Emotional Navigation Teacher Guide Emotional Navigation
Teacher Facilitation Guide • 8th Grade Social-Emotional Learning
Duration: 25 Minutes
Topic: Divorce & Emotions
Learning Objective
Students will identify and name at least three emotions they are experiencing related to their parents' divorce using a feelings chart and volcano metaphor.
Essential Concepts
DIVORCE COMPLEX EMOTIONS HEALTHY EXPRESSION CONFIDENTIALITY
Materials Needed
Heart & Head Slides
Feeling Faces Reference
Feelings Volcano Worksheet
Colored pencils/Markers
Instructional Arc
05
MIN
Confidentiality & Check-In
Establish a "Brave Space." Remind students that what is shared here stays here, unless someone is in danger.
"We're going to talk about some heavy stuff today. It's okay to feel whatever you're feeling. Let's agree that this room is a safe vault for our stories."
05
MIN
What is Divorce?
Define divorce briefly as a change in family structure, not a failure. Use the "Two Homes, One Heart" concept.
It is a grown-up problem, not the child's fault.
Change is hard, and it's okay to grieve the way things were.
10
MIN
Mapping Your Feelings
Distribute the Feeling Faces Reference and Feelings Volcano Worksheet .
Have students identify "surface" emotions (what others see) vs. "underground" emotions (what's deep inside).
Walk around to offer quiet support. Look for students who might be overwhelmed.
05
MIN
Coping & Reflection
Introduce the "Box Breathing" or "5-4-3-2-1" grounding technique. Close with a brief reflection.
"Feelings are like weather—they come and go. You are the mountain, steady and strong, even when the storm hits."
Facilitation Tips
Potential Triggers
Students may feel defensive or guilty. If a student becomes visibly upset, allow them to step into a designated "cool down" corner or see the school counselor immediately.
Encouraging Participation
Normalize the spectrum of emotions. "It's normal to feel relieved, or angry, or nothing at all right now. All of it is valid."
Feeling Faces Reference Feeling Faces Reference
A tool to help identify and name complex emotions.
😔
SAD
Feeling low, heavy, or tearful.
😠
ANGRY
Feeling frustrated or treated unfairly.
😟
WORRIED
Thinking about what might happen next.
😰
OVERWHELMED
Feeling like there is too much to handle.
💔
HURT
Feeling emotional pain or rejection.
😶
NUMB
Feeling nothing at all; "shutting down."
😵💫
CONFUSED
Not understanding why things are changing.
🤫
GUILTY
Thinking you caused the situation.
😌
RELIEVED
Glad that fighting or tension has stopped.
👤
LONELY
Feeling alone in your experience.
🤷
INDIFFERENT
Just "going with the flow" for now.
😤
RESENTFUL
Feeling bitter about the changes.
"It is possible to feel many of these at the exact same time. That's called being human."
Feelings Volcano Worksheet My Feelings Volcano
Mapping the internal terrain of change
Name:
Date:
The Metaphor
Sometimes, feelings are like a volcano. At the top (the smoke ), there's what people see on the outside. But deep inside (the magma ), there are the feelings that stay hidden or feel harder to talk about.
Surface Feelings (What others see)
Underground (Hidden)
1. Look at your "Underground" feelings. Which one is the hardest to name? Why?
2. Who is one "Safe Person" you can talk to when the volcano feels ready to erupt?
Heart and Head Slides Heart & Head Navigation
Understanding Changes & Naming Our Feelings
A Safe Space for Every Story
The Vault
What is shared here...
Stays in this room. We respect each other's privacy and stories.
The Exception
"I only break this rule if I am worried about your safety or the safety of others."
What's Happening?
A Structural Change
Families change shape, but they are still families.
Not Your Fault
Divorce is a grown-up decision about grown-up issues.
Normal to Grieve
It's okay to miss the way things used to be.
The Feelings Volcano
1
The Smoke
What we show the world (Anger, humor, silence).
2
The Magma
What's deep inside (Confusion, fear, guilt).
🌋
Let's Map It Out
Steady the Mountain
Box Breathing
In for 4...
Hold for 4...
Out for 4...
Hold for 4...
"When the volcano feels full, your breath is the pressure valve."
Final Thought
You don't have to carry the heavy stuff alone.
Your feelings are real, they are valid, and they are yours.
End of Lesson