Lesson Plan
Forecasting Feelings Plan
Students will learn to identify and name four core emotions—happiness, sadness, anger, and anxiety—by matching each feeling to physical cues or thought patterns through interactive forecasting activities.
Building a rich emotional vocabulary and noticing body-based cues empowers students to self-manage, increase self-awareness, and make thoughtful choices before reacting.
Audience
7th & 8th Grade Middle School Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Role-play, direct teaching, hands-on matching, and personal reflection.
Prep
Teacher Preparation
5 minutes
- Review the Weathering Emotions Slides and familiarize yourself with each emotion symbol.
- Print or organize sets of Feelings Forecast Cards for small groups.
- Read through the Meteorologist Host Script to guide your role as the “weather reporter.”
- Provide blank paper or chart templates for students to create their Personal Forecast Charts.
Step 1
Warm-Up Forecast Role-Play
5 minutes
- Introduce yourself as a meteorologist: don a hat or use prop and read a brief weather forecast metaphor.
- Show emotion symbols on slide (sun, cloud, storm, wind) representing happiness, sadness, anger, anxiety.
- Ask students to guess which symbol matches which feeling and share a quick personal ‘weather report.’
Step 2
Mini-Lecture: Brain–Body Connection
7 minutes
- Use slides to explain how emotions signal through body: racing heart (anxiety), tight chest (anger), heavy limbs (sadness), lightness (happiness).
- Discuss how naming emotions helps calm the nervous system.
- Invite students to notice one physical cue they’ve felt this week.
Step 3
Feelings Forecast Card Sort
8 minutes
- Divide into small groups; give each group a shuffled deck of Feelings Forecast Cards.
- Instruct groups to match each emotion word card with a physical cue or thought-pattern card.
- Circulate, prompt reasoning: “Why does this cue fit that emotion?”
- Groups share one match and rationale with the class.
Step 4
Create Your Forecast Chart
7 minutes
- Distribute blank chart template or have students draw four columns labeled with emotion symbols.
- Students write their own physical cue or thought pattern under each emotion.
- Encourage creativity: draw, use words, or symbols to personalize their chart.
Step 5
Strategy Sharing & Reflection
3 minutes
- Invite volunteers to describe one strategy they’ll use to ‘check the weather’ before acting (e.g., take deep breaths, count to five).
- Emphasize how noticing early cues can help them choose responses.
- Close with a quick class “weather chant” naming the four emotions.
Slide Deck
Emotions Weather Report
Welcome to your personal Emotions Weather Report!
In today’s session, you’ll:
• Learn four core emotion symbols
• Discover how your body tells you how you feel
• Practice forecasting and managing your feelings
Welcome meteorologists! Today we’re going to learn to forecast our feelings, notice the body signals they send, and choose healthy responses. Introduce yourself with a weather reporter style — use a hat or prop if you like. Set an enthusiastic tone.
Meet the Emotion Forecast Symbols
☀️ Sun = Happiness
☁️ Cloud = Sadness
⛈️ Storm = Anger
💨 Wind = Anxiety
Point to each icon as you describe it. Ask students if they’ve seen similar symbols in real weather forecasts. Encourage guesses on the emotion behind each symbol.
Brain–Body Weather Map
• Emotions travel through our brain to our body
• Physical cues signal what we’re feeling
• Naming the feeling helps us calm down
Explain that emotions trigger physical reactions in our body just like weather triggers changes in the environment. Use a pointer or highlight each body part illustrated.
Spotting the Physical Cues
Happiness: Light chest, relaxed smile
Sadness: Heavy limbs, teary eyes
Anger: Clenched fists, tight jaw
Anxiety: Racing heart, sweaty palms
Go through each emotion and its cues. Invite students to raise a hand if they’ve noticed each cue before. Emphasize observing without judgment.
Feelings Forecast Card Sort
- Form groups of 3–4.
- Distribute shuffled Emotion and Cue cards.
- Match each emotion with its physical cue or thought pattern.
- Discuss: “Why does this cue fit this feeling?”
- Be ready to share one match.
Read each step aloud. Remind students to work together and explain their reasoning. Circulate to offer prompts and keep groups on task.
Create Your Personal Forecast Chart
• Draw four columns—one for each symbol
• Label with ☀️, ☁️, ⛈️, 💨
• Under each, write or draw your personal cues
• Keep it handy for your daily 'weather check'
Show an example chart with columns labeled by symbols. Encourage creativity: doodles, colors, words. Circulate to assist students who need ideas.
Weather Chant & Reflection
Weather Chant (say together):
“Sun, Cloud, Storm, Wind—name it, notice it, then begin!”
Share one strategy you’ll use to check your feelings before acting.
