Can You Read My Mind?

For Schools

Lesson Plan

Emotion in Reading

Students will enhance their ability to identify and understand emotions through reading passages to each other and discussing non-verbal cues. They will develop empathy and emotional literacy skills in a supportive, small-group setting.

This lesson builds critical social-emotional skills by helping students notice subtle emotional cues, fostering empathy and better interpersonal communication, which supports their overall emotional development.

Audience

4th Grade Group

Time

35 minutes

Approach

Pair reading discussion followed by interactive guessing and reflection.

Materials

Emotion in Reading, Emotion Guessing Game, and Emotional Reflection

Prep

Preparation

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Setup

5 minutes

  • Introduce the activity and explain its purpose: exploring emotions and non-verbal cues.
  • Demonstrate with a short passage how to express and guess the emotion.

Step 2

Pair Work Reading

15 minutes

  • Pair students and distribute reading passages.
  • One student reads while the other listens and observes non-verbal cues.
  • Have pairs discuss and guess the emotion conveyed after each passage.

Step 3

Interactive Emotion Guessing Game

7 minutes

  • Gather students and play the Emotion Guessing Game.
  • Encourage students to articulate which non-verbal cues led to their guesses.

Step 4

Cool-Down Reflection

3 minutes

  • Lead a brief discussion using the Emotional Reflection prompts.
  • Ask students to share insights on what they learned about emotional expression and empathy.
lenny

Activity

Can You Read My Mind?

Overview

This session is an interactive and engaging lesson designed to help 4th-grade students develop social-emotional skills by reading passages to each other and guessing the emotions conveyed. The activity focuses on recognizing non-verbal cues and building empathy by understanding subtle emotional expressions.

Activity Materials

Session Duration

35 minutes

Tier

Tier 2: Group

Activity Breakdown

1. Introduction and Setup (5 minutes)

  • Explain the purpose of the lesson: enhancing emotional literacy by exploring non-verbal cues and expressions.
  • Discuss why understanding emotions is important, linking the activity to empathy and better communication.
  • As a demonstration, read a short passage, and model how to express and identify the underlying emotion.




2. Pair Work Reading (15 minutes)

  • Pair the students together.
  • Distribute the reading passages selected for this session.
  • One student reads the passage aloud while the other actively listens and observes non-verbal cues.
  • Allow pairs a minute after each passage to discuss and guess the emotion conjured by the passage.







3. Interactive Emotion Guessing Game (7 minutes)

  • Gather the students back and transition into the Emotion Guessing Game.
  • In the game, students will see or hear descriptions of scenarios and then guess the emotion being expressed, focusing on non-verbal clues like tone of voice and facial expressions.
  • Encourage every student to articulate which cues helped them make their guess.












4. Cool-Down Reflection (3 minutes)

  • Wrap up the session with a group discussion guided by the Emotional Reflection questions.
  • Ask, "What did you learn about expressing and understanding emotions during this activity?"
  • Invite a few students to share specific examples of non-verbal cues that influenced their emotional guesswork.













Follow-Up Points

  • Reiterate the importance of empathy and noticing subtle emotional cues in everyday interactions.
  • Discuss as a class how these skills might help them in real-life situations, such as resolving conflicts or cheering someone up.
  • Encourage students to pay attention to how different emotions are expressed not just through words, but also body language and tone.

Connection to International Read To Me Day

For those curious about International Read To Me Day, relate how reading aloud and sharing stories can foster stronger social bonds. Just like in our activity, reading builds connections and understanding—qualities celebrated on this special day.

Enjoy your session and happy reading!

lenny
lenny