Lesson Plan
Feeling Words Adventure Plan
Students will expand their emotional vocabulary to identify and express a wider range of feelings.
Developing a rich emotional vocabulary helps students better understand their own feelings and communicate them effectively to others, leading to improved self-awareness and stronger social skills.
Audience
1st Grade Class
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Through interactive activities, students will learn and practice new feeling words.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, My Feeling Word Bank, Emotion Charades Cards, and Match the Feeling Faces Worksheet
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the Feeling Words Adventure Plan and all generated materials.
- Prepare the My Feeling Word Bank slide deck.
- Print and cut out the Emotion Charades Cards.
- Print copies of the Match the Feeling Faces Worksheet.
Step 1
Warm-Up: How Are You Feeling?
5 minutes
- Begin by asking students, "How are you feeling today?" Encourage them to use one word to describe their emotion.
- Discuss a few common feeling words they share.
- Transition by saying, "Today, we're going on an adventure to unlock new feeling words!"
Step 2
Introduce New Feeling Words
10 minutes
- Present the My Feeling Word Bank slide deck.
- Go through each slide, introducing a new feeling word (e.g., curious, frustrated, excited, calm, proud, shy).
- For each word, provide a simple definition and an example of when someone might feel that way.
- Ask students to share a time they felt that emotion.
- Encourage students to make a facial expression or body pose for each word.
Step 3
Emotion Charades Game
10 minutes
- Explain the rules for Emotion Charades.
- Divide the class into small groups or play as a whole class.
- Have students pick an Emotion Charades Card and act out the emotion without speaking.
- The rest of the class guesses the feeling word. Encourage them to use the new vocabulary introduced.
- Facilitate discussion after each charade: "What clues did you see?" "When might you feel that way?"
Step 4
Cool-Down: Match the Feeling Faces
5 minutes
- Distribute the Match the Feeling Faces Worksheet.
- Instruct students to draw a line from each feeling word to the face that best represents it.
- Collect the worksheets as an exit ticket.
- Conclude by reiterating the importance of knowing and expressing our feelings using a variety of words.
Slide Deck
Welcome to Our Feeling Word Bank!
Today, we're going to explore new words to describe our feelings!
Welcome students and briefly introduce the idea of exploring new feeling words. Ask a few students how they are feeling today. Explain that knowing more words for feelings helps us understand ourselves and others better.
Curious
Wanting to know or learn about something new.
Introduce the word 'curious'. Explain it means wanting to learn or know more about something. Ask: "What makes you curious?" (e.g., a new toy, an interesting bug).
Frustrated
Feeling annoyed or upset because you can't do something or something isn't working.
Introduce 'frustrated'. Explain it's when something is difficult or not going your way, making you feel a bit stuck or annoyed. Ask: "When do you feel frustrated?" (e.g., building with blocks, solving a puzzle).
Excited
Feeling very happy and full of energy about something good happening.
Introduce 'excited'. Explain it's a feeling of great enthusiasm and happiness. Ask: "What makes you excited?" (e.g., a birthday, a field trip).
Calm
Feeling peaceful and relaxed, not worried or upset.
Introduce 'calm'. Explain it's a peaceful and relaxed feeling. Ask: "How do you feel calm?" (e.g., reading a book, listening to quiet music).
Proud
Feeling happy and pleased with yourself or others for doing something good.
Introduce 'proud'. Explain it's feeling pleased with yourself or someone else for doing something good. Ask: "When have you felt proud?" (e.g., finishing a drawing, helping a friend).
Shy
Feeling a little nervous or uncomfortable around new people or in new situations.
Introduce 'shy'. Explain it's feeling a little nervous or uncomfortable around new people or in new situations. Ask: "When do you feel a little shy?" (e.g., meeting new people, speaking in front of the class).
Your Feeling Word Bank is Growing!
Now you have more words to describe how you feel! Keep practicing them!
Conclude the slide deck by reminding students that it's okay to feel all these emotions and that knowing the words helps them share their feelings. Encourage them to use their new feeling words.
Game
Emotion Charades
Objective: To practice recognizing and expressing different emotions using body language and facial expressions.
Materials:
- Emotion Charades Cards (cut out)
Instructions:
- Introduce the Game: Explain to students that they will play a game called "Emotion Charades" where they will act out feelings without talking.
- Model an Emotion: The teacher acts out an emotion (e.g., happy, sad, angry) without speaking. Students guess the emotion.
- Explain the Rules:
- One student at a time will pick an Emotion Charades Card from a hat or pile.
- They will act out the emotion shown on the card for the class or their small group.
- They cannot speak or make sounds.
- Other students will guess what emotion is being acted out, using the new feeling words they've learned.
- Once guessed, the actor reveals the card.
- Play: Facilitate the game, ensuring all students have a chance to participate. Encourage students to use the new vocabulary from their My Feeling Word Bank.
- Discussion: After each round, briefly discuss: "What clues did you see?" "When might someone feel that way?"
Emotion Charades Cards
Cut out these cards for the game.
- Curious
- Frustrated
- Excited
- Calm
- Proud
- Shy
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Surprised
- Scared
- Confused
Worksheet
Match the Feeling Faces
Directions: Draw a line from each feeling word to the face that best shows that feeling.
Feeling Words
- Curious
- Frustrated
- Excited
- Calm
- Proud
- Shy
Feeling Faces
(Imagine simple, age-appropriate stick-figure or cartoon faces depicting the emotions below. These would be visual elements on the actual worksheet, but I'm describing them here.)
- Face A: Eyes wide, slight smile, head tilted (Curious)
- Face B: Furrowed brow, downturned mouth, hands possibly clenched (Frustrated)
- Face C: Big smile, sparkling eyes, maybe a jumping pose (Excited)
- Face D: Gentle smile, relaxed eyes, smooth brow (Calm)
- Face E: Chest puffed out slightly, happy smile, confident look (Proud)
- Face F: Looking down or away, slight blush, small smile (Shy)