Lesson Plan
Emotional Literacy Map
Students will learn to identify and label common emotions by decoding facial expressions and body language, then practice empathetic responses through interactive games and discussions.
Developing emotional literacy helps 5th graders build empathy, improve peer interactions, and navigate social situations more confidently, supporting an inclusive classroom.
Audience
5th Grade Class
Time
40 minutes
Approach
Interactive games, mapping, and guided discussion.
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Print and cut out Emoji Charades Cards.
- Download and review Faces & Feelings Slide Deck.
- Print and assemble Emotion Matching Game Kit.
- Print or display Real-Life Scenarios Discussion Prompts.
- Familiarize yourself with the Emotional Literacy Map objectives and layout.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Emoji Charades
5 minutes
- Explain the rules: students act out an emotion without words.
- Students draw one card from the Emoji Charades Cards.
- Classmates guess the emotion and name it verbally.
- Highlight key nonverbal cues (facial expression, gesture).
Step 2
Introduction: Faces & Feelings
8 minutes
- Present slides from the Faces & Feelings Slide Deck.
- Show images of diverse faces expressing different emotions.
- Ask students to identify each emotion and name visual cues.
- Discuss how tone and posture add context.
Step 3
Mapping Activity: Emotional Literacy Map
8 minutes
- Distribute the Emotional Literacy Map.
- In pairs or individually, students list emotions, draw matching facial expressions, and note body-language cues.
- Teacher circulates to support vocabulary and understanding.
Step 4
Activity: Emotion Matching Game
10 minutes
- Divide students into small groups of 3–4.
- Provide each group with the Emotion Matching Game Kit.
- Students match emotion words to picture cards or scenario cards.
- Groups explain why each match fits, reinforcing cue recognition.
Step 5
Discussion: Real-Life Scenarios
9 minutes
- Read aloud prompts from the Real-Life Scenarios Discussion Prompts.
- For each scenario, ask: “What might the person feel? What cues tell you that?”
- Guide students to suggest empathetic responses using “I” statements.
- Summarize key emotion words and empathy strategies.
Slide Deck
Faces & Feelings
In this lesson, we’ll learn to:
• Identify common emotions on people’s faces
• Spot visual cues in eyes, mouth, eyebrows
• Discuss how expressions link to feelings
Welcome students! Today we’ll explore how faces show feelings. Explain that reading expressions helps us understand friends better.
What Is an Emotion?
An emotion is a feeling we experience inside, like happy, sad, or surprised.
Why it matters:
• Helps us understand ourselves
• Helps us connect with friends
Define emotion and stress why recognizing them helps us empathize.
Spot the Emotion
Look at these faces. What emotion do you see?
[Image Grid: 6 faces showing different emotions]
Write or say the name of each feeling.
Show a grid of diverse face images (happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, calm). Ask students to call out the emotion.
Facial Cues
Eyes: widened for surprise, squinting for suspicion
Eyebrows: raised when curious, knitted when angry
Mouth: smile for happiness, frown for sadness
Highlight key facial features: raised eyebrows for surprise, downturned mouth for sadness, furrowed brows for anger.
Body Language Matters
Posture and gestures add meaning:
• Slouched shoulders → feeling down
• Arms crossed → may feel defensive
• Hands open, relaxed → welcoming
Introduce body language cues – slumped shoulders for sadness, open arms for friendliness.
Let’s Practice!
In pairs:
- One student makes a facial and body pose without words.
- Partner names the emotion and cites cues.
- Swap roles.
Facilitate a short partner activity: each pair picks a card or role-plays an expression silently, then partners guess.
Key Takeaways
• Expressions tell us how someone feels.
• Look at eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and posture.
• Name the emotion and show you care by listening.
Summarize the cues students have learned and explain how this skill builds empathy.
Warm Up
Warm-Up Activity: Emoji Charades
Materials: Emoji Charades Cards
Purpose: Get students moving and tuned‐in to nonverbal emotional cues by acting out feelings represented by emojis.
