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Emotion Explorers: Mapping Our Feelings

Lesson Plan

Emotion Explorers Lesson Plan

Students will create an emotion map to visually track and reflect on their emotions, identifying patterns and triggers to develop self-regulation strategies.

This lesson encourages self-reflection and builds emotional intelligence, helping students understand and manage their feelings throughout their daily lives.

Audience

Middle School Students (Grades 6-8)

Time

1-2 hours

Approach

Engage with mapping exercises and guided reflection.

Materials

Emotion Explorers Lesson Plan, Emotion Map Slide Deck, and Emotion Mapping Activity Guide

Prep

Preparation Steps

15-20 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Warm-Up

15 minutes

  • Introduce the concept of an emotion map and the purpose behind it.
  • Facilitate a brief discussion on different emotions and why it's important to understand them.
  • Use the Emotion Map Slide Deck to spark ideas and provide examples.

Step 2

Creating the Emotion Map

30-40 minutes

  • Distribute materials and guide students to draw their personal emotion maps on paper.
  • Prompt them to mark different points or times of the day/week where they experienced significant emotions.
  • Encourage creative expression through colors and symbols to represent different feelings.

Step 3

Group Sharing and Discussion

20 minutes

  • Organize small groups where students share parts of their maps if comfortable.
  • Facilitate a discussion on common patterns, triggers, and strategies for managing emotions.
  • Use discussion questions to reflect on insights and personal coping methods.

Step 4

Reflection and Closure

10-15 minutes

  • Guide the class to write brief reflective responses on what they learned about their emotional patterns.
  • Discuss how these insights can be applied to manage emotions in daily life.
  • Summarize key points and encourage students to continue using their emotion maps as tools for self-awareness.
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Slide Deck

Welcome to Emotion Explorers

Today, we'll be creating an Emotion Map to explore our feelings and understand our emotional journey.

Introduce the lesson by explaining what an emotion map is and why it is useful. Encourage students to think about their daily feelings and how tracking these can help in understanding emotional patterns.

What is an Emotion Map?

An Emotion Map is a visual representation of feelings over time. It helps identify patterns, triggers, and moments of change in our daily emotional experiences.

Show examples of emotion maps with various symbols and colors. Discuss how different colors and symbols can represent different emotions.

Creating Your Own Emotion Map

  • Draw a timeline representing a day or a week.
  • Mark the key moments where you experienced strong emotions.
  • Use colors and symbols to represent different feelings.

Detail instructions for the drawing exercise. Remind students to mark significant moments throughout the day or week, and to be creative by using colors and symbols that resonate with them.

Group Sharing & Discussion

Share your map with a small group and discuss:
• Common emotional triggers
• Unique patterns in your emotional journey
• Strategies for managing difficult emotions

Prepare for group sharing. Encourage small groups to discuss their maps, focusing on similarities and differences in emotional experiences.

Reflection & Closing

Reflect on today’s activity:
• What did you learn about your emotions?
• How can understanding these patterns help in managing your feelings?

Conclude with reflective questions. Prompt students to think about what they learned and how these insights can help with emotional regulation.

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Activity

Emotion Mapping Activity Guide

Welcome to the Emotion Mapping Activity! In this guide, you will create a visual representation of your daily or weekly feelings. This activity will help you observe your emotions, see patterns, and understand what might trigger different feelings. Follow the steps below and use your creativity to design an emotion map that expresses your unique emotional journey.

Materials Needed

  • Paper or poster board (or a digital drawing tool if available)
  • Colored pens, pencils, or markers
  • Ruler (optional, for drawing timelines)

Activity Steps

1. Drawing Your Timeline

  • Draw a horizontal line across your paper. This line represents time. It could be a day (with segments like morning, afternoon, and evening) or a week (with a segment for each day).




2. Marking Emotional Moments

  • Think about different moments when you felt a strong emotion. These could be moments of happiness, sadness, excitement, anger, or any other feelings.
  • Mark these moments along your timeline. You can note the approximate time or day next to each mark.







3. Adding Colors and Symbols

  • Choose colors and symbols to represent different emotions. For example:
    • Blue for sadness
    • Red for anger
    • Yellow for happiness
    • Green for calm or peaceful feelings
  • Next to each mark on your timeline, draw a symbol or use your colors to show what emotion you felt during that moment.












4. Reflecting on Your Map

  • Once you have finished your map, take a moment to look over your work.
  • Ask yourself these questions:
    • What patterns do you notice?
    • Are there certain times or situations when specific emotions appear?
    • How do different events or interactions seem to affect your feelings?

Write down your thoughts on a separate sheet of paper:













5. Sharing and Discussion

  • If you feel comfortable, share some parts of your emotion map with a friend or in a small group.
  • Discuss any similarities or differences you notice with your peers' maps. What common triggers or patterns do you all have?













6. Final Reflection

  • Think about how this exercise can help you in managing your emotions in the future.
  • Consider writing one or two strategies that you might use when you notice recurring patterns or triggers in your feelings.













Teacher Tips

  • Encourage students to be as creative and honest as possible. Remind them that there are no right or wrong emotions.
  • Allow extra time for students to explain their maps if they're comfortable sharing.
  • Use the activity to spark further discussion on strategies for emotional regulation and self-care.

Happy Mapping!

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Emotion Explorers: Mapping Our Feelings • Lenny Learning