Learning to Rise:

GETTING EMOTIONALLY HOOKED

See pages 249-251 in Dare to Lead.
Length: 30-45 minutes

Our Why:
We will learn how to recognize when we are emotionally hooked, identify our emotions, and get
curious about them so that we can reckon with our emotions instead of offloading our hurt onto
others. We do this so that we can better show up for ourselves and our classroom community.

Vocabulary:
Emotionally Hooked - the moment we recognize feeling something (ex. “Hey, something’s got me.”)
Cognition – our mental process of understanding thoughts, experiences, and senses
Affect – observable expression of emotion
Behavior – how we conduct ourselves; our actions

Materials:
Chart paper | Markers

Starting with the Learning Teacher Notes:

Connection for engagement: • Connection to Engagement: If it

• Ask students, “With a show of hands, how many of you have would be helpful for your class to
ever failed at something, made a mistake, or experienced have an example prior to having
feeling emotionally hurt at school?” Encourage students to them think of their own, feel free
see if they can come up with an example from school or to share one that you believe
with peers. your students would be able to
• “Take a few seconds to think of one example and keep that connect to.
in your mind. I may ask for a few people to share if you
feel comfortable, but remember, you do not have to share
this. I want you to think about the exact moment you felt
emotionally hooked. Feeling emotionally hooked is the
moment you realized, ‘Hey something’s got me.’”
• “What were some of the emotions that you experienced?
How was your body responding?” Have a few students
share their answers.

Copyright © 2019 by Brené Brown, LLC | All rights reserved | www.brenebrown.com/daringclassrooms

Submitted by: Esther Kwak, Erin Parker, Shelia Sutton, and LaNesha Tabb.

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• Have a chart paper ready to write on (or you can write on • Extension Activity:
a whiteboard or chalkboard). Work together as a class to ◦◦ Have students pick 2
create a list of emotions that the students know and are emotions to complete the
familiar with. same exercise but this
time on their own.
Mini-Lesson: ◦◦ First emotion: When I
• Share with students that it’s important to recognize when experience _____
we’re emotionally hooked because when we experience hard ◦◦ I am feeling _____
things, emotions drive us and our thoughts and actions (affect/emotion –
are tied up with it. If we do not get curious, that could lead How is my body
us to offload our hurt onto people around us. Being able responding? Where
to recognize when we’re hooked gives us the chance to get am I feeling it in my
curious. Here are a few examples of thoughts that indicate body?)
that we might be hooked: ◦◦ I am thinking
◦◦ “I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m coming out _____ (cognition
of my skin. – What are my
◦◦ I can’t stop playing that conversation over and over thoughts?)
in my head ◦◦ I do/act _____
◦◦ How did I end up eating a whole bag of chips? (behavior – What
◦◦ I feel _____ (disappointed, regretful, pissed, hurt, do I do?)
angry, heartbroken, confused, scared, worried, etc.) ◦◦ Second emotion: When
◦◦ I am _______ (in a lot of pain, feeling really I experience _____
vulnerable, in a shame storm, embarrassed, ◦◦ I am feeling _____
overwhelmed, in a world of hurt). (affect/emotion –
◦◦ My stomach is in knots. How is my body
◦◦ I wanna punch someone” (page 250 in Dare to Lead). responding? Where
• Ask, “So how do we get curious about our emotions? Let’s am I feeling it in my
work through a few examples.” Pick two of the emotion body?)
words from the list you created earlier with your class, and ◦◦ I am thinking
dig in deeper as a group to those feelings by completing these _____ (cognition
sentences: – What are my
◦◦ First emotion: When I experience _____ thoughts?)
◦◦ I am feeling _____ (affect/emotion – How is my ◦◦ I do/act _____
body responding? Where am I feeling it in my (behavior – What
body?) do I do?)
◦◦ I am thinking _____ (cognition – What are my
thoughts?)
◦◦ I do/act _____ (behavior – What do I do?)
◦◦ Second emotion: When I experience _____
◦◦ I am feeling _____ (affect/emotion – How is my
body responding? Where am I feeling it in my
body?)
◦◦ I am thinking _____ (cognition – What are your
thoughts?)
◦◦ I do/act _____ (behavior – What do you do?)

Lesson Closing:
• Review with students what it means to be emotionally
hooked and why it is important that we are able to
recognize it.

Copyright © 2019 by Brené Brown, LLC | All rights reserved | www.brenebrown.com/daringclassrooms

Submitted by: Esther Kwak, Erin Parker, Shelia Sutton, and LaNesha Tabb.

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Moving from Knowledge to Daily Practice

• Consider having a poster in the room that will help students recognize when they
are emotionally hooked. Allow that to become part of your classroom language so
that students can begin to recognize when they may need to get curious about their
emotions.
• Revisit this lesson when something happens at the school or within your class where
emotions may be driving thoughts and/or actions.

Copyright © 2019 by Brené Brown, LLC | All rights reserved | www.brenebrown.com/daringclassrooms

Submitted by: Esther Kwak, Erin Parker, Shelia Sutton, and LaNesha Tabb.

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