Overview

• • Introduce Zones of regulation through conversation about emotions. This could look like brainstorming all emotions, showing facial expressions and having a student/class guess the emotion associated with it, or a prompt asking what emotions are okay to feel.

  • Zones provides students with a clear visual to understanding different quadrants of emotions. 

  • The key is for students to expand their emotional literacy to learn more emotions and to understand that all emotions are felt by everyone. Removing the stigma of "I should only be in green."

  • Introduce the Zones and the concept that it is acceptable to be in any zone but also requires the response of how they will return to the “Green Zone”

    1. Green = feeling good

    2. Blue = tired, sad, sick

    3. Yellow = anxious, nervous, worried

    4. Red = out of control

• This will lead into teaching students about coping strategies and what strategies work for them to move back into the green zone. 

Core Components

• • Emphasis on recognizing ALL emotions matter and you have permission to feel everything

  • Clear practice on sorting emotions into each of the color quadrants. 

    1. Green = feeling good, happy, calm, ready to learn

    2. Blue = tired, sad, sick

    3. Yellow = anxious, nervous, worried

    4. Red = out of control, livid

  • The students must have opportunity to practice recognizing and apply a strategy upon emotional state change. 

  • Process the emotions with someone they trust