Lesson Plan
Thought Detectives Plan
Students will discover how thoughts influence their feelings and actions and practice turning unhelpful thoughts into helpful ones.
Helping 4th–5th graders spot and change negative thoughts boosts their confidence, mood, and problem-solving skills.
Audience
Time
Approach
Materials
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
Step 1
Warm-Up: Detective Hats On
5 minutes
Step 2
Teach the Thought→Feeling→Action Cycle
10 minutes
Step 3
Small-Group Case Talks
15 minutes
Step 4
Practice Rewriting Thoughts
10 minutes
Step 5
Reflection & Closing
5 minutes
Slide Deck
Thought Detectives
What We’ll Learn
Thought → Feeling → Action
Example Scenario
Group Talk Prompts
Changing Unhelpful Thoughts
Reflection Time
Warm Up
Discussion
