Lesson Plan
Exploring Emotions Series
Enhanced Emotional Intelligence
This four-lesson series aims to help 3rd graders explore, identify, express, and reflect on their emotions. Through interactive activities, videos, and discussions, students will develop a deeper understanding of their feelings, enhancing their emotional intelligence and fostering a supportive classroom environment.
Audience
3rd Grade Classroom
Time
4 Lessons, Each 30 mins
Approach
Trauma-Informed Teaching, Active Learning
Materials
Post-it Notes, Markers, Printed Emotion Faces, Scenario Cards, Exit Ticket Handout, and Video: Understanding Your Emotions
Step 1
Lesson 1: Introduction to Emotions and Feelings
30 mins
- Mindfulness Moment (5 mins): Lead students in a deep breathing exercise.
- Script: 'Let's all sit comfortably in our chairs with our feet flat on the floor. Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so. Let's take a deep breath in through our nose, hold it for a moment, and then slowly breathe out through our mouth. Let’s do this a few times. As you breathe, try to focus only on your breath and how it feels as it comes in and goes out. If your mind starts to wander, gently guide your focus back to your breath. Feel the air as it moves in and out of your lungs. Notice the sensation of your chest rising and falling. Let’s take a few more breaths together. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold it for a moment, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Feel your body relaxing as you continue to breathe deeply and slowly. Keep your breathing steady and smooth, and enjoy the feeling of calm that comes with each breath.'
- Introduction (5 mins): Begin by greeting the students and explaining the importance of recognizing feelings.
- Video (10 mins): Show the video Understanding Your Emotions. Pause to ask questions.
- Class Discussion (10 mins): Discuss simple emotions and ask students to share times when they felt happy, sad, or excited.
- Closure (5 mins): Wrap up by reviewing key points from the discussion.
Step 2
Lesson 2: Identifying Emotions
30 mins
- Mindfulness Moment (5 mins): Guide students through a body scan.
- Script: 'Let’s start by sitting comfortably and closing our eyes. We’re going to pay attention to how each part of our body feels. Start by focusing on your toes. What do you feel? Now slowly move your attention up to your feet, legs, and so on, until you reach the top of your head. If you feel any tension, imagine it melting away.'
- Introduction (5 mins): Recap the previous lesson and introduce the objective of identifying emotions.
- Activity: Feelings Chart (15 mins):
- Materials Distribution (2 mins):
- Hand out post-it notes, markers, and printed emotion faces to each student. Ensure each student a variety of emotion faces to choose from.
- Activity Explanation (3 mins):
- Explain to the students that they will be creating a "Feelings Chart" to help them identify and understand different emotions.
- Demonstrate how to write a feeling on a post-it note and pair it with an appropriate emotion face. For example, write "happy" on a post-it note and pair it with a "smiling" face.
- Individual Work (5 mins):
- Allow students to think about different feelings they have experienced recently. Encourage them to write down these feelings on their post-it notes.
- Students should then match each feeling with an emotion face that best represents it.
- **Sharing and Discussion (5 mins)
- Invite students to share their post-it notes with the class. Each student can explain why they chose a particular feeling and how it relates to the emotion face they paired it with.
- Facilitate a discussion about the different feelings and emotions shared by the students. Highlight the diversity of emotions and how they can be identified.
- Reflection (2 mins)
- Reflect on the activity by asking students why it is important to accurately identify emotions. Discuss how understanding our feelings can help us communicate better and build stronger relationships.
- Materials Distribution (2 mins):
- Class Discussion (5 mins): Reflect on the activity and discuss why it's important to identify emotions accurately.
- Closure (5 mins): Summarize the lesson's key points.
Step 3
Lesson 3: Expressing Emotions
30 mins
- Mindfulness Moment (5 mins): Lead a mindful listening activity.
- Script: 'Close your eyes and sit comfortably. We are going to spend a minute just listening. Focus on the sounds that you hear around you. It might be the hum of the air conditioner, birds outside, or even someone coughing. Try to notice as many sounds as you can. After a minute, we’ll share what we heard.'
- Introduction (5 mins): Recap previous lessons and introduce the objective of expressing emotions.
- Description of 'I Statements' (5 mins): Explain how to use 'I statements' to express emotion without blaming others.
- 'I Statements' involve 3 parts:
- I Feel...: Name the emotion you are feeling.
- When...: Describe the event that is causing your feeling.
- Because...: Explain why this event causes that feeling.
Example: 'I feel sad when my toy is taken without asking because it's special to me.'
- Role-Playing Scenarios (15 mins): Use simple scenario cards to role-play different situations. Students practice expressing emotions in a healthy way.
- Class Discussion (5 mins): Reflect on the role-playing activity and discuss the importance of healthy emotional expression. Explain how expressing feelings in healthy ways can improve communication, solve problems, and build better relationships. Highlight how understanding and conveying emotions appropriately can help in creating a supportive and empathetic classroom environment.
- Closure (5 mins): Recap key points and encourage students to practice expressing their feelings. Reiterate how healthy emotional expression can lead to fewer conflicts, better understanding among peers, and a positive atmosphere.
Step 4
Lesson 4: Reflecting on Emotions
30 mins
- Mindfulness Moment (5 mins): Guide a visualization exercise.
- Script: 'Let’s sit comfortably and close our eyes. Imagine a place where you feel completely at peace. It could be the beach, a forest, or even your room. Focus on the details. What do you see? What sounds do you hear? How does it make you feel? Spend a few minutes enjoying this peaceful place.'
- Introduction (5 mins):
- Script: 'Over the past few lessons, we've learned about different emotions, how to identify them, and ways to express them. We started by understanding what emotions are and why they are important. Then, we practiced identifying our own emotions and learned how to express them using "I statements." Today, we will focus on reflecting on our emotions. Reflecting means thinking about our feelings and understanding why we feel a certain way. This helps us learn more about ourselves and how to handle our emotions better.'
- Exit Ticket (10 mins): Hand out the exit ticket worksheets and ask students to fill them out with one new thing they learned, one question they still have, and one way they can use what they learned.
- Class Discussion (10 mins): Discuss students' reflections and answer any remaining questions.
- Closure (5 mins): Summarize the key points from the entire series and thank students for their participation.
use Lenny to create lessons.
No credit card needed
Quiz
Feelings Identification Exit Ticket
Worksheet
Emotion Faces
These printable cards show various facial expressions representing different emotions, to be used in the Feelings Chart activity.
Happy
Sad
Angry
Surprised
Disgusted
Afraid
Worksheet
Role-Playing Scenario Cards
These printable cards depict various scenarios for students to practice expressing emotions in healthy ways during the role-playing activity.
Feeling Angry: A friend takes your favorite toy without asking. How can you express your anger in a healthy way?
Feeling Sad: You didn't get invited to a birthday party. How can you share your feelings with your family?
Feeling Happy: You scored a goal in soccer. How can you express your happiness to your teammates?
Feeling Frustrated: You can't solve a math problem. How can you express your frustration and seek help?
Feeling Excited: You are going on a trip. How can you share your excitement with your classmates?
Worksheet
Emotional Reflection Worksheet
This worksheet helps students reflect on their emotions by guiding them through questions about their feelings, triggers, and coping strategies.
Think of an emotion you recently felt. What was that emotion and how did it feel in your body?
What happened to make you feel this way?
How did you react to this emotion?
What could you do differently next time you feel this way?
Who can you talk to about your feelings?