Emotions and decision-making · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

When big feelings take the wheel

Personal & Social Development · Emotional Literacy · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Cooling off means pausing to feel calmer before making a choice that can wait.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. Which example shows a strong feeling influencing a harmful choice?

    • Feeling angry and throwing a controller across the room
    • Feeling calm and checking an answer before saying it aloud
    • Feeling curious and asking for more details about a lesson

  3. When you are upset, a small problem can seem...

    • Impossible to view differently after a pause
    • Harder to handle than it seems when calm
    • Unchanged by any feeling you might have

  4. Zoe is upset after a game. Her choice about staying on the team can wait. What would help her consider it?

    • Pause to feel calmer, then check her options
    • Quit at once so she never has to consider another option
    • Send a final quitting message before thinking about its effects

  5. After losing a game, Zoe feels angry and quits immediately without checking her options. What influenced this choice?

    • She compared every option and its effects before deciding
    • She waited until calm and asked her coach for advice first
    • Her anger influenced acting before checking her options

  6. You always see the same options in a situation, whether you feel angry or calm.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Priya feels hurt after being picked last. After cooling off, which thought leaves room to understand what happened?

    • Being picked last proves nobody will ever want me in any game
    • Feeling calmer proves that the choice could not have been unfair
    • I still feel hurt, but I can ask what happened before deciding

  8. Diego sends his friend an insulting text while furious, without pausing or considering how the words might hurt. Later he regrets hurting his friend. What should he reconsider?

    • Whether he should have sent more insults before his anger faded
    • How he responded without pausing to consider the harm
    • Whether every future reply should be delayed for exactly one hour
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

When big feelings take the wheel W1-mt_KA5j5OeGvw-s1

  1. True · A pause can help you feel calmer before checking your options and deciding.
  2. Feeling angry and throwing a controller across the room · The controller example pairs anger with throwing an object across the room. Throwing it could hurt someone or damage something. The other examples do not describe a harmful action.
  3. Harder to handle than it seems when calm · Jamal first sees the afternoon as ruined. Once calmer, he notices a way to rebuild.
  4. Pause to feel calmer, then check her options · A safe pause can help Zoe feel calmer. Then she can compare options and their likely effects.
  5. Her anger influenced acting before checking her options · The story says Zoe acts while angry without checking options. It does not say she waited or asked for advice.
  6. False · Feelings can influence which options you notice. Jamal notices rebuilding after he pauses.
  7. I still feel hurt, but I can ask what happened before deciding · Priya can still feel hurt and consider another step to take. Cooling off does not prove that the event was fair or harmless.
  8. How he responded without pausing to consider the harm · Both the insulting words and the rushed decision matter. A pause could help Diego check how his response might affect his friend.
Worksheet · LightMySky