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Faces of Feeling!

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Krysti Gollnisch

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Session 1: Exploring Happy and Sad

Students will be able to identify and express the emotions of happy and sad through visual and kinesthetic activities.

Understanding and naming emotions helps young children develop emotional literacy, self-awareness, and social skills. This lesson provides foundational tools for expressing feelings in a healthy way.

Audience

Pre-K Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, visual aids, and a group activity.

Materials

Whiteboard or Chart Paper, Markers, Slide Deck: Feelings Faces Session 1, Warm Up: How Do You Feel?, Activity: Happy/Sad Sort, and Cool Down: Feeling Faces Exit Ticket

Prep

Materials Preparation

10 minutes

  • Review the Slide Deck: Feelings Faces Session 1 content.
    - Print and cut out the cards for the Activity: Happy/Sad Sort.
    - Prepare the Warm Up: How Do You Feel? and Cool Down: Feeling Faces Exit Ticket handouts or digital display.
    - Ensure whiteboard/chart paper and markers are accessible.

Step 1

Warm-Up: How Do You Feel?

3 minutes

  • Begin by displaying the Warm Up: How Do You Feel?.
    - Ask students: "How are you feeling today? Give me a thumbs up if you're feeling happy, or a thumbs down if you're feeling a little sad or tired."
    - Briefly discuss a few student responses, validating all feelings.

Step 2

Introducing Happy and Sad (Slide Deck)

5 minutes

  • Use the Slide Deck: Feelings Faces Session 1 to introduce and discuss the emotions of happy and sad.
    - Show slides with 'happy' faces and ask: "What makes this person look happy? What makes you feel happy?"
    - Show slides with 'sad' faces and ask: "What makes this person look sad? What makes you feel sad?"
    - Encourage students to make happy and sad faces along with you.

Step 3

Activity: Happy/Sad Sort

5 minutes

  • Distribute the cards from the Activity: Happy/Sad Sort. Each card will have a picture depicting either a happy or sad scenario.
    - Instruct students to sort their cards into two piles: 'Happy' and 'Sad'.
    - As a class, quickly review some of the cards, asking students to explain why they sorted them as happy or sad.

Step 4

Cool-Down: Feeling Faces Exit Ticket

2 minutes

  • Hand out the Cool Down: Feeling Faces Exit Ticket.
    - Ask students to draw a happy face or a sad face depending on how they feel about learning about feelings today.
    - Collect the exit tickets as students leave or transition to the next activity.
lenny

Slide Deck

Welcome! Let's Talk About Feelings!

How are you feeling today?

Welcome students and introduce the idea of talking about feelings. Remind them that all feelings are okay.

When You're Happy...

What makes you smile?
What makes you feel sunny inside?

Introduce the 'happy' feeling. Ask students to show their happy faces and share things that make them happy.

When You're Sad...

What makes you frown?
What makes you feel like crying?

Introduce the 'sad' feeling. Ask students to show their sad faces and share things that might make someone sad. Emphasize that it's okay to feel sad.

Happy or Sad?

We learned about happy and sad feelings.
Now, let's sort some pictures!

Recap happy and sad. Prepare them for the sorting activity. Explain that they will be looking at pictures and deciding if they show a happy or sad feeling.

Great Job!

You are doing wonderful at learning about feelings.
Let's do one more activity before we finish for today.

This slide signals the end of the instructional part of the slide deck and transitions to the cool-down activity.

lenny

Warm Up

Warm Up: How Do You Feel Today?

Draw a picture of your face showing how you feel right now!

lenny
lenny

Activity

Happy/Sad Sort Activity

Instructions for Teacher:
1. Preparation: Print and cut out several cards. Each card should feature a simple image depicting either a happy or a sad scenario.
* Happy Scenario Examples: A child laughing, a sunny day, a birthday cake, a puppy playing, eating ice cream, friends hugging.
* Sad Scenario Examples: A child crying, a rainy day, a broken toy, a lost pet, a scraped knee, someone looking lonely.
2. Setup: Create two large labels or draw two large faces on chart paper or the whiteboard: one clearly labeled "Happy" with a smiley face, and one clearly labeled "Sad" with a frowny face.
3. Activity:
* Explain to students that they will look at a picture and decide if it shows a happy feeling or a sad feeling.
* Distribute the pre-cut cards to small groups or individual students.
* Ask students to sort their cards into two piles under the "Happy" and "Sad" labels.
* Circulate and assist students, prompting them to explain why they sorted a card into a particular category (e.g., "Why does this picture make you feel happy?").
* Differentiation: For younger or struggling students, start with fewer cards or work together as a whole class. For advanced students, ask them to think about how they would feel in that scenario.

lenny
lenny

Cool Down

Cool Down: Feeling Faces Exit Ticket

Draw a face that shows how you feel after our lesson about feelings today!











lenny
lenny

Lesson Plan

Session 2: Mad and Scared

Students will be able to identify and express the emotions of mad and scared, and understand simple ways to respond to these feelings.

