TEACH Jolts of Joy

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are more than just behavior supports – they’re pathways to learning and success. By prioritizing wellbeing and happiness in BIPs, you can help create structure and consistency while also making space for joy, connection and resilience. With the right supports in place, students can feel empowered, successful and experience more happiness at school.

1. Provide context and background for the concept of positive emotions by verbally labeling the 10 positive emotions that your students exhibit. When you see [student name] exhibiting one of the 10 positive emotions (love, joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, awe, hope, pride, amusement, and inspiration) verbally say them out loud. “You look like you are so joyful!” – or – “That music looks like it makes you experience serenity.”
2. [Student name] will engage in a chosen activity to create positive emotions (e.g., deep breathing, gratitude journaling, drawing) in response to prompts or at times embedded into a daily schedule.
3. [Student name] will identify three activities or situations that consistently make them feel positive emotions and create a schedule to incorporate the activities each week.

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Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) ensure every student has access to the supports they need to thrive. When happiness and wellbeing is included and prioritized in IEPs, students are more likely to flourish in learning and in life. By shifting from a deficit-based approach to one of strengths and potential, IEPs can open doors to learning, connection and joy – at school and beyond.

1. [Student Name] will correctly label positive emotions in others (e.g., by interpreting facial expressions, tone of voice, or social context) in 4 out of 5 trials during role-play or peer interaction.
2. [Student Name] will describe one positive emotion they felt during the day and what they were doing when they felt the emotion (with support as needed).
3. [Student Name] will respond to a peer’s positive emotion by describing which emotion they see and what activity they think is leading to the emotion (e.g., “It looks like that game is bringing you joy!” or “You seem in awe during this part of the song!”) in 5 out of 10 opportunities during monitored social interactions.

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Bringing wellbeing to the forefront doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your classroom routine. By integrating happiness skills into what you’re already teaching, you can help students learn and practice happiness in simple, meaningful ways. From morning meetings and check-ins to reading, writing, and relationship-building, there are countless ways to make wellbeing part of everyday learning.

1. Are your students learning how to keep appointments? Practice Jolts of Joy by scheduling a Jolt of Joy appointment every day.
2. Are your students learning how to interact with their peers? Learn about a peer’s Jolt of Joy and deliver it to them.
3. Are your students learning to identify and self-regulate their emotions? Include the 10 positive emotions and their own jolts of joy in their learning.
4. During shared reading, label the positive emotions that characters are feeling, such as Awe when reading about a professional athlete and their ability or Amusement when someone tells a joke and others find it amusing.

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