Session 1 Teacher Script

Introduction (2 minutes)

Teacher (smiling, welcoming children into the circle):
“Good morning, friends! I’m so happy to see you today. Let’s come sit down in our special circle spot—criss-cross applesauce, hands in our laps. Today we have something very important to learn: FEELINGS!”

Show slide 1 of Session 1 Slide Deck.

Teacher:
“Feelings are how we know what’s happening inside our hearts. When we understand our feelings, we can share them with our friends and teachers. Can anyone show me a happy face?”

(Wait for volunteers to make a happy face; if none, model loudly.)

Teacher:
“Wow, I see great happy faces! A happy face looks like this.” (Make a big smile.)

Show slide 2 of Session 1 Slide Deck.

Teacher:
“This slide reminds us why we talk about feelings. We name our feelings so others can help us and we can help our friends!”

Story Time (4 minutes)

Teacher (holding up Story: The Color Monster):
“Now I’m going to read a story about a funny monster who feels lots of different feelings.”

Begin reading “The Color Monster,” pausing at each page:

• When the monster feels happy, pause and ask, “What color do you see? How does the monster look?”
• When the monster feels sad, ask, “How is the monster’s face? Can you make a sad face with me?”
• When the monster feels angry, say, “He looks mad! Can you stomp your feet like the monster?”
• When the monster feels scared, whisper, “Shh… the monster is frightened. Can you make a scared face?”

Encourage children to notice the picture and name the feeling each time.

Discussion (2 minutes)

Show one Emotion Matching Cards at a time.

Teacher:
“Who can tell me what feeling this is?”

(Child responds.)

Teacher:
“That’s right—it's angry! When you feel angry, your eyebrows might scrunch down and your lips might pucker. Great job!”

Repeat with happy, sad, and scared cards, offering praise for each correct answer.

Interactive Activity (3 minutes)

Teacher (handing each child one random card):
“I’ve given each of you an emotion card. I will call out a feeling, and you will find your matching friend who has the same feeling card. Let’s try!”

Call out:

• “Show me your happy card!”
• “Show me your sad card!”
• “Show me your angry card!”
• “Show me your scared card!”

After each call, children hold up and show their cards; teacher moves around praising pairs:
“Great job, friends! You found the happy team!”

Game: Emotion Freeze Dance (3 minutes)

Teacher (starting music):
“Now it’s time to dance! When the music plays, dance however you like. When I stop the music, I’ll show an emotion card, and you’ll freeze making that face!”

Play upbeat music. After 10–15 seconds, stop the music and hold up a random card from Emotion Matching Cards. Name the emotion loudly:
“Sad!”

Children freeze in a sad face. Praise:
“I love those sad faces! Can someone show me whose face looks like they’re missing someone?”

Repeat for 2–3 rounds, varying emotions.

Cool Down (1 minute)

Guide attention to the Belly Breathing Song Poster.

Teacher (in a calm voice):
“Friends, let’s take a big, calm breath together. Belly breathe with me: in through the nose… (hands on bellies) and out through the mouth.”

Lead one round of the breathing song tune. End with:
“Thank you for using calm bodies and quiet voices. You did amazing today talking about feelings!”

(End of Session 1)

Story: The Color Monster

Summary:
The Color Monster wakes up feeling all jumbled—his emotions are mixed together, and he doesn’t know why he feels so strange. A caring girl helps him sort each feeling into its own color-coded jar:

• Yellow for happiness
• Blue for sadness
• Red for anger
• Black for fear
• Green for calm
• Pink for love

As each feeling finds its jar, the Color Monster notices how each emotion looks and feels inside him. By the end, he’s much calmer and understands his feelings better.

Key Vocabulary:

• Emotion
• Happy
• Sad
• Angry
• Scared
• Calm
• Love

Discussion Questions:

1. Which color jar did the girl use for happiness?
   
   
   
2. How did the Color Monster feel before his emotions were sorted?
   
   
   
3. Can you point to or name a time you felt angry or sad?
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Which feeling jar would you choose if you felt scared?
   
   
   

Feel free to revisit this story whenever you need help sorting your feelings!

