class meetings, social-emotional lessons, and so much more.
I mean really … when are we not reacting emotionally to life? I feel like we talk about feelings all day long. (Is that just me?)
READING
During reading workshop (or even small guided reading groups), I use the large teacher emojis to introduce a specific feeling or reader-reaction, as well as to model my own thinking out loud. Once I’ve introduced an emoji, I give each child their own smaller version of that same emoji for a growing collection of emojis they can use during read-alouds. The emojis work for both fiction and nonfiction texts. And I really like them for kids who are less communicative and who struggle to participate verbally. The emoji sticks give them a safe, non-threatening way to respond to texts and share their feelings.
WRITING
I also love the idea of using the sticks during writing workshop as children learn to respond to their peers’ writing. Because this is much more personal than responding to an unknown adult author (as in reading workshop), I recommend using only the emojis that will lead to positive comments, such as happy, love, and funny. Once you’ve established a healthy community where constructive feedback is welcomed, you can introduce other emojis such as confused and surprised.
AND ALL THE FEELS…
I have used these during class meetings when we want to get a quick read on how everyone is feeling about a particular problem. It gives us a good baseline to see how the majority are feeling before we begin brainstorming possible solutions. Best of all, we’ve added them to some students’ personal calming kits. It gives young children a way to respond and communicate in the heat of experiencing big emotions, like fear, anger, and anxiety, especially when they’re feeling out of control and aren’t ready to speak.
It wouldn’t be too hard to make your own, but if you’d like a set that’s ready to print and use, you can find these materials HERE.
The set includes:
• a large teacher set
• a smaller version for student sets
• posters for teaching and building anchor charts
• an emoticon key
• black & white copies for students (as a lower-ink option)
You might also enjoy this related post: Calming Strategies for Young Children.
Happy teaching!
