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Can You Read Cues?

Laura

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Can You Read Cues? Lesson Plan

Students will sharpen their social communication by identifying and interpreting facial expressions and body language, practicing empathy and nonverbal literacy through interactive warm-ups and activities.

Understanding nonverbal cues helps students navigate social interactions, build empathy, and respond appropriately to others’ feelings, fostering a supportive classroom community.

Audience

3rd Grade Class

Time

25 minutes

Approach

Interactive warm-ups, guided slide instruction, charades activity, reflective journaling.

Materials

Expression Flashcards, Charade Clues Cards, Body Language Basics Slide Deck, and Mood Emoji Journals

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Print and cut out all cards in Expression Flashcards.
  • Print and cut Charade Clues Cards for each group.
  • Review Body Language Basics Slide Deck to familiarize key cues and examples.
  • Make copies of Mood Emoji Journals for each student.
  • Arrange seating for circle during warm-up and space for small-group charades.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Expression Flashcards

5 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle on the carpet.
  • Show one card at a time from Expression Flashcards.
  • Ask students to name the emotion and mimic the facial expression.
  • Prompt a quick thumbs-up/thumbs-down to check understanding.
  • Highlight subtle cues like eyebrow position or mouth shape.

Step 2

Introduction: Body Language Basics

6 minutes

  • Project Body Language Basics Slide Deck.
  • Guide students through 3–4 slides showing posture and gesture examples.
  • Ask a volunteer to stand and emulate a posed cue (e.g., arms crossed, leaning forward).
  • Discuss how each stance might signal feelings (e.g., confident, shy, curious).

Step 3

Activity: Charade Clues

8 minutes

  • Divide students into pairs or small groups.
  • Give each group a set of Charade Clues Cards.
  • One student silently acts out the emotion on their card using only body language.
  • Group members guess the emotion based on posture and gestures.
  • Rotate until each student has had a turn acting and guessing.
  • Encourage peers to note which cues helped them guess correctly.

Step 4

Cool-Down: Mood Emoji Journals

6 minutes

  • Distribute Mood Emoji Journals to each student.
  • Prompt students to draw an emoji reflecting how they felt during today’s activities.
  • Ask them to write one sentence about which nonverbal cue was easiest or hardest to read.
  • Invite volunteers to share their journal entry with the class.
  • Collect journals for review and plan follow-up support as needed.
lenny

Slide Deck

What Is Body Language?

Body language is how we share thoughts and feelings through our posture, gestures, and facial expressions—without saying a single word.

Introduce what body language is and why it matters. Explain that we communicate a lot without words.

Posture

• Straight back & shoulders up: confident
• Slouched: tired or sad
• Leaning forward: interested or curious

Show yourself standing tall, slouching, leaning forward as you speak about each posture.

Gestures

• Arms crossed: closed off or upset
• Open arms: welcoming or happy
• Hand on chin: thinking or unsure

Demonstrate crossing arms, open arms, hand on chin. Ask students what each gesture might mean.

Practice: Guess the Feeling

I’ll strike a pose. Watch my body language and guess how I feel!

• Who thinks I’m confident?
• Who thinks I’m curious?
• Who thinks I’m bored?

Role-play a pose and have students guess. Encourage multiple volunteers to model.

Key Takeaways

• Body language speaks without words
• Notice posture, gestures, and expressions
• Use these clues to understand friends better

Summarize key points and tie back to today’s activities.

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Worksheet

Expression Flashcards

Use these flashcards during the warm-up to help students practice reading facial expressions. Print and cut out each card so you can hold them up one at a time.

Instructions for Warm-Up

  • Show one card at a time to the class.
  • Ask students to name the emotion they see.
  • Have students mimic the facial expression together.
  • Use a quick thumbs-up/thumbs-down check to confirm understanding.
  • Highlight subtle cues like eyebrow position, mouth shape, and eye openness.

Cards

  1. Happy
    Smiling mouth, eyes open, eyebrows raised slightly.

  2. Sad
    Downturned mouth, eyebrows slanted up in the middle.

  3. Angry
    Furrowed brows, frowning mouth, eyes narrowed.

  4. Surprised
    Wide eyes, raised eyebrows, mouth open in an “O” shape.

  5. Scared
    Eyes wide, brows raised and drawn together, mouth open slightly or lips pressed.

  6. Confused
    One eyebrow raised, mouth slightly tilted to one side.

  7. Excited
    Big grin, eyebrows raised, eyes bright.

  8. Bored
    Half-closed eyes, straight-line mouth, head resting on hand.

Each card should display the facial expression prominently at the top, with the emotion label and description beneath it for the teacher’s reference.

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lenny

Activity

Charade Clues Cards

Use these cards for your small‐group charades activity. Print and cut along the lines so each student can draw one card from a pile.

Instructions
• Place all cards face down in a stack.
• One student at a time picks a card and silently acts out the emotion using only body language (no sounds or words!).
• Peers guess which emotion it is and note which posture or gesture gave it away.
• Rotate until every student has had a turn acting and guessing.

Cards

  1. Happy
    Big smile, arms lifted or open wide, stand tall.

  2. Sad
    Shoulders slumped, head down, arms close to body.

  3. Angry
    Furrowed brow, clenched fists, stomping feet or rigid stance.

  4. Surprised
    Eyes wide, eyebrows raised, hands on cheeks or mouth open in an “O.”

  5. Scared
    Hunched shoulders, arms drawn in, stepping back or trembling.

  6. Confused
    Head tilted, one hand scratching head, shrugging shoulders.

  7. Excited
    Energetic jumps or claps, big grin, arms waving in the air.

  8. Bored
    Leaning on one hand, half-closed eyes, minimal movement.
     
     
    Tips for Students
    • Use your whole body—face, arms, and stance—to show the feeling.
    • Exaggerate your posture so classmates can pick up on the cue.
    • Watch others carefully for small gestures that reveal the emotion.
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lenny

Journal

Mood Emoji Journals

Use this space to reflect on today’s lesson about reading nonverbal cues. Draw and write to show how you felt and what you learned.

1. Draw Your Mood Emoji

Draw an emoji that shows how you felt during our activities today.













2. Which Activity Helped You the Most?

Write one sentence about which activity (e.g., using Expression Flashcards or playing Charade Clues Cards) helped you read nonverbal cues the best and why.




3. Which Cue Was Hardest to Notice?

Explain which facial expression or body-language cue was hardest for you to read and why.







4. Using Cues in Real Life

How can being better at reading nonverbal cues help you when you’re with friends, family, or at school? Give an example.












lenny
lenny