Lesson Plan
Is Your Mood Like the Weather?
Students will be able to identify and describe their emotions using weather metaphors, enhancing their emotional vocabulary and self-awareness.
Understanding and expressing emotions effectively is crucial for healthy social-emotional development. This lesson provides a creative and relatable framework for students to explore their inner world.
Audience
6th Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Discussion, examples, and personal reflection.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Slide Deck: Weathering Emotions, Journal: My Weather Mood Report, and Discussion Guide: Forecast Your Feelings
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the Slide Deck: Weathering Emotions and familiarize yourself with the content.
- Print or prepare to display the Journal: My Weather Mood Report for each student.
- Review the Discussion Guide: Forecast Your Feelings to prepare for facilitating student conversations.
- Ensure whiteboard or projector is ready for use.
Step 1
Warm-Up: How's the Weather Today?
5 minutes
- Begin by asking students: "How does the weather outside make you feel today?" (e.g., sunny makes me feel happy, cloudy makes me feel calm).
- Introduce the idea that our emotions can sometimes feel like different types of weather.
- Transition to the Slide Deck: Weathering Emotions.
Step 2
Exploring Weather Emotions
10 minutes
- Use the Slide Deck: Weathering Emotions to guide students through various weather metaphors for emotions.
- Discuss examples like "feeling stormy" when angry, "feeling sunny" when happy, "feeling foggy" when confused.
- Encourage students to share their own initial thoughts on how certain weather types might connect to feelings. Use the Discussion Guide: Forecast Your Feelings as a reference.
Step 3
My Weather Mood Report
10 minutes
- Distribute the Journal: My Weather Mood Report to each student.
- Instruct students to reflect on their current mood and represent it using a weather metaphor. They should draw or write about what their "emotional weather" looks like today and why.
- Circulate around the room to offer support and answer questions.
Step 4
Share and Reflect
5 minutes
- Invite a few volunteers to briefly share their "weather mood report" with the class (if they feel comfortable).
- Conclude by reiterating that it's normal for our emotions to change, just like the weather, and that identifying them is the first step to understanding ourselves better.
- Remind students that they can use weather metaphors to talk about their feelings anytime.
Slide Deck
Welcome: Is Your Mood Like the Weather?
Have you ever noticed how your feelings can change throughout the day? Just like the weather, our emotions can be sunny, stormy, or even a little foggy! Today, we're going to explore how our moods can be like different weather patterns.
Welcome students and introduce the concept of emotions being like weather. Ask a few students how they feel today using weather words to get them thinking.
Emotions as Weather: Sunny, Cloudy, Stormy
When you're happy, you might feel bright and energetic, like a sunny day! ☀️
When you're a bit down or unsure, you might feel heavy and grey, like a cloudy day. ☁️
When you're angry or frustrated, you might feel intense and powerful, like a stormy day. ⛈️
Explain that different weather types can represent different emotions. Give a few examples and ask students to think about why these might connect.
More Weather Moods
Rainy Day ☔: Feeling sad, tearful, or a bit gloomy.
Windy Day 🌬️: Feeling anxious, restless, or a bit scattered.
Foggy Day 🌫️: Feeling confused, unclear, or unsure about things.
Calm Day 🍃: Feeling peaceful, relaxed, or content.
Introduce more specific weather types and their emotional connections. Ask students for other examples or interpretations.
What's Your Weather Mood Today?
Think about how you're feeling right now.
Which type of weather best describes your mood? Why?
It's okay for our emotional weather to change, just like real weather!
Engage students with a question that prompts them to think about their own emotional weather.
Your Weather Mood Report
Now it's your turn to create a 'Weather Mood Report'!
Use the Journal: My Weather Mood Report to draw or write about your current emotional weather.
What does it look like? What does it feel like?
Introduce the journal activity and explain that students will have time to express their current emotional weather. Emphasize that there's no right or wrong answer.
Reflect and Share
Our emotions are always changing, and that's perfectly normal!
Using weather words can help us understand and talk about our feelings.
Remember to check in with your 'emotional weather' regularly!
Conclude the lesson by summarizing the main idea and encouraging continued self-reflection. Reiterate that it's good to recognize and talk about feelings.
Journal
My Weather Mood Report
Just like the weather outside, our emotions can change throughout the day. Sometimes we feel sunny and bright, other times a little cloudy or even stormy!
Your Task: Think about how you are feeling right now. What kind of weather best describes your current mood?
Draw or Describe Your Emotional Weather:
Use the space below to draw a picture of your emotional weather, or describe it with words. Think about:
- What does your weather look like?
- What colors are in your emotional weather?
- Does it feel warm, cool, calm, or wild?
- What emotions are you feeling that connect to this weather?
Why does this weather match your mood today?
Explain why you chose this weather to represent your feelings today.
What might make your emotional weather change?
What could happen that might shift your emotional weather to something different?
Discussion
Forecast Your Feelings: Discussion Guide
This guide will help facilitate a class discussion about emotions and their connection to weather metaphors. Encourage an open and respectful environment where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
Part 1: Initial Thoughts (5 minutes)
- "When you think about different types of weather, what feelings come to mind?"
- "Can anyone share a time when their mood felt a lot like the weather outside? What was happening?"
- "Do you think it's easier to talk about feelings using words like 'stormy' or 'sunny' instead of just 'angry' or 'happy'? Why or why not?"
Part 2: Exploring Connections (10 minutes)
- Sunny Day ☀️: "What emotions does a sunny day make you feel? How might someone act if their mood is 'sunny'?"
- Cloudy Day ☁️: "What does a cloudy day feel like emotionally? Can you give an example of a 'cloudy' mood?"
- Stormy Day ⛈️: "When might someone feel 'stormy'? What feelings are often part of a stormy mood (e.g., anger, frustration, intense sadness)? How do we deal with 'stormy' weather inside us?"
- Rainy Day ☔: "How is a 'rainy' mood different from a 'stormy' mood? What might trigger a 'rainy' feeling?"
- Windy Day 🌬️: "What emotions might feel 'windy'? (e.g., anxious, restless, feeling scattered). What helps you when you feel 'windy'?"
- Foggy Day 🌫️: "Describe a time when you felt 'foggy' emotionally. What does it mean to be unclear or confused about your feelings?"
- Calm Day 🍃: "What makes you feel calm? What does a 'calm' emotional day look and feel like?"
Part 3: Personal Reflection & Application (5 minutes)
- "Why is it helpful to be able to identify our emotional weather?"
- "How can understanding our own emotional weather help us understand others better?"
- "What are some things you can do when your emotional weather isn't what you want it to be? (e.g., if you feel stormy, what can help calm the storm?)"
Teacher Note: Encourage students to elaborate on their answers and provide specific examples. Remind them that there are no right or wrong answers, and everyone experiences a range of emotions.