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How Does Your Mind Talk?

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Lesson Plan

Mind Chatter Roadmap

Students will learn how their thoughts influence feelings and behaviors and practice identifying and reshaping unhelpful thought patterns using CBT principles.

This lesson equips students with self-awareness and coping skills, helping them manage emotions and behaviors through evidence-based CBT strategies, fostering resilience and emotional well-being.

Audience

6th Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, guided examples, hands-on activity, personal reflection

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Greet students and introduce today’s focus on how thoughts shape feelings and actions
  • Ask students to share a common morning thought and record responses on the board
  • Connect their examples to the idea that thoughts influence emotions and behavior

Step 2

Introduction to CBT

10 minutes

  • Present Talking Thoughts Slides
  • Define key terms: thoughts, feelings, behaviors
  • Explain the CBT triangle and how each element affects the others
  • Use a relatable example (e.g., test nerves) to illustrate the concept

Step 3

Circle Activity

15 minutes

  • Distribute Thought-Feeling-Behavior Circle handouts
  • Students work in pairs to identify a personal thought, related feeling, and behavior
  • Instruct them to fill the circle: thought at top, feeling on one side, behavior on the other
  • Circulate to support connections and prompt deeper thinking

Step 4

Reflection

10 minutes

  • Guide students to complete My Inner Voice Reflection
  • Prompt reflection: describe an unhelpful thought, the feeling it caused, and a healthier alternative thought
  • Encourage honest, private responses to reinforce learning

Step 5

Cool-Down & Share

5 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to share insights or healthier thoughts (optional)
  • Summarize key takeaways: thoughts influence feelings and actions, and we can change thoughts
  • Encourage students to apply this tool when they notice negative thinking
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Slide Deck

How Does Your Mind Talk?

Understanding how our thoughts shape our feelings and actions.

Introduce the lesson title and explain that today we’ll explore how our inner thoughts influence the way we feel and behave.

What Are Thoughts?

• Thoughts are the ideas and pictures in our mind.
• They’re automatic and happen quickly.
• They affect how we feel.

Define “thoughts,” give a quick example, and invite a student to share a thought they’ve had today.

What Are Feelings?

• Feelings are the emotions we experience.
• Examples: happy, sad, nervous, excited.
• They come from our thoughts.

Explain that feelings are our emotions. Ask students to name a feeling they’ve had today.

What Are Behaviors?

• Behaviors are the actions we take.
• Examples: smiling, frowning, studying, avoiding.
• Behaviors follow from our feelings.

Clarify that behaviors are our actions. Prompt students for examples of behaviors linked to feelings.

CBT Triangle

Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected in a cycle:

Thoughts → Feelings → Behaviors → Thoughts

Show a diagram of the CBT triangle on the board or slide. Walk through how each point connects in a cycle.

Example: Test Nerves

Thought: “I’ll fail this test.”

Feeling: Anxious

Behavior: Study less because I feel hopeless

Use this scenario to illustrate the triangle. Then ask how we might change the thought to feel and act differently.

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Activity

Thought-Feeling-Behavior Circle Handout

Instructions:

  • Find a partner and think of a recent situation where you had a strong thought and you noticed a feeling and action follow.
  • On your handout, draw one large circle and divide it into three equal “pie slice” sections.
  • Label the top slice Thought, the bottom-left slice Feeling, and the bottom-right slice Behavior.
  • In each section, write your answers and use the space provided.

Thought (What was the thought that popped into your mind?)



Feeling (How did that thought make you feel?)



Behavior (What did you do or how did you act because of that feeling?)



Partner Discussion:

  • Share what you wrote in each section with your partner.
  • Talk about one way you might change the original thought to feel differently and act in a new way.

Use this handout to practice noticing how your mind’s “chat” moves from thoughts to feelings to behaviors!

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Journal

My Inner Voice Reflection

Instructions: Think about a recent time when a thought caused you distress. Use the prompts below to explore your inner voice and practice reshaping unhelpful thinking.

1. Describe the situation or event:






2. Identify the automatic thought you had:






3. How did this thought make you feel? Describe your emotions:






4. What actions did you take or what behaviors followed this feeling?






5. Challenge the unhelpful thought:

  • Evidence supporting the thought:



  • Evidence against the thought:



6. Create a healthier, balanced alternative thought:






7. How might you feel and act differently if you choose this new thought?






Keep this reflection in a safe place. Revisit it when you notice negative thoughts and practice shifting your mind’s “chat.”

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