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Can You Read the Room?

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Lesson Plan

Reading Social Signals

Students will analyze facial expressions, body language, and tone to interpret emotions and adapt communication. Through discussions and role-plays, they’ll practice detecting social cues and responding appropriately.

Understanding social signals helps students navigate peer interactions, build empathy, and improve communication skills essential for positive relationships in and out of the classroom.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive modeling, discussions, role-play, and reflective writing.

Materials

Detecting Emotions in Context, Emoji Mood Check, Scenario Role-Play Stations, and Reflection Exit Ticket

Prep

Lesson Preparation

15 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Emoji Mood Check

5 minutes

  • Distribute Emoji Mood Check sheets to each student
  • Ask students to circle the emoji that matches how they’re feeling right now
  • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share why they chose their emoji and discuss briefly

Step 2

Slide Deck Presentation

10 minutes

  • Project Detecting Emotions in Context
  • Introduce the three types of social cues: facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice
  • For each type, show 2–3 example images or audio clips and ask: “What emotion do you think this person is feeling?”

Step 3

Guided Practice: Identify and Discuss

10 minutes

  • Continue with slides featuring mixed cues in short video clips or images
  • In pairs, students identify the cues and write down the emotion they perceive
  • Call on pairs to share their answers and reasoning; chart responses on the board

Step 4

Independent Practice: Role-Play Stations

15 minutes

  • Divide class into three groups; rotate every 5 minutes through Scenario Role-Play Stations
  • At each station, one student reads the scenario card aloud, others enact the situation, focusing on nonverbal and verbal cues
  • After each role-play, students name the emotion shown and suggest an appropriate response
  • Teacher circulates, prompts deeper observation, and provides feedback

Step 5

Cool-Down: Reflection Exit Ticket

5 minutes

  • Hand out Reflection Exit Ticket slips
  • Students answer prompts such as:
    • “One social cue I noticed today was…”
    • “One way I can use this in my own interactions is…”
  • Collect exit tickets as students leave
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Slide Deck

Detecting Emotions in Context

Learn to recognize facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice to understand how others feel.

Welcome the class and introduce today’s topic. Say: “Today we’re going to learn how to read social cues—like facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice—to understand how other people are feeling.”

Lesson Objectives

  • Identify three types of social cues
  • Interpret emotions from context
  • Adapt your communication based on what you observe

Read the objectives aloud and briefly explain each. Emphasize why these skills matter in everyday interactions.

Facial Expressions

Example 1: [Image: Person smiling]
Example 2: [Image: Person frowning]

Question: What emotion does each person feel?

Show the first image of a person smiling. Ask: “What emotion do you see?” After discussion, show the second image of a person frowning and ask the same question.

Body Language

Example 1: [Image: Arms crossed, head down]
Example 2: [Image: Hands open, leaning forward]

Question: What do these postures tell us about how someone feels?

Display the images one at a time. For the arms-crossed image ask students what feeling it suggests. Then show the open-arms image and discuss.

Listen to the speaker’s tone and guess the emotion.

Play the audio clip. Ask students to listen carefully to the speaker’s tone. Then pause and ask: “What feeling do you hear?”

Mixed Practice

Watch this short video clip. Identify:

  • The facial expression you see
  • The body language you notice
  • The tone of voice you hear

What emotion is shown overall?

Introduce the mixed‐cues video. Ask students to work with a partner to note the facial expression, body language, and tone of voice. Then have a few pairs share.

Reflection Exit Ticket

Please answer on your slip:

  1. One social cue I noticed today was…
  2. One way I can use this in my own interactions is…

Explain the exit ticket prompts. Distribute slips and ask students to complete them quietly before they leave.

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Warm Up

Emoji Mood Check

Circle the emoji that best matches how you feel right now:

😀 😊 😐 🙁 😢 😠

Why did you choose this emoji?




(Optional) If you’d like, share your reason with a partner.

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Activity

Scenario Role-Play Stations

Divide into three groups and rotate every 5 minutes. At each station:

  1. Read the scenario and assign roles.
  2. Act out the situation, focusing on the specific social cue.
  3. After your role-play, discuss:
    • What emotion did you notice?
    • Which cue gave it away? (facial expression, body language, or tone)
    • How could you respond appropriately?

Station 1: Birthday Surprise (Facial Expressions)

Scenario: You enter the classroom to find balloons and decorations. A friend says, “Surprise! Happy birthday!” with a huge grin.

Roles:

  • Role A: Birthday student (surprised)
  • Role B: Friend (celebrating)

Focus: Show and notice facial expressions (wide eyes, big smile, raised eyebrows).

Station 2: The Quiet Classmate (Body Language)

Scenario: During recess, you see a classmate standing alone with arms crossed and head down.

Roles:

  • Role A: Quiet classmate
  • Role B: Friend (inviting to play)

Focus: Show and notice body language (posture, arm position, head tilt).

Station 3: Homework Help (Tone of Voice)

Scenario: You ask a friend for help with math homework. They say, “Sure, let’s go over it,” but their voice sounds flat and uninterested.

Roles:

  • Role A: Student asking for help
  • Role B: Friend (responding)

Focus: Show and notice tone of voice (pitch, volume, enthusiasm).

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Cool Down

Reflection Exit Ticket

Please complete the following prompts on your slip:

  1. One social cue I noticed today was…






  2. One way I can use this in my own interactions is…






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