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Inner Compass

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Lesson Plan

Inner Compass Plan

Guide a 9th-grade student through a structured, 20-minute session to identify and map emotions, log triggers, journal reflections, and draft personalized coping strategies.

Building self-awareness empowers students to recognize emotional patterns, anticipate triggers, and apply coping strategies, fostering resilience and improved well-being.

Audience

9th Grade Student

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Individual, structured self-assessment activities

Materials

Emotion Mapping Deck, Trigger Tracker Log, Daily Compass Entries, and Guided Reflection Script

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Set-up

2 minutes

  • Explain the session’s goal: build self-awareness through identifying emotions, triggers, and coping strategies
  • Show the Emotion Mapping Deck and outline how to use it
  • Provide the student with the Trigger Tracker Log worksheet

Step 2

Emotion Mapping Activity

5 minutes

  • Have the student review the slides in the Emotion Mapping Deck
  • Ask them to select three emotions they’ve recently felt and map each on the deck’s chart
  • Record each emotion’s intensity, context, and physical/mental cues

Step 3

Trigger Tracking Reflection

5 minutes

  • Guide the student through the Trigger Tracker Log
  • Identify two situations that triggered strong emotions; for each, log the context, thoughts, and physical reactions
  • Briefly discuss how these triggers relate to the mapped emotions

Step 4

Journaling Compass Entries

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Daily Compass Entries journal prompt
  • Instruct the student to write one entry describing: today’s strongest emotion, its trigger, and an initial coping strategy idea
  • Encourage honest, detailed reflections

Step 5

Guided Reflection & Plan Development

3 minutes

  • Use the Guided Reflection Script to ask targeted questions about insights gathered
  • Have the student draft two to three personalized coping strategies based on their reflections
  • Summarize findings into a concise “Inner Compass Plan” for future reference
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Slide Deck

Emotion Mapping

Discover and chart your emotions to gain clarity and control over how you feel. This deck will guide you step-by-step through identifying, rating, and reflecting on your emotions.

Welcome the student and introduce the purpose: using visual mapping to build self-awareness of emotions. Mention the gradient palette (#FFB347 → #FFC56F → #FFCF97) for a warm, inviting feel.

How to Use This Deck

  1. Review the Emotion Wheel to explore common feelings
  2. Examine the chart examples to see how intensity is rated
  3. Use the provided template to map three recent emotions
  4. Compare with the sample filled map for reference
  5. Reflect on patterns and next steps

Explain each step briefly. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers—this is a personal reflection tool.

Emotion Wheel & Chart Examples

• Emotion Wheel: Primary emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust) at the core; related feelings on outer rings
• Chart Example: Emotion • Intensity (1–10) • Context • Physical Sensations

Highlight the wheel’s segments—primary emotions in center, nuanced feelings on outer rings.

Your Emotion Mapping Template

Emotion Mapping Table:
• Emotion
• Intensity (1–10)
• Trigger/Situation
• Physical & Mental Cues

Use this template to capture three emotions you’ve recently experienced.

Point out blank columns for emotion name, intensity rating, situation, and physical/mental cues.

Sample Filled Map

  1. Emotion: Frustration
    Intensity: 7/10
    Trigger: Group project delays
    Cues: Tense shoulders, racing thoughts

  2. Emotion: Excitement
    Intensity: 8/10
    Trigger: Upcoming game night
    Cues: Elevated heartbeat, smiling broadly

Review the filled sample. Note how linking triggers and sensations builds insight.

Reflection & Next Steps

• What patterns do you notice across your mapped emotions?
• How did intensity relate to your triggers?
• Which coping strategy could help when you feel these emotions strongly?
• Write one action you’ll take the next time you notice a strong emotion.

Guide the student through these reflection questions to close out the mapping activity.

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Worksheet

Trigger Tracker Log

Use this log to identify situations that trigger strong emotions and reflect on your responses. Complete two entries below.

Situation 1

  1. Date & Time:



  2. Describe the situation (What happened?):











  3. Emotion(s) felt:



  4. Intensity of emotion (1–10):



  5. Thoughts during the situation:











  6. Physical & mental reactions:











  7. How did you respond initially?











Situation 2

  1. Date & Time:



  2. Describe the situation (What happened?):











  3. Emotion(s) felt:



  4. Intensity of emotion (1–10):



  5. Thoughts during the situation:











  6. Physical & mental reactions:











  7. How did you respond initially?











Reflection

What patterns or common themes do you notice in these triggers? How might recognizing these patterns help you manage your emotions in the future?











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Journal

Daily Compass Entries

Date: _______________________



  1. Today’s strongest emotion and why you think you felt this way:











  2. Describe the trigger or situation that brought out this emotion:











  3. Thoughts or self-talk you noticed in the moment:











  4. Intensity rating (1–10): __. Why did you choose this rating?











  5. Physical or mental cues you experienced (e.g., racing heart, tense muscles, distracted thinking):











  6. Initial coping strategy idea:
    • What could you try next time you notice this emotion?
    • Be specific about the action or thought shift:











  7. If your first strategy isn’t effective, how might you adjust it?











Reflect on what you’ve written. Use this entry to guide your personalized coping plan in future sessions.

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Script

Guided Reflection Script

Teacher: "Thank you for completing those activities. Let’s spend the last few minutes thinking about what you discovered and turning those insights into a plan you can use.

Teacher: "First, looking at your Emotion Mapping Deck map, what patterns or themes did you notice across your three emotions?"
(Pause to listen. If needed, ask: “Can you give me an example of a situation where you felt two of these emotions back-to-back?”)

Teacher: "Great. Now, in your Trigger Tracker Log, you logged two situations that sparked strong reactions. How do those triggers relate to the emotions you just mapped?"
(Follow-up: “Did you notice any overlap in the physical or mental cues between those two situations?”)

Teacher: "Let’s turn to your Daily Compass Entries. You described today’s strongest emotion and sketched out an initial coping idea. Please share that strategy and why you thought it might help."
(Pause. Then ask: “What makes that action a good match for the emotion you felt?”)

Teacher: "If you tried that strategy and it wasn’t quite enough, how could you adjust it next time?"
(Encourage specifics: “For example, if taking deep breaths helped a little, what else could you pair with that?”)

Teacher: "Based on everything we’ve discussed, let’s draft two to three personalized coping strategies. I’ll write them on your Inner Compass Plan:

Teacher: "Which of these would you like to practice first, and when might you try it?"
(Encourage the student to set a concrete time or situation.)

Teacher: "You’ve just built your own Inner Compass Plan. Keep it somewhere you can revisit. The more you use and refine these strategies, the stronger your self-awareness and resilience will become. Well done today!"

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Inner Compass • Lenny Learning