Lesson Plan

Friendship Detectives

Students will learn to identify and respond to peers’ emotions by observing facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone. They will practice empathetic responses and record their observations in their detective journals.

Developing social awareness and empathy at an early age fosters positive peer interactions and a supportive classroom community. This lesson empowers students to notice and respond kindly to friends’ emotions, building interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Materials Preparation

5 minutes

Step 1

Hook: Become Friendship Detectives

3 minutes

Step 2

Game: Emotion Charades

8 minutes

Step 3

Discussion: Feeling Detective Chat

5 minutes

Step 4

Activity: Detective Journals

10 minutes

Step 5

Share & Reflect

4 minutes

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Slide Deck

Feeling Detective Chat

Photo #1: Happy Friend

Photo #2: Sad Friend

Photo #3: Angry Friend

Photo #4: Surprised Friend

Photo #5: Worried Friend

Kind Detective Responses

Detective Debrief

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Activity

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Worksheet

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Friendship Detectives

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