Instructions (5 minutes)
- Shuffle the Emoji Charades Cards deck and place it face down.
- One student at a time draws a card but does not show it to classmates.
- The student silently acts out the emotion shown on the card—using facial expressions, body posture, and gestures.
- Classmates guess the emotion and name the key clues they saw (e.g., “I see your eyebrows are raised, so you look surprised!”).
- Reveal the card to confirm and discuss how nonverbal signals matched the emoji.
- Continue until time is up or each student has had a turn.
Discussion Prompt: What clues helped you identify each emotion? How do these clues show up in real life?
Activity
Activity: Emotion Matching Game
Materials: A mixed deck of cards, where each card shows one of the following:
- An emotion word (e.g., happy, sad, angry)
- A picture of a child’s facial expression/body language
- A short scenario describing an emotional situation
Purpose: Reinforce students’ ability to link emotion vocabulary with visual and contextual cues and explain their reasoning to peers.
Setup (2 minutes)
- Shuffle all cards together.
- Divide students into small groups of 3–4.
- Give each group an equal share of the shuffled deck.
Instructions (10 minutes)
- Within each group, spread cards face down in a grid.
- On their turn, a student flips over any two cards.
- If one card is an emotion word and the other is a picture or scenario that matches that emotion, the group keeps the pair.
- If the two cards do not match, flip them back over.
- Continue taking turns until all matches have been found.
- After collecting a matching pair, the group discusses:
- “Why does this picture/scenario match this emotion word?”
- Identify the specific visual or contextual cue (body posture, facial expression, words in the scenario).
- Record the cue and explanation on a group chart or whiteboard.
Sample Cards
Emotion Word Cards: happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, calm
Picture Cards: photos or illustrations showing diverse children with raised eyebrows and open mouth (surprised), slumped shoulders (sad), clenched fists and furrowed brows (angry), etc.
Scenario Cards:
- “Your friend just found out they got a prize in a contest.”
- “Someone spilled their lunch tray and feels embarrassed.”
- “A classmate sees a spider and jumps back.”
- “A peer completes a difficult puzzle and shows it proudly.”
Discussion Prompt: - What cues in the picture or story led you to choose this emotion?
- How might you respond to someone feeling this way?
Extension: Rotate decks between groups and repeat, focusing on faster matches and deeper explanations of cues.
Discussion
Real-Life Scenarios Discussion Prompts
Materials: Real-Life Scenarios Discussion Prompts
Purpose: Help students apply emotion-recognition skills to everyday situations and practice empathetic responses.
Instructions for Teacher (9 minutes)
- Read each scenario aloud.
- For each, ask students to discuss in pairs:
- What might the person feel?
- What cues helped you know that?
- How could you respond to show you care? (Use an "I" statement.)
- Invite pairs to share one example response with the class.
- Summarize and highlight strong empathy strategies.
Scenario 1
Text: During lunch, Carlos notices Maya sitting alone at a table, looking down and quietly pushing her food around.
Questions:
- What might Maya feel?
- Which cues told you that?
- What could you say or do to show empathy?
Scenario 2
Text: After gym class, Jayden throws his basketball across the field, his face red and jaw clenched.
Questions:
- What might Jayden feel?
- Which cues told you that?
- What could you say or do to show empathy?
Scenario 3
Text: On the way to the classroom, Priya’s friend Elena whispers that she’s nervous because she has to read her poem in front of everyone.
Questions:
- What might Elena feel?
- Which cues told you that?
- What could you say or do to show empathy?
Scenario 4
Text: Outside at recess, Sam’s little brother fell off the swing and starts to cry while other kids walk away.
Questions:
- What might Sam’s brother feel?
- Which cues told you that?
- What could you say or do to show empathy?
Wrap-Up: Ask volunteers to share one strong empathetic “I” statement they created. Reinforce that noticing cues and responding kindly helps everyone feel supported.