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Building Emotional Bridges

Lesson Plan

Building Emotional Bridges Lesson Plan

Students will identify and articulate a variety of emotions, practice empathy through storytelling and role-play, and develop skills to recognize and support peers’ feelings.

Building emotional literacy and empathy fosters strong peer relationships, improves communication, and supports students’ social–emotional development, creating a positive classroom environment.

Audience

Grades 3–5 Students

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, collaborative activities, and reflective assessment.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials and Review Standards

15 minutes

Step 1

Introduction to Emotions

10 minutes

  • Display Slide 1 of the Building Emotional Bridges Slide Deck and introduce the concept of emotions.
  • Show a selection of Emotion Word Cards and invite volunteers to read them aloud.
  • Facilitate a discussion: “When have you felt this emotion? What did your body feel like?”
  • Record student examples on chart paper for reference.

Step 2

Emotion Word Mapping

10 minutes

  • Distribute remaining Emotion Word Cards to each small group.
  • In groups, sort cards into Positive, Negative, or Mixed emotions.
  • Each group shares one card and explains their reasoning.
  • Teacher highlights new vocabulary and adds synonyms on the chart.

Step 3

Storytelling Activity

15 minutes

  • Hand out the Storytelling Prompt Worksheet.
  • Read a sample prompt (e.g., “A time I felt proud.”).
  • Students write a short story naming the emotion, describing the situation, and noting emotional cues.
  • Circulate to support writers and offer sentence starters or graphic organizers as needed.

Step 4

Role-Play Activity

15 minutes

  • Form new pairs and distribute Role-Play Scenario Cards.
  • Pairs plan a 1-minute skit that clearly expresses the assigned emotion.
  • Encourage use of facial expressions, tone, and body language.
  • After each performance, peers identify the emotion and share an empathic response.

Step 5

Assessment & Reflection

10 minutes

  • Give each student two sticky notes.
  • On one note, write a new emotion word learned; on the other, one way to support a friend’s feelings.
  • Post notes on the “Emotion Bridge” chart.
  • Review common themes and clarify misunderstandings.
  • Collect the Storytelling Prompt Worksheets as exit tickets for assessment via rubric or observation.

Step 6

Differentiation Strategies

Throughout Lesson

  • Provide sentence starters, word banks, or graphic organizers for writers who need support.
  • Allow students to express stories via drawing or talking for varied learners.
  • Pair English learners with supportive peers and use visual emotion cards as cues.
  • Offer extended time or simplified prompts for students who need it.
  • Challenge advanced students with additional emotion words or more complex scenarios.
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Slide Deck

Building Emotional Bridges

Welcome! Today we’ll explore our feelings and learn how to understand and support each other.

Welcome students! Introduce yourself and today’s goals: identifying emotions, practicing empathy, and building connections. Emphasize why understanding feelings is important.

What Is an Emotion?

An emotion is a feeling that tells us how we react to something.

Examples:
• Happiness
• Sadness
• Surprise
• Anger

Ask volunteers: “What does an emotion feel like? When have you felt this?” Record examples on chart paper.

Emotion Word Cards

happy 😊
excited 🎉
proud 🏅
sad 😢
scared 😨
frustrated 😤

Show each Emotion Word Card with a matching icon. Pass out sample cards and have students read aloud.

Emotion Word Mapping

Instructions:

  1. Sort your Emotion Word Cards into:
    • Positive emotions
    • Negative emotions
    • Mixed emotions
  2. Share one card and explain your choice.

Divide the class into small groups. Encourage discussion about why each word is positive, negative, or mixed.

Storytelling Activity

  1. Choose a prompt:
    • A time I felt proud.
    • A time I felt nervous.
  2. Write a short story:
    – Describe the situation
    – Name the emotion
    – Share cues you noticed in yourself or others.

Read a sample prompt and story aloud. Offer sentence starters to those who need support.

Role-Play Activity

  1. Pair up and pick a Scenario Card.
  2. Prepare a 1-minute skit showing the emotion clearly.
  3. Perform and let peers guess the feeling and respond with empathy.

Model a brief skit first. Remind students to focus on facial expressions, tone, and body language.

Reflection & Exit Ticket

On a sticky note, write:

  1. One new emotion word you learned.
  2. One way you can support a friend’s feelings.

Post on the “Emotion Bridge” chart.

Remind students to be specific in their notes. Collect worksheets as exit tickets for assessment.

Thank You!

Great job today! Keep noticing and sharing emotions with others.

Praise their hard work. Encourage them to practice noticing emotions every day. Give a preview of the next lesson.

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Activity

Emotion Word Cards Activity

These cards will be used in the Emotion Word Mapping activity. Print, cut, and distribute them to students.

Cards (word + icon):

• happy 😊



• excited 🎉



• proud 🏅



• loved ❤️



• sad 😢



• scared 😨



• frustrated 😤



• angry 😠



• nervous 😬



• surprised 😮



• confused 🤔



• embarrassed 😳

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Worksheet

Storytelling Prompt Worksheet

Name: ________________________ Date: ___________

1. Choose a prompt

• A time I felt proud.

• A time I felt nervous.

• A time I felt surprised.

• A time I felt ________.



2. Graphic Organizer

  1. What happened in this situation?






  2. The emotion I felt was:






  3. What I noticed (cues in myself or others):






  4. Something I learned about my feelings or others’:






3. Write Your Story

Use your answers from the organizer to write a short story. Describe the setting, name the emotion, and include feelings and details.



















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Activity

Role-Play Scenario Cards Activity

Print, cut, and distribute one card to each pair. Pairs plan a 1-minute skit showing the feeling in the scenario. Peers will guess the emotion and offer an empathic response.

Scenario Cards

• You just found a surprise gift in your locker on your birthday.


• You lost your favorite toy right before bedtime.


• You’re about to give a book report in front of the class.


• You scored the winning goal in a soccer game.


• A friend accidentally spills juice on your art project.


• You hear a strange noise in your room at night.


• You realize you forgot to do your homework and the teacher just called on you.


• You see someone sitting alone at lunch and decide to invite them to join you.


• You get a part in the school play you really wanted.


• You find out a classmate spread a rumor about you.


• You try a new food and it tastes strange.


• You trip and fall in front of your classmates during recess.

Instructions

  1. Choose (or be assigned) one card.
  2. Read the scenario and decide which emotion to show (happy, sad, excited, proud, loved, scared, frustrated, angry, nervous, surprised, confused, or embarrassed).
  3. Plan your skit: think about facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language.
  4. Perform for the class. After your skit, classmates guess the emotion and share one thing they could say or do to support you in that feeling.
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