Learning to recognize and express feelings like anger and fear is vital for children to develop emotional regulation skills and feel safe communicating their needs.

Audience

Pre-K Students

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, storytelling, and creative expression through drawing.

Materials

Whiteboard or Chart Paper, Markers, Slide Deck: Feelings Faces Session 2, Warm Up: How Do You Feel Now?, Activity: My Mad/Scared Face, and Cool Down: Feeling Match

Prep

Materials Preparation

5 minutes

  • Review the Slide Deck: Feelings Faces Session 2 content.
    - Prepare drawing paper and crayons/markers for the Activity: My Mad/Scared Face.
    - Prepare the Warm Up: How Do You Feel Now? and Cool Down: Feeling Match handouts or digital display.

Step 1

Warm-Up: How Do You Feel Now?

3 minutes

  • Begin by displaying the Warm Up: How Do You Feel Now?.
    - Ask students: "How are you feeling today? Remember yesterday we talked about happy and sad. Today we will talk about other feelings."

Step 2

Introducing Mad and Scared (Slide Deck)

5 minutes

  • Use the Slide Deck: Feelings Faces Session 2 to introduce and discuss the emotions of mad and scared.
    - Show slides with 'mad' faces and ask: "What makes this person look mad? What makes you feel mad? What can we do when we feel mad?"
    - Show slides with 'scared' faces and ask: "What makes this person look scared? What makes you feel scared? What can we do when we feel scared?"
    - Encourage students to make mad and scared faces along with you.

Step 3

Activity: My Mad/Scared Face

5 minutes

  • Distribute drawing paper and crayons/markers to each student.
    - Instruct students to draw a face showing a time they felt mad or scared.
    - Encourage them to think about what their body felt like when they had that feeling.
    - Optionally, invite a few students to share their drawings and briefly describe what made them feel that way (if they are comfortable).

Step 4

Cool-Down: Feeling Match

2 minutes

  • Hand out the Cool Down: Feeling Match.
    - Ask students to draw a line from the feeling word to the correct face.
    - Collect the cool-down tickets as students leave or transition.
lenny

Slide Deck

Welcome Back! More Feelings!

Last time we talked about happy and sad. Today, let's learn about two new feelings!

Welcome back! Briefly review happy and sad from Session 1. Introduce that today we'll learn two new feelings.

When You're Mad...

What makes your face scrunch up?
What makes you stomp your feet?

Introduce the 'mad' feeling. Ask students to show their mad faces and share things that make them feel mad. Discuss simple coping strategies like taking a deep breath or counting to three.

When You're Scared...

What makes your eyes big?
What makes you want to hide?

Introduce the 'scared' feeling. Ask students to show their scared faces and share things that might make someone scared. Discuss how to ask for help or find a safe adult when they feel scared.

Mad or Scared?

We learned about mad and scared feelings.
Now, let's draw them!

Recap mad and scared. Prepare them for the drawing activity. Explain that they will draw one of these feelings.

You're a Feeling Expert!

You are doing great learning about all sorts of feelings!
One more thing before we finish.

This slide signals the end of the instructional part of the slide deck and transitions to the cool-down activity.

lenny

Warm Up

Warm Up: How Do You Feel Now?

Draw a face that shows how you are feeling right now! Do you remember a happy or sad feeling from yesterday?

lenny
lenny

Activity

My Mad/Scared Face Activity

Instructions for Teacher:
1. Materials: Provide each student with a piece of drawing paper and crayons or markers.
2. Prompt: Explain to students that they will draw a picture of a face showing either a MAD feeling or a SCARED feeling.
* Encourage them to think about what their face looks like when they are mad (e.g., frowny eyebrows, tight lips) or scared (e.g., wide eyes, open mouth).
* They can also draw a little picture around the face that makes them feel that way (e.g., a thundercloud for mad, a spider for scared).
3. Drawing Time: Give students time to draw their faces.
4. Share (Optional): Invite students who are comfortable to share their drawings with a partner or the whole class, briefly explaining what makes the face look mad or scared, or what might make them feel that way. Remind students that all feelings are okay and it's important to talk about them.

Student Section:
Draw a face that shows when you feel MAD or SCARED.















lenny
lenny

Cool Down

Cool Down: Feeling Match

Draw a line from the feeling word to the face that shows that feeling!

Happy
😊

Sad
😢

Mad
😠

Scared
😱




lenny
lenny