Renai Elementary School, Taipei City—Playing with Ink Painting of Emotions

This class combines ink painting, olfactory experience, and SEL (Sentence Emotional Education). After the artwork is completed, the English teacher will play a guessing game in class, appreciate the students' creations together, and introduce the English words for emotions.

Emotions are a key factor affecting life and learning. Older students face varying pressures from academics, peers, and family relationships. Managing emotions can help them learn better and lead healthier lives. Our school has long incorporated EQ (emotional intelligence) courses into morning activities, organized by parent volunteers. In addition, in the past two years, our English and art teachers have visited Mark Day School in California, sharing many SEL (Small English Language) tools and techniques. This inspired our teachers to rethink our curriculum, hoping to provide students with more SEL learning experiences in formal classes, leading to this particular lesson.

The curriculum design begins with scent as a guide, finding the connection between scent and memory. It then explores feelings within those memories, discovering that everyone has different preferences for scents and different ways of expressing emotions, thus fostering respect and empathy for others. At the beginning of the semester, the science class also explores the structure and function of plants, with the science teacher sharing information on the extraction of plant essential oils to supplement scientific literacy. The visual arts class teaches the nuances of ink wash painting, its varying shades and wetness, and the expression of lines, attempting to convey abstract emotions through ink wash elements and watercolor colors. Through artistic expression, English teachers and students appreciate different creations, and the interpretation of English words allows students to reconnect with self-awareness and social awareness from SEL education, thereby learning emotional management and responsible behavior.

# Visual Arts, Nature, Olfactory Experience, Ink Painting, SEL Emotional Education, International Education, English