Lesson Plan

Detective Emotions Plan

Students will become ‘Emotion Detectives’ by identifying facial expressions and body language to recognize happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise, then explain the nonverbal clues they used.

Reading others’ nonverbal cues builds empathy, communication skills, and positive peer relationships. This lesson boosts 1st graders’ social awareness by practicing emotion recognition.

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Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Detective Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up the Detective Crew

5 minutes

Step 2

Spotting Facial Cues

10 minutes

Step 3

Emotion Picture Card Activity

8 minutes

Step 4

Guess the Feeling Game

12 minutes

Step 5

Emotion Journal Sketch Cool-Down

5 minutes

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Slide Deck

Emotion Detectives

What Is a Clue?

Facial Clues to Watch

Scenario 1: Happy

Scenario 2: Sad

Scenario 3: Angry

Scenario 4: Surprise

Detective Partner Practice

Key Facial Clues

Great Detective Work!

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Activity

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Game

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Emotion Detectives

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Bridget Smith

Tier 1
For Schools
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