Contributor:
Derek Issacs
Students participated in the following assembly for Valentine’s Day.
As Valentine’s Day is to do with the feelings of love, and red is the predominant colour, we called it Colour Me Red!
Fundamentally, it allows students to explore feelings through song, colours and personal statements on how to deal with specific negative feelings – although positive feelings are also included.
We chose Eurythmic songs (mainly because I am from that era, but your students could locate songs from the present music scene). I have included the lyrics or part of the lyrics that we sang.
Blue to equal sadness
Blue, the colour suits you
Cool blue
How can we stay this way forever
Blue again
It’s the lasting chill
To keep you cold as winter
How can I forget you baby
Never gonna give you up, up I said
How can I forget you darling?
Never gonna give you up, up I said
Here it comes again
Here it comes again
Here it comes again
Ohhhhhhh OW!!
Straight after the song, which was sang by all, a student would give a self-written speech about ‘feeling blue’, and how it is ok to ‘feel blue’, and of course, what to do when you are ‘feeling blue’.
The students sang: No Fear, No Pain, No Broken Hearts next
Well in the morning
When our day begins
And it feels like cold cold steel
And when the sun comes up
It’s like a new commotion
You say nobody told you
It would feel like this
No Fear, No Pain, No Broken Hearts
Give Me No Fear, No Pain no Broken Hearts
Another student would then talk about different aspects of love and colours associated with that, such as red etc.
Then another student spoke about how colours are associated with feelings: Red for love or anger; green for jealous/envy; etc.
Finally, students finished off with a small poem chanted in unison…
Colour me Red
Colour me Blue
Feelings for me
Feelings for you
Up and down
Left and right
Feel, feel feel
With all your might
At the end all shout
COLOUR ME RED!
Some students then went among the audience (classes), giving out red hearts with self-written messages of love on them.
Engaging the students in assembly practice gives lots of opportunities for the students to engage in discussions about feelings. As a teacher, it can open your eyes. The grand finale, the assembly itself, is magical if you put a lot of effort into practice and decoration.