100 WAYS TO SAY HAPPY, SAD, ANGRY & AFRAID - LEARNING OBJECTIVES, SEASONALITY, & AGE RANGE FAQs

WHAT ARE THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES OF THIS RESOURCE?

This resource is designed to help your tween move beyond superficial descriptions of emotions (including the adjectives 'happy', 'sad', 'angry' and 'afraid' themselves) towards more precise, and thus more nuanced, articulation.

These lists, therefore, are made up of near-synonyms: words that are close, but not identical in meaning. In particular, many of the words sit at different points along a scale of intensity. Compare the following sentences:

• Mia was exasperated by the mess in the living room.
• Mia was incensed by the mess in the living room.

In the first sentence, the word 'exasperated' tells us that Mia was rather cross or annoyed at the mess, but, in the second sentence, the word 'incensed' tells us that Mia's anger levels were much higher. Both sentences tell us that Mia was angry - but there is a distinct difference in the level of her anger depending on which word is chosen

The other key feature of these lists is that they draw students' attention to formal and informal means of expressing emotions. This is intended to encourage students to think about the broader context in which they use words and phrases. Consider the following pairs:

PAIR A

• "I hate waiting for my exam results; I'm terrified!" Tom told his best friend, Elana.
• "I hate waiting for my exam results; I'm having kittens!" Tom told his best friend, Elana.

PAIR B

• "I hate waiting for my exam results; I'm terrified!" Tom told the headteacher.
• "I hate waiting for my exam results; I'm petrified!" Tom told the headteacher.

In Pair A, the informal synonym, 'having kittens' is used in the informal context: talking to your best friend. Conversely, in Pair B, the formal synonym, 'petrified', is used in the formal context: talking to the headteacher.

By focusing on a mixture of formal and informal words and phrases, students will make better word selections, which, in turn will impact positively on their written and oral modes of expression.

IS THIS AN EVERGREEN OR SEASONAL RESOURCE?

Yes. This is an evergreen resource that you can use at any point during the school year. While the list isn't tied to a specific seasonal event or special day, it can be especially useful when your tween has just started, or is in the middle of, a creative writing task or unit of work.

CAN YOU PROVIDE FURTHER GUIDANCE REGARDING AGE RANGE & SUITABILITY?

The years and ages listed above are intended as recommendations only; please feel free to use this resource in any educational context that suits your needs.

100 WAYS TO SAY HAPPY, SAD, ANGRY & AFRAID - USING THIS RESOURCE FAQs

WHY ARE SOME WORDS & PHRASES MARKED AS INFORMAL? AND WHY SHOULD MY TWEEN KNOW THEM?

As noted above, the context in which words and phrases are used is important. Informal phrases like 'having kittens' or being 'cock-a-hoop' are perfect for an informal setting, like writing dialogue between friends in a story. However, such phrases should not be used in a formal letter or a factual report. By including a mixture of formal and informal language, this list helps students develop their knowledge of words and phrases that belong in each category.

I AM A PARENT: DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER USAGE SUGGESTIONS FOR ME?

Absolutely. The list is a good starting point for a range of extension activities. Here are a few suggestions:

• Build a Vocabulary Intensity Scale. Pick five words or phrases from a single emotion group and ask your tween to arrange them along a scale from mildest to most intense, or vice versa. There are enough words here to do this multiple times over within each of the four emotion groups. Alternatively, your tween could create three 'intensity buckets': gentle, moderate, and strong into which they place words and phrases from across all four groups.
• Hunt for Suffix Patterns. Go through each list and look at how the words end. Are there are any common suffixes? What are they? How many of each can your tween find? Are there any suffixes that are used in the list which are new to your tween? Looking at suffixes is a good way to focus on word formation as well as affixes and how they impact on meaning. Focusing on suffixes is also helpful for spelling work.
• Do Some Quick Dictionary Work. Look out for any words or phrases your tween hasn't met before. For instance, words like 'splenetic' and 'disconsolate' may be unfamiliar to your tween. Use words like these as the starting point for a focused dictionary session.
• Invent Backstories for the Informal Phrases. The informal entries are full of curious constructions: people who are happy are 'cock-a-hoop' or 'tickled pink' whereas people who are angry are 'in a lather' or 'hot under the collar'. Why? Ask your tween to invent imaginative — or even downright silly — explanations for how these phrases came to mean what they mean.
• Research Phrase Origins Online. As an alternative to backstory invention, or perhaps after, your tween has come up with their own ideas regarding the origin of some of the phrases, do some research online to see if you can find where these phrases actually come from.

HOW DO I USE THIS RESOURCE IN ITS PRINTED FORMAT?

There are several ways to use the printed version.

• Word Mat. Keep it on hand as a desk-side reference for your tween to consult while they're working on a piece of writing or reviewing a text.
• Page in Personalised Lexicon. If you already have a ring binder or a folder of word mats, or word lists, you may wish to add this sheet to it.
• Poster. Hang it as a poster as part of a word wall or learning wall display for easy reference in your classroom or at home.

HOW DO I USE THIS RESOURCE IN ITS DIGITAL FORMAT?

As with the printed format, the digital format of this resource can be used in various ways.

• A Digital Word Bank. The PDF can be opened on screen and kept open alongside the document your tween is working in. This works particularly well for laptop-based writing tasks.
• A Digital Vocabulary Check-List. With most PDF readers, your tween can also use the annotation tools to highlight words they want to remember, or tick off entries they've already learned or just used in an exercise.
• Classroom Projection Resource. If you are a teacher and want to use this resource in your classroom, consider projecting this PDF onto an interactive whiteboard during a creative writing lesson to use for whole-class brainstorming or group work.

Note: Given the vibrant nature of the full colour version of this resource, it works particularly well in its digital format.