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How Does the Wave Form?

Lesson Plan

Riding the Emotional Wave

Students will explore the rise and fall of emotions by mapping their personal emotional waves, practicing group counseling techniques to build self-awareness and regulation.

Recognizing emotional ebbs and flows fosters emotional literacy, self-awareness, and peer support—key skills for 10th graders navigating stress and change.

Audience

10th Grade Students

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Process-oriented group mapping and reflection activities.

Materials

Riding the Emotional Wave, - Wave Patterns Presentation, - Emotion Check-In Cards, - Group Wave Mapping, and - Reflection Ripple Journal

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Emotion Check-In Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Distribute one Emotion Check-In Card to each student
  • Ask students to silently observe their card and choose the emotion that best matches how they feel today
  • Go around the circle and have each student state their chosen emotion and one-word reason for selection

Step 2

Introduction of Emotional Waves

8 minutes

  • Launch the Wave Patterns Presentation
  • Define the concept of an emotional wave (peaks, troughs, and plateaus)
  • Co-create group norms for respectful listening and sharing
  • Model how to map emotions onto a simple wave chart

Step 3

Group Wave Mapping Activity

20 minutes

  • Divide students into small groups of 4–5
  • Give each group a Group Wave Mapping worksheet and markers
  • Assign each group a common scenario (e.g., first day of school, exam stress)
  • Instruct groups to plot the emotional highs and lows over time and label each point with feelings and triggers
  • Circulate, prompt deeper reflection, and reinforce group norms

Step 4

Reflection Ripple Journal Cool-Down

7 minutes

  • Hand out the Reflection Ripple Journal
  • Ask students to individually reflect on today’s mapping: What surprised you? What coping strategies can smooth your wave?
  • Prompt written responses in bullet form

Step 5

Closure & Takeaways

5 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to share one insight from their Reflection Ripple Journal
  • Reinforce how identifying wave patterns aids emotional regulation
  • Preview next session’s focus on coping tools to ride challenging waves
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Slide Deck

Wave Patterns: Understanding Our Emotional Waves

Explore how emotions rise and fall like waves as we learn to recognize and map our feelings over time.

Welcome students! Today we’ll explore how emotions move like waves—peaks, troughs, and plateaus—and why tracking them helps us understand ourselves and support each other.

What Is an Emotional Wave?

An emotional wave shows how our feelings change over time:
• Peaks: moments of strong emotion
• Troughs: moments of low energy or mood
• Plateaus: periods of steady, moderate feeling

Define an emotional wave. Emphasize that emotions aren’t static—they flow. Invite a quick example (“When have you felt a sudden high or low?”).

Peaks, Troughs & Plateaus

• Peaks: High-intensity emotions (e.g., excitement, joy)
• Troughs: Low-intensity emotions (e.g., sadness, frustration)
• Plateaus: Calm or neutral periods (e.g., contentment)

Walk through each component. Ask students to share an emotion that fits each category.

Why Map Your Emotions?

• Recognize patterns in your reactions
• Build self-awareness and emotional regulation
• Share insights and support peers

Explain the benefits of emotional mapping. Encourage students to think of times it might help them.

Group Norms for Mapping

  1. Listen actively without interrupting
  2. Speak from your own experience (“I feel…”)
  3. Keep what’s shared in the group confidential
  4. Encourage and support one another

Co-create norms with students if needed, or use these as a starting point. Stress the importance of confidentiality.

Group Wave Mapping Instructions

• Form groups of 4–5 and grab your Group Wave Mapping worksheet and markers
• Choose a common scenario (e.g., first day of school, exam stress)
• Plot emotional highs and lows over time; label each point with the feeling and its trigger
• Discuss within your group how the wave might change with different coping strategies

Give clear instructions and model how to start plotting. Remind students to label points with both emotion and trigger.

Sample Emotional Wave

Scenario: Exam Stress
• Start: Calm anticipation (Plateau)
• Rising wave: Anxiety builds studying (Wave up)
• Peak: Test-day nerves (Peak)
• Falling wave: Relief after turning in the exam (Trough)
• Plateau: Rest and reflection (Plateau)

Show this example as you explain. Highlight how each point connects to a real moment in the scenario.

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Warm Up

Emotion Check-In Cards

Use these cards for a quick warm-up each student picks one that best matches how they feel today and shares a one-word reason.

Materials:

  • Print and cut along the lines to create individual emotion cards.
  • Distribute one card to each student at the start of class.

How to Use:

  1. Each student silently reviews their card and decides if it fits their current emotion.
  2. If it doesn’t match, students can swap with a neighbor until they find the best fit.
  3. In a circle, go around and have each student state:
    • The emotion on their card
    • One-word reason why they chose it

Emotion Cards (printable):

EmotionEmoji
Excited😀
Anxious😟
Sad😢
Angry😠
Calm😌
Frustrated😤
Surprised😲
Confident😎
Overwhelmed😣
Curious🤔






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Activity

Group Wave Mapping Worksheet

Scenario: _________________________________________________

Instructions:

  1. In your group of 4–5, decide on a common scenario and write it above.
  2. On the graph below, plot the emotional highs and lows over time.
    • X-axis: Time
    • Y-axis: Emotion Intensity (1 = very low, 5 = very high)

Emotional Wave Plot
(draw your wave here)












Record Your Key Points Below:

Time PointEmotionTriggerIntensity (1–5)Coping Strategy






Discussion Question:

  • If you applied a coping strategy at one of your peaks or troughs, how might your wave look different?






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Cool Down

Reflection Ripple Journal

Use this journal to capture your personal insights from today’s emotional wave mapping.

1. Surprises

What surprised you most when plotting your group’s emotional wave?







2. Coping Strategies

Which coping strategy might help smooth your emotional wave in the future? Explain why.







3. Application

How will you apply this strategy in a real-life situation (e.g., before a big test or during a stressful day)?







4. Comfort Level

On a scale from 1 (not comfortable) to 5 (very comfortable), how comfortable do you feel sharing your emotions in this group?
Why did you choose that number?







5. Key Takeaway

What is your main takeaway from today’s session?







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How Does the Wave Form? • Lenny Learning