Emoji Check-In Warm-Up

Objective: Build emotional awareness by having students select and share an emoji that matches their current feeling, setting a supportive tone for the lesson.

Materials Needed:

• A deck of Emoji Check-In Cards featuring faces for:
  • Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared, Excited, Calm, Worried, Surprised

Preparation (2 minutes):

• Shuffle and place one card per student at the front or on a clipboard for easy distribution.

Instructions:

1. Choose Your Emoji (3 minutes)

   • Distribute one Emoji Check-In Card to each student.
   • Ask students to quietly look at the emojis and pick the one that best matches how they feel right now.

2. Share with a Partner (2 minutes)

   • Have students turn to a neighbor and briefly explain why they chose that emoji.
   • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share their emoji and reason with the whole class.

Transition: Thank students for sharing. Highlight that noticing and naming feelings helps us understand ourselves and others. “Now that we know how we’re feeling, let’s become Mood Detectives and explore more emotions!”

Color-Your-Feelings Poster Activity

Objective: In pairs, students will select colors to represent different emotions and illustrate them with symbols or drawings on a shared poster, reinforcing emotion–color associations.

Materials Needed:

• A large Color-Your-Feelings Poster displayed on the board or wall
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• Reference: Feeling Words Bank from Mood Detectives Slides

Preparation (5 minutes):

• Hang the blank poster where all students can easily reach it
• Arrange coloring supplies nearby
• Have the Feeling Words Bank slide visible for quick emotion-word reference

Steps (15 minutes):

1. Pair Up and Choose an Emotion (2 minutes)

   • Students form pairs and stand at the poster
   • Each pair selects one emotion from the word bank (e.g., Happy, Worried)

2. Pick a Color (2 minutes)

   • Pairs decide on a color that best represents their chosen emotion (e.g., blue for calm)

3. Illustrate Your Emotion (8 minutes)

   • Write the emotion word on the poster in the chosen color
   • Draw symbols, faces, or simple scenes that show that emotion using that color

4. Add Labels and Decorations (3 minutes)

   • Label key parts of the drawing (e.g., “smile,” “tears,” “wide eyes”)
   • Decorate around your section to make it stand out and inviting

Follow-Up Discussion (10 minutes – in Group Discussion):

• Once all pairs finish, review each emotion section together
• Ask each pair: “Why did you pick that color?” and “When have you felt this emotion?”
• Highlight similarities and celebrate varied color–emotion connections

Outcome: The completed poster remains displayed in the classroom as a visual reminder of emotions, colors, and empathetic understanding.

Feelings Reflection Journal

Use today’s learning to dive deeper into your own emotions. Think back to the Feeling Words Bank from Mood Detectives Slides and the colors you chose on the Color-Your-Feelings Poster. Answer the prompts below in full sentences and illustrate when you can.

1. Choose one emotion we explored today (for example, happy, worried, excited, or calm). Describe a specific time you felt this emotion. What happened? How did your body feel?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Pick a color that represents that emotion for you. Explain why this color matches how you feel.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Imagine you’re a Mood Detective. What three clues—words, facial expressions, or body actions—would you look for in a friend to know they’re feeling the same emotion? Write each clue and tell why it matters.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Create a quick sketch or symbol of that emotion (use the color you picked!) next to your writing.