Emotion Matching Mural Activity (Tier 2 Scaffolds)

Objective:
Students work in small groups with scaffolded supports to match emotion icons with real-life scenarios, discuss triggers, and practice healthy coping strategies.

Time: 15 minutes

Materials:

• Printed emotion icon cards with visuals and simple labels (Joy 😊, Sadness 😢, Anger 😠, Fear 😨, Surprise 😲)
• Large poster or digital canvas titled Emotion Matching Mural
• Sticky notes or index cards
• Markers or pens
• Sentence-stem cue cards (e.g., “This scenario makes me feel ___ because ___.”)
• Emotion Matching Mural poster space

Setup (5 minutes)

1. Divide into small groups of 3–4 students.
2. Give each group: icon cards, sticky notes, and a set of sentence-stem cue cards.
3. Place the mural poster or digital canvas in view and attach a simple emotion-icon guide nearby (visual key).
4. Facilitator prompts:
   • “Use this guide if you’re not sure which emotion matches your scenario.”
   • “Feel free to choose a pre-written scenario card or write your own.”

Activity Steps

1. Scenario Brainstorm (3 minutes)

• In your group, brainstorm 5–6 real-life events that might trigger one of our five emotions.
• Write each event on a sticky note using the stem:
  “When ___ happens, I feel ___ because ___.”
  
  
  

2. Match & Place (5 minutes)

• Take turns: each student picks one scenario note and an emotion icon card.
• Use the sentence stem:
  “This scenario fits [Emotion] because ___.”
• Place the icon and scenario together under the correct heading on the mural.
• Facilitator circulates and prompts:
  • “Show me the visual cue for this emotion—what do you notice?”
  • “What clues in the words helped you decide?”

3. Group Sharing (5 minutes)

• Each group selects one pairing to share with the whole group.
• Use these guided questions:
  1. “Why did we match this scenario with [Emotion]?”
  2. “Have you felt this way before? What happened?”
  3. “What is one healthy strategy we could use if this happened to us?”
• Encourage use of the icon guide and sentence stems when speaking.

4. Reflection & Cleanup (2 minutes)

• Step back and look at the complete mural.
• Quick debrief questions:
  • “Which emotion had the most scenarios? Why might that be?”
  • “What patterns do you notice in our triggers?”
• Leave the mural up for reference next session or remove cards to store for later.

Differentiation & Extensions:

• Provide pre-written scenario cards for students who need extra support.
• Challenge advanced students to add a new coping-strategy card under each emotion.

Connection to Lesson:
Reinforces definitions from Finding Your Feeling Friends with hands-on matching, sentence-stem practice, and visual scaffolds to support all learners.

My Feelings Journal Prompt (Tier 2 Scaffolds)

How to use this page:
• Choose one prompt to write or draw about.
• Use the sentence-stem cards if you need help getting started.
• Feel free to draw, write a few words, or do both!

1. Meet Your Feeling Friend

Think about one of our five feeling friends (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Surprise) you’ve noticed recently. Use the stem below or draw a picture of the moment.

Sentence Stem: “I felt ___ when ___ because ___.”

• What was happening?
• How did your body feel?

2. Emotions in Action

Choose a recent event when you felt more than one emotion at once. Write or sketch how the feelings mixed together.

Sentence Stem: “When ___ happened, I felt ___ and ___ because ___.”

• How did you show each feeling?
• What happened after?

3. Befriending a Tough Feeling

Pick an emotion that sometimes feels hard (like Anger or Fear). Reflect by writing or drawing.

Sentence Stem: “Last time I felt ___, I ___, and ___ helped because ___. Next time I will ___.”

• What usually helps you calm down?
• What’s one new strategy you’d like to try?

Tip for Success:
If you feel stuck, start with a sketch of the moment, then add words. Use the sentence-stem cards or ask a peer/adult for ideas. There’s no right or wrong way—this is your space to explore and befriend your feelings!

One-Word Check-Out (Tier 2 Support)

Objective:
Quickly gauge how students’ emotional states and intensity at the end of a small-group session, with scaffolded prompts to support accurate self-assessment.

Time: 5 minutes

Materials:

• Sticky notes or index cards (physical)
• OR slides/a shared digital board (virtual)
• Visual 1–5 feeling intensity chart (prepared during lesson prep)

Instructions:

1. Reflect (30 seconds):
   Prompt students to close their eyes or look down and check in with how their body feels right now.

2. Choose One Word (1 minute):
   Ask each student to write a single word that best describes their current feeling (e.g., “calm,” “proud,” “worried”).

3. Share & Rate Intensity (2 minutes):

   • Students place their sticky note under their word on the feeling wall/chart.
   • Then each student moves a marker on the 1–5 scale to show how strongly they feel that feeling (1 = very low, 5 = very high).

4. Quick Debrief (1.5 minutes):

   • Scan the chart and note common words and intensity patterns.
   • Acknowledge honest sharing: “I see many of us feel ‘calm’ at a 2 or 3—great job checking in!”

Facilitator Prompts:

• “On a scale of 1–5, how strong is this feeling right now?”
• If a student hesitates: “What do you notice in your body when you think of that word?”
• Encourage students to expand: “Can you share why you chose that word and number?”

Extension:

• Invite volunteers to explain why their intensity might have shifted from the start of the session.
• Collect the words and ratings; revisit them next session to monitor growth and change.