Using Emotional Perspective Productively1

Te Whāinga
This activity helps students to identify how characters handle their emotions productively, that is, in a useful,
positive way. It also offers the opportunity to enrich students’ personal vocabulary for describing their
emotional responses.

Ngā Rautaki Whakaaro

Describing, labelling, problem solving.

He Kupu Matua mō te Mahi

Whakamārama, kiripuaki, kare-ā-roto, whakawhiti whakaaro, whakatau.

Te Mahi
Students discuss in groups how characters/people handle their emotions productively, and discuss how they
might solve problems by handling their own emotions productively. Introduce this activity by starting with a
well-known story that all the students are familiar with and work through the process together before you
have students work with a partner or small group to apply this activity to another story.

He Rauemi Tautoko
A copy of a narrative or recount text that describes characters/people handling their emotions productively;
for example, by exhibiting self-control or attending and responding to the feelings of others.

Te Ara Tohutohu
1. Discuss with students the purpose of this activity – to describe how characters handle their emotions
productively.
2. Share the text.
3. Have students turn to a friend and ask them to describe the behaviour of the characters and label the
types of emotion portrayed, e.g. compassion, patience, sympathy, etc.
4. Have some students share their responses with the whole group.
5. Ask students to discuss why they think these characters behaved in these ways and whether they have
used their emotions in similarly productive ways. Students describe these situations to their partners.
6. Have pairs combine to form groups of 4.
7. Pose an authentic problem and have each group discuss how it might be solved through the application of
similar productive emotions.
8. Have each group share their responses with the whole class.

1 Adapted from D. Whitehead (2001, p. 84).