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What’s on Your Mind?

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Lesson Plan

Emotional Exploration Blueprint

Students will identify primary emotions quickly and practice active listening in partner conversations, fostering empathy and peer support in a condensed session.

Even with limited time, 5th graders enhance emotional awareness and counseling skills, promoting a respectful, supportive classroom climate.

Audience

5th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Focused interactive practice

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Emotional Check-In

3 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle with the talking piece.
  • Pass the talking piece; each student names one word for how they feel now.
  • Encourage brief, respectful sharing without discussion.

Step 2

Explore: Feelings Map

7 minutes

  • Project the Feelings Map Presentation.
  • Introduce the four primary emotions with one example each.
  • Invite 1–2 volunteers to share a quick scenario for an emotion.

Step 3

Skill Practice: Peer Listening Pairs

15 minutes

  • Distribute the Peer Listening Pairs Activity Sheet.
  • Students form pairs and assign roles: speaker and listener.
  • Follow the sheet’s steps: share an emotional moment, practice active listening, paraphrase, then switch roles halfway.
  • Teacher circulates to support and prompt deeper reflection.

Step 4

Cool-Down: Group Debrief

5 minutes

  • Reconvene whole class.
  • Invite volunteers to share one listening skill they found most helpful.
  • Highlight how these skills can support friends when they’re upset.
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Slide Deck

Feelings Map (Quick Look)

A simple tool to name and talk about our emotions.

Quick intro to the Feelings Map—what it is and why it matters.

Primary Emotions

• Happy: Feeling joyful or proud
• Sad: Feeling down or lonely
• Angry: Feeling mad or frustrated
• Scared: Feeling afraid or worried

Highlight the four primary emotions with one-line definitions.

Quick Examples

Happy: Winning a game
Sad: Missing a friend
Angry: Someone breaks a promise
Scared: First day of school

Offer one clear example per emotion—invite a single volunteer per emotion if time allows.

Your Turn to Share

Name an emotion and share one very quick example of when you felt it.

Prompt students for a very brief share—limit to 30 seconds each.

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Discussion

Emotion Charades Circle Guidelines

Purpose: Help students practice recognizing and expressing emotions nonverbally, then discuss the cues they used and observed.

Setup:

  • Arrange students in an open circle space.
  • Have emotion cards ready (each card names one primary emotion: Happy, Sad, Angry, Scared).
  • Use a soft “guessing ball” or token to pass to the next actor.

Roles & Rules:

  1. Actor:
    • Draw an emotion card without showing it.
    • Use only facial expressions, body movements, and gestures to act out the emotion.
    • No words, sounds, or pointing to objects.
  2. Guessers:
    • Watch carefully and call out your guess when you think you know the emotion.
    • If multiple students guess at once, allow the first guess to stand.
  3. Turn Sequence:
    • Actor performs for up to 30 seconds.
    • Group guesses; once correct, actor confirms and passes the token to the next volunteer.
    • Continue until every student has had a turn or time is up.

Discussion Prompts After Each Round:

  • What nonverbal cues did you notice? (e.g., smiling, slumped shoulders, clenched fists)
  • Which gesture was most helpful in guessing the emotion?
  • How did your body feel when you acted that emotion?
  • Why do you think people sometimes hide their feelings?

Follow-Up Reflection:

  • Ask: How might noticing these cues help us support friends?
  • Invite volunteers to share a time they noticed someone else’s emotion through body language.
  • Emphasize: Understanding nonverbal signals can make us better listeners and friends.



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Activity

Peer Listening Pairs Activity Sheet

Purpose: Practice active listening and empathy by sharing personal emotional experiences in a safe, guided setting.

Steps

  1. Form Pairs: Find a partner. Decide who starts as Speaker and Listener.
  2. Speaker (2–3 minutes):
    • Choose one primary emotion (Happy, Sad, Angry, or Scared).
    • Share a real-life situation when you felt that emotion.
    • Speak clearly and at a comfortable pace.
  3. Listener (2–3 minutes):
    • Give full attention: maintain eye contact, nod, and use brief encouragers (e.g., “I see,” “Go on”).
    • Do not interrupt or give advice while the speaker is talking.
  4. Paraphrase & Reflect (1–2 minutes):
    • Listener summarizes what the speaker said (e.g., “It sounds like you felt disappointed when…”).
    • Speaker confirms or clarifies the summary.
  5. Switch Roles: Repeat the process so both partners practice each role.

Reflection Prompts

For Speakers:

  • How did it feel to talk about your emotion with your partner?


  • Did you feel understood? Why or why not?


For Listeners:

  • Which listening cues (eye contact, nodding, paraphrasing) did you find most helpful?


  • What was challenging about listening without offering advice?


Joint Reflection:

  • What did you learn about active listening today?


  • How can you use these listening skills to support friends when they’re upset?






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Cool Down

Feelings Journal Prompt

Choose an emotion you’ve experienced recently. Write or draw one strategy you can use when you feel this emotion:







How will this strategy help you manage your feelings?







Optional: Add any other thoughts or questions:




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