Lead the chant, then invite volunteers to share one strategy they’ll use before reacting (e.g., deep breath, count to five). Praise their insights. End on an upbeat note.
Script
Meteorologist Host Script
1. Warm-Up Forecast Role-Play (5 minutes)
(Open the Weathering Emotions Slides and display Slide 1 and then Slide 2.)
Teacher: “Good morning, meteorologists! (Hold up your weather hat or prop.) I’m your host, and today we’re on a special mission: forecasting our feelings! Just like real meteorologists report rain or shine, we’re going to report happiness, sadness, anger, and anxiety. Are you ready?”
Teacher: “First, look at these four symbols on the screen: a sun, a cloud, a storm, and wind. Which emotion do you think the sun represents?”
Teacher: “Who can share their guess?”
Teacher: “Exactly—☀️ Sun stands for happiness!”
Teacher: “What about the cloud?”
Teacher: “Anyone?”
Teacher: “Right—you nailed it. ☁️ Cloud is sadness.”
Teacher: “Next up: the storm symbol. Which emotion fits?”
Teacher: “Go ahead and tell me.”
Teacher: “Yes—⛈️ Storm represents anger.”
Teacher: “Finally, wind. What feeling comes to mind?”
Teacher: “Who’s got it?”
Teacher: “Absolutely—💨 Wind means anxiety.”
Teacher: “Great work! Now that we know our emotion symbols, let’s learn how these feelings show up inside us.”
2. Mini-Lecture: Brain–Body Connection (7 minutes)
(Click to Slide 3.)
Teacher: “Emotions are like weather patterns inside our bodies—they begin in the brain and move outward, sending signals we can learn to notice.”
(Click to Slide 4.)
Teacher: “Here are some key physical cues:
• Happiness (☀️): light chest, relaxed smile
• Sadness (☁️): heavy limbs, teary eyes
• Anger (⛈️): clenched fists, tight jaw
• Anxiety (💨): racing heart, sweaty palms
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt your heart race when you were nervous.”
Teacher: “Wonderful examples! When we name these cues, we can calm our nervous system and respond more thoughtfully.”
3. Feelings Forecast Card Sort (8 minutes)
(Click to Slide 5 and hand out the Feelings Forecast Cards.)
Teacher: “Meteorologists in training, form groups of 3–4. Each group has cards—some list emotion words, others list physical cues or thought patterns. Your task: match each emotion to its cue. Talk through your reasoning: ‘Why does this cue fit that emotion?’ I’ll circulate and listen in.”
Teacher: “Okay, let’s share! Group 1, tell us one of your matches and why.”
Teacher: “Excellent! Group 2, you’re up next.”
4. Create Your Personal Forecast Chart (7 minutes)
(Click to Slide 6 and distribute blank chart templates or plain paper.)
Teacher: “Now it’s your turn to make a Forecast Chart. Draw four columns and label them with ☀️, ☁️, ⛈️, and 💨. Under each symbol, write or draw a personal physical cue or thought pattern you notice when you feel that emotion. Add colors, doodles, or descriptive words—make it yours!”
Teacher: “If you finish early, think of one strategy you could use to ‘check the weather’ before reacting to a strong emotion.”
5. Strategy Sharing & Reflection (3 minutes)
(Click to Slide 7.)
Teacher: “Let’s close with our Weather Chant. Say it with me:
“SUN, CLOUD, STORM, WIND—name it, notice it, then begin!”
Teacher: “Who can share one strategy they’ll use when they notice an emotion brewing? Maybe taking a deep breath, counting to five, or talking to a friend.”
Teacher: “Fantastic insights! Remember, naming your emotions is the first step to managing them. Keep your Forecast Chart handy for daily checks. Great work today, meteorologists—see you next time!”
Activity
Feelings Forecast Cards
Emotion Word Cards
- Happiness
- Sadness
- Anger
- Anxiety
Cue Cards (Physical & Thought Patterns)
- Light chest, relaxed smile (Physical)
- Heavy limbs, teary eyes (Physical)
- Clenched fists, tight jaw (Physical)
- Racing heart, sweaty palms (Physical)
- “I’ve got this!” (Thought Pattern)
- “Nothing ever goes right” (Thought Pattern)
- “This isn’t fair” (Thought Pattern)
- “What if something goes wrong?” (Thought Pattern)
Instructions for Card Sort:
- Shuffle all cards face down.
- In groups of 3–4, take turns drawing a card and finding its matching pair (one Emotion + one Cue).
- When you think you have a match, explain your reasoning: “Why does this cue fit that emotion?”
- Place your matched pairs in the center.
- Continue until all matches are made.
Be ready to share one of your emotion–cue matches and the rationale behind it!