Session 1 Discussion Guide

Purpose

Reinforce the identification of four basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared), connect the story of Story: The Color Monster to students’ own experiences, and build empathy and self‐awareness.

Materials

• Story: The Color Monster
• Emotion Matching Cards
• Session 1 Slide Deck
• Open floor space or circle seating

Classroom Norms

• One person speaks at a time.
• It’s safe to share any feeling—no wrong answers.
• We listen with our eyes and ears and respond with kindness.

Discussion Steps

1. Warm‐Up (2 minutes)

1. Gather children in a circle.
2. Remind: “Yesterday we read about the Color Monster who felt many emotions mixed up.
   Who can remind us what happened when his feelings got sorted into jars?”
3. Prompt with the slide deck: show slide 7 (Story Time transition) to anchor the conversation.

Teacher asks:
“Which color jar held sadness, and how did the monster look on that page?”

Follow-up:

• “How do you think the monster felt after sorting his feelings?”
  
  
  

2. Emotion Identification (4 minutes)

1. Shuffle the Emotion Matching Cards and hold up one card at a time.
2. For each card, ask:
   • “What feeling is this?”
   • “How can you tell by the face?”
   • “Can you show us your best [happy/sad/angry/scared] face?”
     
     
     

Follow-up Prompts:

• “Who else wants to try making that face?”
• “When might you feel this way at school or home?”
  
  
  

3. Personal Connection (4 minutes)

1. Invite volunteers: “Tell us about a time you felt angry. What happened?”
2. After each share, reflect:
   • “That sounds hard. What did you do next?”
   • “How did you feel after you talked about it or took a break?”
     
     
     

Follow-up:

• “Can anyone share something you do when you feel scared?”
• “How might you help a friend who looks scared?”
  
  
  

4. Empathy & Coping (3 minutes)

1. Pose a scenario: “Imagine your friend is crying because they miss their mom. Which card would you show them?”
2. Have children pick the sad card and demonstrate: “What could you say or do to help them feel better?”
   
   
   

Teacher models:

• “I might say, ‘I’m here with you.’ Or we could sit together and sing our belly‐breathing song.”

5. Reflection & Closure (2 minutes)

1. Recap: “Today we learned four feelings: happy, sad, angry, scared. We saw them in our story and in our faces.”
2. Ask: “Which feeling was easiest to show? Which one felt new or tricky?”
   
   
   
3. Link to cool down: “Whenever our feelings feel too big, we can do belly breaths. Let’s practice one together as a class.”
4. Lead one round of deep belly breathing to the tune on the Belly Breathing Song Poster.

Teacher Tips

• Provide wait time after each question so all children can think.
• Use praise generously: “Thank you for sharing!” or “I love how you showed your feelings.”
• Validate every contribution: “That’s a great example.”
• If a child is shy, invite them gently: “Would you like to show us a happy face? You can whisper your answer or just make a face.”
• Keep the tone calm and warm—model attentive listening to foster safety.

End of Discussion

Session 1 Activity: Emotion Match-Up

Objective

Students will practice identifying and labeling emotions by finding a classmate who has the same emotion card. This builds recognition skills, peer interaction, and vocabulary reinforcement.

Materials

• Emotion Matching Cards

Preparation (1 minute)

• Shuffle the deck of Emotion Matching Cards.
• Distribute one card face-down to each child.

Activity Steps (3 minutes)

1. Reveal & Read
   On your cue, children flip over their card and look at the face.
   Teacher: “Let’s find out which emotion we have! Show me your card and say the word: ‘Happy,’ ‘Sad,’ ‘Angry,’ or ‘Scared.’”
2. Find Your Match
   Teacher: “Now that you know your emotion, stand up and find a friend who has the same feeling card as you.”
   • Children move around the circle area and show each other their cards.
   • When two children match, they pair up and sit together.
3. Partner Share
   Once paired, teacher prompts:
   “Talk with your partner: Tell them one time you felt your emotion.”
   • Allow pairs to share for 30–45 seconds.
   • Circulate and listen; offer praise: “Great sharing!”
4. Classwide Check-In
   Teacher calls out each emotion one at a time:
   “Friends who felt sad today, stand up!”
   • Those pairs stand, show their cards, and wave.
   • Teacher praises the group: “I see our sad friends. Thank you for sharing!”
   • Repeat for happy, angry, and scared.

