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Inner Weather

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Lesson Plan

Weather-Emotion Mapping Plan

Students will recognize and articulate at least two emotions by mapping them to weather patterns and share their insights in a supportive group setting.

Building emotional literacy and self-awareness helps ninth graders manage feelings, communicate needs, and foster peer support—key skills for mental well-being.

Audience

9th Grade Small Group

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Model, map, then discuss emotions via weather metaphors.

Materials

Storms and Sunshine Emotions, Weather Journals, and Group Sharing Storms

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Welcome and Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Greet students and explain today’s focus: mapping feelings to weather
  • Show Storms and Sunshine Emotions
  • Ask: “If your mood were weather today, what would it be?” and collect a few responses

Step 2

Modeling the Mapping

5 minutes

  • Choose one emotion (e.g., anxious) and map it to a weather pattern (e.g., gusty winds)
  • Verbally walk through why the match fits: intensity, unpredictability
  • Highlight descriptive language: ‘It feels like…,’ ‘It looks like….’

Step 3

Independent Mapping

10 minutes

  • Distribute Weather Journals
  • Prompt students to select two recent emotions and sketch or write corresponding weather scenes
  • Circulate and offer support: ask guiding questions about intensity, color, movement

Step 4

Group Sharing and Discussion

7 minutes

  • Use Group Sharing Storms prompts
  • Invite each student to share one journal entry and explain their mapping
  • Encourage peers to affirm and ask clarifying questions
  • Reinforce active listening and respect

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 minutes

  • Ask: “What did you learn about how you feel today?”
  • Collect one takeaway from each student
  • Preview next session’s focus (e.g., coping strategies) and thank them for sharing
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Slide Deck

Storms and Sunshine Emotions

• Mapping feelings to weather patterns
• Building emotional vocabulary
• Sharing in a safe group setting

Welcome students and introduce the session. Say: “Today we’ll use weather as a metaphor to help us name and understand our emotions.” Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers and this is a supportive space.

Why Map Emotions to Weather?

• Weather is vivid and relatable
• Helps describe intensity & movement
• Expands our emotional vocabulary

Explain why weather works as a metaphor: it’s visual, dynamic, and captures intensity. Connect to self-awareness: naming emotions helps us manage them.

Example Mappings

• Anxious = Gusty Winds 🌬️
– Jittery, unpredictable
• Calm = Clear Skies ☀️
– Steady, peaceful

Model two examples. For each: describe the emotion, map to weather, explain why (color, movement, intensity). Invite quick reactions.

Your Turn: Sketch & Describe

  1. Pick two recent emotions
  2. Sketch or write a weather scene
  3. Use “It feels like…” and “It looks like…”

Distribute the Weather Journals. Encourage students to use descriptive language: “It feels like…,” “It looks like….” Circulate and prompt depth (e.g., “What colors do you see?”).

Group Sharing Prompts

• Share your emotion & weather mapping
• Why did you choose that weather?
• What stands out to you?

Use these prompts to guide sharing. Model one share if needed. Remind students to listen actively and affirm each other.

Reflection & Next Steps

• What did you learn about your feelings?
• How might this help you?
• Next: Coping strategies

Wrap up by inviting each student to name one insight or takeaway. Preview next session on coping strategies. Thank everyone for their openness.

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Activity

Weather Journals

Use this printable template to map two recent emotions to weather scenes. Sketch and write to explore how you feel.

Entry 1

Emotion: ________________________________

Weather Metaphor: ________________________

It feels like…






It looks like…






Sketch your weather scene:











Entry 2

Emotion: ________________________________

Weather Metaphor: ________________________

It feels like…






It looks like…






Sketch your weather scene:











Reflect on your entries:

  1. Which mapping felt most accurate?



  2. What did you notice about colors, movement, or intensity in your sketches?



  3. How might this weather metaphor help you understand or share your emotions with others?






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Discussion

Group Sharing Storms

Use these prompts and guidelines to support a respectful, empathetic discussion of your weather-emotion mappings.

Discussion Guidelines

  • Speak from your own experience using “I” statements
  • Listen actively (no interrupting) and give each peer your full attention
  • Offer affirmations (e.g., “I appreciate how you…”)
  • Ask clarifying questions, not judgmental ones
  • Respect confidentiality: what’s shared in this circle stays in this circle

Core Prompts

  1. Name Your Emotion & Weather
    • “My emotion is ____. My weather metaphor is ____.”

  2. Explain Your Choice
    • “I chose this weather because it feels like ____ and looks like ____.”

  3. Describe Intensity & Movement
    • “The wind (or rain/sun) represents how strong/unpredictable my emotion is because ____.”

  4. Reflect on Color & Mood
    • “The colors I used show ____ (e.g., calm blues, stormy grays) because ____.”

  5. Connect to Your Experience
    • “This mapping helps me understand or share my feelings by ____.”

Follow-Up Questions (for peers)

  • “What part of that weather scene stood out most to you?”
  • “How does hearing this mapping affect your understanding of that emotion?”
  • “Is there anything you’d like to ask or affirm about their metaphor?”

Take turns sharing. After each student speaks, allow 1–2 peers to respond using a follow-up question or affirmation.
Encourage everyone to notice similarities and differences in how we each experience weather inside.

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