Wyoming — Whether they’re bouncing with happiness or feeling down in the dumps, Parkview students are learning how to express and regulate their emotions with the help of a few animated characters.
Smiley Joy, blue Sadness, steaming Anger, slouchy Boredom and other colorful personas in the movies “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2” are sharing their Pixar-enhanced emotions through displays in the hallway and classrooms, T-shirts worn by staff and students, activities, literature and in how students reference their feelings.
“Emotions can be hard to understand, but the ‘Inside Out’ characters make it more easy to express feelings in different ways,” said third-grader Emma Johnson, noting she usually feels like the character Joy.
Added third-grader Alonzo Romero: “You can use your emotions for a lot of stuff. You can use joy for moving around, calm for doing stuff.”
The relatable characters fit perfectly with the district’s social-emotional learning program and Parkview’s year-long theme, “Growing from the Inside Out,” said Principal Brenna Fraser, who wore a purple T-shirt with the theme and characters on it.
Like the movies’ main character, Riley, students learn the importance of all emotions, not just positive ones. Doing so helps them better navigate the world and their learning, Fraser explained.
‘This is a whole layer that impacts academics. Belonging and engagement — you can’t separate those things.’
— Principal Brenna Fraser
An SEL Tool
Over the past few years, WPS elementary buildings have implemented RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER stands for the five tools of emotional intelligence: recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating.
“The connections in the movie are about those skills exactly,” Fraser said.
Components of RULER are woven into the school day. Students identify how they feel each morning on a mood meter, a color-coded graphic. With the addition of the ‘Inside Out’ characters, they learn about those emotions and good choices to make in response to them, she said. The overarching goal is to support student mental health.
“You learn better if you know what color you’re on,” explained fourth-grader Alessandra Monarrez.
Students like Alessandra speak about feelings in terms of colors. If they are in the green, for example, they are calm and peaceful; if they are in red they could be frightened or angry. And different shades of red, yellow, blue and green represent emotions as specific as repulsed, blissful and desolate.
“There’s a handful of emotions in the movie, but the mood meter is pretty comprehensive,” Fraser said, pointing out that students are learning to handle nuanced emotions beyond “happy,” “sad” and “mad” as they get older.
“As students grow, their mental health grows,” she said.
Students shared why their emotions matter and how they affect them as students.
“When you are happy, you are not grouchy and you actually do stuff faster,” said fourth-grader Lamar Aldridge.
‘Emotions can be hard to understand, but the Inside Out characters make it more easy to express feelings in different ways.’
— third-grader Emma Johnson
Building on a Theme
Second-grade teacher Angela Clum and several students presented on the “Growing from the Inside Out” theme at a recent Board of Education meeting.
Every month in Clum’s class, students learn about a specific emotion during a RULER lesson and discuss how to express and regulate that emotion. Referencing the animated characters is a good way to draw them in, Clum said.
“The ‘Inside Out’ theme ties in so well that we wanted to use it as a kid-grabber, to get them hooked and excited about being part of the school theme,” she said. “It gives kids excitement, a sense of belonging. They are a part of something that is fun and engaging, that they can really relate to at their own level, and really understand the relationship between those emotions and how they handle them.”
Students watched “Inside Out” last school year and will watch the sequel during National Reading Month in March, Clum said. Teachers are also tying literature to the “Growing from the Inside Out” theme, and a celebration at the end of the March will include activities tied to the movie.
A Tie to District-Wide Goals
“Growing from the Inside Out” is an extension of Parkview’s theme last year: “Let’s Grow Together.” The overall focus of both is building a culture of safety and belonging, Fraser said. That goal is part of the district’s strategic plan.
“This is a whole layer that impacts academics. Belonging and engagement — you can’t separate those things,” she said.
Fraser said that knowing how feelings affect all aspects of life is a lesson for everyone.
“All of us humans — and I can speak for myself — I’m a better person when I learn how to identify, analyze and manage my emotions,” she said. “We are learning as adults right along with our students.”
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