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How Do You Read Emotions?

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Ashley Nussen

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Emotion Detective Outline

Students will learn to identify and interpret emotions in themselves and others by observing facial expressions and body language, practicing through interactive mirror warm-ups and charades, and reflecting on their own feelings.

Understanding nonverbal cues builds empathy, strengthens peer connections, and fosters a supportive classroom climate by helping students recognize and respect emotions in themselves and others.

Audience

3rd Grade Class

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Hands-on activities with mirrors, slide gallery, charades, and personal check-ins.

Materials

  • Face & Feelings Gallery, - Handheld Mirror, - Mirror, Mirror Prompt Cards, - Emotion Charades Cards, and - Feelings Check-In Chart

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Review the Face & Feelings Gallery.
  • Print and cut the Mirror, Mirror Prompt Cards.
  • Print and assemble the Emotion Charades Cards.
  • Print enough copies of the Feelings Check-In Chart.
  • Gather handheld mirrors for student pairs.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Mirror, Mirror

5 minutes

  • Pair students and give each pair a handheld mirror and a Mirror, Mirror Prompt Cards.
  • One student makes the expression; the partner holds the mirror to observe and describe the emotion.
  • Switch roles so each student practices making and reading expressions.

Step 2

Gallery Viewing: Face & Feelings

10 minutes

  • Display the Face & Feelings Gallery.
  • Invite students to name the emotion they see in each image.
  • Discuss facial and body cues (eyebrows, mouth, posture) that signal each feeling.

Step 3

Activity: Emotion Charades

15 minutes

  • Divide into small groups and give each group a set of Emotion Charades Cards.
  • Students take turns acting out an emotion without words while peers guess.
  • Encourage exaggerated facial and body movements to highlight cues.

Step 4

Reflection Discussion

5 minutes

  • Facilitate a class discussion: How did you know which emotion was being acted out?
  • Ask which nonverbal signals (face, gestures, posture) were most helpful.

Step 5

Cool-Down: Feeling Check-In

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Feelings Check-In Chart.
  • Students circle or color the emotion that matches how they feel right now.
  • Invite volunteers to share their feelings; collect charts to monitor student well-being.
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Slide Deck

Face & Feelings Gallery

Today we’ll explore six common emotions by looking closely at faces and bodies. Let’s see how our friends look when they feel different ways!

Introduce the gallery and explain that students will become emotion detectives by noticing facial and body cues. Encourage them to observe carefully and share ideas.

Happy

• Eyebrows relaxed or slightly raised
• Eyes bright, sometimes squinting at corners
• Mouth shaped in a big smile (corners turned up)
• Open, relaxed posture

Point to each part of the face and body when you describe the cues. Ask volunteers to mimic the happy expression.

Sad

• Eyebrows drawn together or slanted up in middle
• Eyes may look down or appear teary
• Mouth corners turned down
• Shoulders slumped, head tilted down

Discuss how posture can show sadness. Invite students to make a sad face and notice their own muscles.

Angry

• Eyebrows pulled down and together (furrowed)
• Eyes narrowed or staring intensely
• Lips pressed tight or curled downward
• Jaw clenched, fists may be tight, body tense

Emphasize the difference between anger and other strong feelings. Ask students to stamp their feet or clench their fists gently.

Surprised

• Eyebrows raised high and arched
• Eyes wide open
• Mouth open in an “O” shape
• Body may lean back or hands up near face

Highlight the surprise ‘O’ shape of the mouth. Invite students to gasp and feel the surprise in their chest.

Scared

• Eyebrows raised but pulled together
• Eyes wide, pupils may look small
• Mouth open, lips pulled back or trembling
• Body hunched, shoulders up, hands near face

Explain how fear can look similar to surprise but with more tension. Ask students to pretend they’re tiptoeing away from something scary.

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Warm Up

Mirror, Mirror Warm-Up Sheet

Goal

Build skills in reading facial expressions and body language in a fun, paired activity.

Directions

  1. Pair up with a friend. Decide who goes first.
  2. Pick one Emotion Card from the deck (keep it secret!).
  3. The student with the card makes that emotion in front of the mirror—using their face and body.
  4. The partner watches carefully in the mirror and names the emotion they see.
  5. Switch roles so both students get a turn making and reading expressions.

Emotion Cards (Cut Out)

Cut along these lines to create individual prompt cards before starting:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Happy

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Sad

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Angry

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Surprised

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Scared

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Activity

Emotion Charades

Goal

Practice nonverbal communication by acting out feelings and noticing facial and body cues.

Directions

  1. Divide the class into small groups of 3–4 students.
  2. Place the Emotion Charades Cards face down in the center of each group.
  3. One student draws a card and silently acts out the emotion using gestures and facial expressions—no words allowed.
  4. Group members take turns guessing the emotion.
  5. Once guessed, the next student draws a new card and repeats.
  6. Continue until each student has had multiple turns or time is up.

Debrief Questions

  • Which facial or body cues helped you guess the emotion?


  • How did it feel to express an emotion without speaking?


  • Why is it important to notice these cues when talking with friends?

Emotion Charades Cards (Cut Out)

Cut along the lines to create individual prompt cards:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Happy

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Sad

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Angry

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Surprised

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Scared

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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Cool Down

Feeling Check-In Chart

Circle or color the face that matches how you feel right now:

😊 😢 😠 😲 😨

Happy Sad Angry Surprised Scared

Why do I feel this way?





What can I do to help myself feel better?





Teacher: Collect these charts or have students share briefly whole-class to check in on well-being.

lenny
lenny