Extension & Variation

• Group Count: After matching, have each emotion group count how many friends share that feeling.
• Drawing Faces: Give each child a small paper to draw their matched emotion face.

Teacher Tips

• Encourage gentle movement: “Walk softly so we keep everyone safe.”
• Offer sentence frames: “I felt [emotion] when ______.”
• Support shy learners by pairing them first or offering to model sharing.

This quick match-up helps children identify emotions in themselves and others, strengthening self-awareness and empathy!

Game: Emotion Freeze Dance

Objective

Children will practice identifying and expressing emotions by freezing in a corresponding facial expression when the music stops. This reinforces emotion vocabulary, self‐awareness, and self‐regulation through a fun, active game.

Materials

• Music player (with kid‐friendly, upbeat songs)
• Emotion Matching Cards (laminated or on sturdy cardstock)

Setup (1 minute)

1. Clear an open space where children can safely move and dance.
2. Shuffle the Emotion Matching Cards and place them face‐down in a stack within easy reach of the teacher.

How to Play (3 minutes)

1. Start Dancing
   • Teacher: “When the music plays, everyone dances wildly and shows me happy, silly, or calm moves!”
   • Play upbeat music and encourage children to move freely around the space.
2. Freeze & Show Emotion
   • After about 10–15 seconds, pause the music.
   • Teacher quickly draws the top card from the Emotion Matching Cards stack and holds it up for the class without naming it yet.
   • Teacher names the emotion aloud: “Freeze in a sad face!”
   • Children immediately stop dancing and make their best sad face and body posture (e.g., shoulders drooped, head tilted).
3. Identify & Praise
   • Teacher: “Great job freezing in a sad face! I see so many droopy shoulders.”
   • Allow a few children to share why they chose that face or how their body felt when they froze.
4. Repeat Rounds
   • Resume the music and repeat steps 1–3 for each emotion (happy, sad, angry, scared). Aim for 4–5 freeze rounds in total.

Variations & Extensions

• Emotion Charades: Instead of naming the emotion, have children guess which emotion the teacher is holding before freezing.
• Partner Freeze: When the music stops, children find a partner and freeze together showing the same emotion.
• Emotion Mirror: After freezing, children pair up and mirror each other’s frozen emotion posture for 10 seconds.

Teacher Tips

• Model each facial expression and posture before playing to set clear expectations.
• Keep rounds short and energetic—avoid long pauses.
• Use enthusiastic praise: “I love how you showed me an angry stomp!”
• Encourage children who are shy by calling on volunteers gently: “Jamie, can you show us your big happy face?”

This dynamic freeze‐dance game helps children connect movement, facial cues, and emotion vocabulary in a joyful, memorable way!

Session 1 Cool Down: Belly Breathing

Objective

Help students transition to a calm state by practicing deep belly breaths, reinforcing self‐regulation and quiet bodies after active play.

Materials

• Belly Breathing Song Poster
• Optional: soft instrumental music

Steps (1 minute)

1. Gather & Settle
   • Guide children to sit comfortably in the circle with hands on their bellies.
   • Whisper: “Let’s get our bodies quiet and our minds calm.”
2. Introduce the Poster
   • Show the Belly Breathing Song Poster and point to the visual steps.
   • Say: “We’re going to sing our special belly‐breathing song as we breathe deep.”
3. Lead the Breaths
   • Sing or chant the tune:
     “Belly, belly, big and strong—(inhale)
     Belly, belly, let it go—(exhale)”
   • Inhale slowly through the nose, feeling bellies rise.
   • Exhale gently through the mouth, feeling bellies fall.
   • Repeat 3 times in unison, matching the poster’s visuals.
4. Close with Praise
   • Whisper or speak softly: “Wonderful job calming your bodies. You are all super calm explorers!”
   • Encourage a silent high‐five or thumbs‐up to the class.

End of Session 1 Cool Down