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Eyes on Others

Lesson Plan

Eyes on Others Lesson Plan

Students will identify and interpret basic emotions in others and practice empathetic responses through discussions and role-play.

Building social awareness fosters empathy, kindness, and healthier peer relationships, creating a supportive and inclusive classroom community.

Audience

1st Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussions, card activities, and role-play.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Discussion

5 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle near the displayed Feelings Chart.
  • Point to different faces and ask, “What feeling is this?”
  • Ask: “How can you tell how someone is feeling?” Encourage use of facial expressions and body language.

Step 2

Emotion Matching

8 minutes

  • Distribute one Emotion Card to each student.
  • Call out a feeling and have students hold up the card that matches.
  • Invite volunteers to describe the facial features that clue them into each emotion.
  • Reinforce correct answers and gently correct misconceptions.

Step 3

Role-Play Scenarios

10 minutes

  • Pair students and give each pair a different Role-Play Scenario Card.
  • In each pair, Student A acts out the emotion while Student B guesses which feeling it is.
  • Students swap roles and repeat.
  • Invite a few pairs to demonstrate for the class and discuss what cues helped them guess correctly.

Step 4

Reflection and Closing

7 minutes

  • Hand out the Empathy Reflection Worksheet.
  • Prompt students to draw a time when they helped someone or someone helped them.
  • Ask them to write or dictate a sentence about how it felt to give or receive help.
  • Invite volunteers to share their drawings and sentences.
  • Summarize key takeaways: noticing feelings and showing kindness strengthens friendships.
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Slide Deck

Eyes on Others

A Social Awareness Lesson for 1st Grade

Building empathy, kindness, and stronger friendships.

Welcome everyone! Introduce the lesson title and explain that today we’ll learn how to notice and understand our friends’ feelings.

Lesson Objectives

• Identify and interpret basic emotions in others
• Practice empathetic responses through discussion and role-play
• Notice feelings and show kindness to classmates.

Read each objective aloud. Ask students to listen for how these goals will help them be good friends.

Warm-Up Discussion

Look at our Feelings Chart:

  1. What feeling do you see?
  2. How can we tell someone feels that way?
    – What does their face look like?
    – How might their body show it?

Display the large Feelings Chart where all can see. Point to faces and guide responses.

Emotion Matching Activity

  1. Each student holds one Emotion Card.
  2. When I call out a feeling, show your card.
  3. Describe the facial features that give it away.
  4. Let’s discuss why we matched each card.

Hand each student an Emotion Card. Call out feelings one by one and encourage students to hold up the matching card.

Role-Play Scenarios

  1. Pair up and pick a Role-Play Scenario Card.
  2. Student A acts out the emotion; Student B guesses.
  3. Swap roles and practice again.
  4. Volunteers can demonstrate for everyone.

Organize students into pairs and circulate to support clear acting and guessing. Invite a few pairs to perform for the class.

Reflection and Closing

  1. Draw a time you helped someone or someone helped you on the Empathy Reflection Worksheet.
  2. Write or tell one sentence about how it felt.
  3. Share your picture and sentence if you’d like.

Pass out the worksheets. Offer examples if students need help thinking of a time.

Key Takeaways

• Noticing how others feel helps us show kindness.
• Empathy and understanding build strong friendships.
• Let’s practice these skills every day!

Summarize the lesson and praise students for their participation. Encourage them to notice feelings throughout the day.

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Activity

Emotion Cards

Use these cards to help students recognize and match basic feelings.

Card List

  1. Happy – A wide smile with upturned eyes.
  2. Sad – Downturned mouth and teardrop by one eye.
  3. Angry – Frown with furrowed brows and tight lips.
  4. Surprised – Round open mouth and raised eyebrows.
  5. Scared – Small mouth with trembling lines and wide eyes.
  6. Calm – Gentle smile and relaxed eyes.

(Print and cut out these cards for use in Emotion Matching's activities.)

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Activity

Feelings Chart

Use this large poster to help everyone notice how friends might be feeling. Each face shows a clue you can spot on someone’s face and body.

EmotionFace & Clues
Happy 🙂Big, open smile; eyes upturned; relaxed body
Sad 😢Downturned mouth; a teardrop; shoulders may slump
Angry 😠Furrowed eyebrows; tight, straight lips; clenched fists
Surprised 😮Round, open mouth; raised eyebrows; eyes wide open
Scared 😱Trembling mouth; wide, fearful eyes; hands up or covering face
Calm 😌Gentle, small smile; soft eyes; relaxed posture
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Activity

Role-Play Scenario Cards

Use these cards to practice acting out different feelings. Print and cut them out for pairs.

Card List

  1. You got a gold star for your picture. (Happy)

  2. Your ice cream fell on the ground. (Sad)

  3. Someone grabbed your toy without asking. (Angry)

  4. You found a surprise balloon on your desk. (Surprised)

  5. You heard a loud thunder noise. (Scared)

  6. You’re sitting under a tree, reading peacefully. (Calm)


    (Print and cut out these cards for use in the Role-Play Scenarios activity.)
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Worksheet

Empathy Reflection Worksheet

1. Draw a time when you helped someone or someone helped you:













2. Write or dictate one sentence about how it felt:







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