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What’s Behind Their Smile?

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Vinisha Murahari Vadapalli

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

What’s Behind Their Smile?

Students will identify and interpret facial expressions and actions to recognize underlying emotions and practice empathetic responses through interactive activities.

Understanding others’ feelings builds social awareness and empathy, fostering a supportive classroom where students learn to recognize emotions and respond kindly.

Audience

3rd Grade Class

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Hands-on activities and guided discussion.

Materials

  • Expression Explorers Slide Deck, - Mystery Mood Match Warm-Up Activity, - Emotion Charades Game Cards, - Feelings Reflection Journal Prompts, and - Empathy Exit Ticket Sheet

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

  • Review the Expression Explorers Slide Deck
  • Print or load slides for display
  • Prepare charades cards from Emotion Charades Game Cards
  • Print Mystery Mood Match cards from Mystery Mood Match Warm-Up Activity
  • Copy reflection journals using Feelings Reflection Journal Prompts
  • Print exit tickets from Empathy Exit Ticket Sheet

Step 1

Warm-Up: Mystery Mood Match

5 minutes

  • Pair students and give each a card from Mystery Mood Match Warm-Up Activity
  • Students read clues or view images and guess the hidden emotion
  • Invite pairs to share their guesses and discuss evidence

Step 2

Instruction: Expression Explorers

10 minutes

  • Present slides from Expression Explorers Slide Deck
  • Ask: What emotion is shown? What clues helped you decide?
  • Facilitate class discussion to expand emotion vocabulary

Step 3

Activity: Emotion Charades

15 minutes

  • Divide into small groups
  • One student selects a card from Emotion Charades Game Cards and acts out the emotion silently
  • Group members guess the emotion and then discuss how to support someone feeling it
  • Rotate roles until each student has a turn

Step 4

Reflection: Feelings Journal

10 minutes

  • Distribute Feelings Reflection Journal Prompts
  • Students write or draw about a time they experienced one of today’s emotions
  • Encourage use of emotion words and consideration of supportive actions

Step 5

Cool-Down: Empathy Exit Ticket

5 minutes

  • Hand out Empathy Exit Ticket Sheet
  • Prompt: Name one emotion you learned about and describe one way to show empathy to someone feeling that emotion
  • Collect tickets as students exit
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Slide Deck

Expression Explorers

Today, we will become detectives of feelings! We’ll learn how to read facial expressions to understand how others feel.

Welcome everyone! Today we’re going to be Expression Explorers. Get excited to learn how to read facial expressions and understand how our friends feel.

What Are Emotions?

Emotions are feelings we have inside, like happy, sad, surprised, or angry.

Examples:

  • Happy: smiling and bright eyes
  • Sad: frown and downturned mouth

Ask: “What are emotions?” Elicit responses (happy, sad, angry, surprised). Explain that emotions are feelings inside us, and we can often read them on people’s faces.

Spot the Clue!

Look at this face:

[Image: Person smiling with raised cheeks and twinkling eyes]

What emotion is shown? What clues helped you decide?

Display the image full-screen. Ask volunteers: “What emotion is shown? What clues did you see?” Guide students to notice mouth shape, eyes, eyebrows.

More Faces, More Clues

  1. [Image: Person with eyebrows raised and mouth open]
  2. [Image: Person frowning with eyebrows down]
  3. [Image: Person with mouth turned to one side and eyes wide]

In pairs, guess each emotion and point out the clues you see.

Have students turn to a partner for a quick think-pair-share. Circulate and listen for accurate clues and guide as needed.

Why Does This Matter?

• Helps us support and be kind to friends
• Builds understanding and trust
• Prevents misunderstandings

Summarize student ideas. Highlight how recognizing feelings helps us in everyday life.

Let’s Practice!

Next, we’ll play Emotion Charades! Each of you will act out an emotion without words, and your friends will guess. Think about the clues: face, body, and posture.

Introduce the upcoming activity: Emotion Charades. Remind students to use facial expressions and body language as clues.

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Warm Up

Mystery Mood Match Warm-Up

Instructions:

  • Print and cut the cards below so each pair of students receives one.
  • Students read the clue (or view the image) on their card and discuss which emotion it describes.
  • After 2–3 minutes, invite pairs to share their emotion and the clues that led them to that answer.

Cards

  1. Clue: Her eyes light up and her mouth turns into a big grin when she sees her best friend after a long time.
    Answer: Happy

  2. Clue: His shoulders slump, he looks down at the floor, and he has a small frown after dropping his ice cream.
    Answer: Sad

  3. Clue: Her eyebrows draw together, her lips press tightly, and she crosses her arms after someone took her toy without asking.
    Answer: Angry

  4. Clue: This person’s eyes are wide, their eyebrows are raised, and their mouth forms an \"O\" when they open a surprise gift.
    Answer: Surprised

  5. Clue: He shivers, his shoulders are hunched, and he looks around nervously at a dark alley at night.
    Answer: Scared

  6. Clue: She jumps up and down, claps her hands, and her face glows when she hears the news of a class party.
    Answer: Excited

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Activity

Emotion Charades Game Cards

Instructions:

  • Print and cut the cards below so each student can draw one without showing it to others.
  • Without speaking, the student acts out the emotion using facial expressions and body language.
  • The group guesses the emotion, then discusses one way to support someone feeling that emotion.

    ### Cards
  1. Happy
  2. Sad
  3. Angry
  4. Surprised
  5. Scared
  6. Excited
  7. Frustrated
  8. Proud
  9. Worried
  10. Embarrassed
  11. Calm
  12. Curious
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Journal

Feelings Reflection Journal Prompts

Use these prompts to think about feelings you’ve experienced or noticed in others. Write or draw your responses in the space below each question.

  1. Describe a time you felt happy. What happened? Who was there? How did your body feel?










  1. Think about a moment when you saw a friend who looked sad. What clues told you they were sad? What did you do (or could you do) to help them feel better?










  1. Remember a surprise you experienced (like a birthday party or a gift). How did your face and body show that you were surprised? How did you react?










  1. Describe a time you or someone else felt angry. What caused the anger? What words or actions helped calm things down?










  1. Imagine you notice someone who seems worried or scared. What could you say or do to show you understand and care?










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Cool Down

Empathy Exit Ticket

Name: ________________________

  1. Which emotion did you learn about today?



  1. Describe one way you can show empathy to someone feeling that emotion.






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