Charades of Emotion Game

Objective: To practice recognizing and expressing emotions and actions using only nonverbal communication.

Materials: Strips of paper with emotions/actions written on them (see suggestions below), a hat or bowl.

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Before class, write different emotions and simple actions on separate strips of paper. Fold them and place them in a hat or bowl.
   • Emotion Ideas: Happy, Sad, Angry, Surprised, Scared, Confused, Excited, Shy, Proud, Tired, Bored.
   • Action Ideas: Eating, Sleeping, Reading, Running, Waving, Thinking, Drawing, Listening, Waiting, Celebrating.
2. Divide into Teams: Divide the class into 2-3 teams.
3. How to Play:
   • One student from the first team comes to the front and draws a slip of paper from the hat.
   • The student silently acts out the emotion or action written on the slip using only their body, face, and gestures. No talking or sounds allowed!
   • Their team members have a set amount of time (e.g., 1-2 minutes) to guess what emotion or action is being portrayed.
   • If the team guesses correctly within the time limit, they earn a point.
   • If they cannot guess, other teams can try to guess for a bonus point (optional).
   • Rotate to the next team and a new student.
4. Discussion after each round: After each successful guess, briefly discuss:
   • "What nonverbal clues did the actor give that helped you guess?"
   • "How did their face look? What did their body do?"
   • "Have you ever felt/done that? How did your body show it?"
5. Winning: The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Match the Gesture Challenge

Name: _____________________________

Instructions: Look at the pictures below and the words in the box. Draw a line from each picture to the word that best describes what the person's body or face is saying.

Part 1: Facial Expressions

Words: Happy, Sad, Angry, Surprised, Scared, Confused

1. Picture A: (Imagine a drawing of a smiling face with bright eyes)
   
   
   
   

2. Picture B: (Imagine a drawing of a frowning face with a tear)
   
   
   
   

3. Picture C: (Imagine a drawing of a face with furrowed brows and tight lips)
   
   
   
   

4. Picture D: (Imagine a drawing of a face with wide eyes and an open mouth)
   
   
   
   

5. Picture E: (Imagine a drawing of a face with raised eyebrows and a slightly open mouth)
   
   
   
   

6. Picture F: (Imagine a drawing of a face with one eyebrow raised and a slightly tilted head)
   
   
   
   

Part 2: Body Language & Gestures

Words: Confident, Shy, Tired, Excited, Waving, Thinking

7. Picture G: (Imagine a drawing of a person standing tall with shoulders back)
   
   
   
   

8. Picture H: (Imagine a drawing of a person hunched over, looking down)
   
   
   
   

9. Picture I: (Imagine a drawing of a person with slumped shoulders and closed eyes)
   
   
   
   

10. Picture J: (Imagine a drawing of a person jumping up and down with arms in the air)
    
    
    
    

11. Picture K: (Imagine a drawing of a person raising a hand to say hello)
    
    
    
    

12. Picture L: (Imagine a drawing of a person with a hand on their chin, looking thoughtful)
    
    
    
    

Match the Gesture Answer Key

Part 1: Facial Expressions

1. Picture A: Happy
   • Thought Process: A smiling face with bright eyes is a universal sign of happiness.
2. Picture B: Sad
   • Thought Process: A frowning face with a tear clearly indicates sadness.
3. Picture C: Angry
   • Thought Process: Furrowed brows and tight lips are common nonverbal cues for anger.
4. Picture D: Surprised
   • Thought Process: Wide eyes and an open mouth are characteristic of surprise.
5. Picture E: Scared
   • Thought Process: Raised eyebrows and a slightly open, tense mouth often signify fear.
6. Picture F: Confused
   • Thought Process: One raised eyebrow and a tilted head are typical nonverbal expressions of confusion.

Part 2: Body Language & Gestures

7. Picture G: Confident
   • Thought Process: Standing tall with shoulders back conveys self-assurance and confidence.
8. Picture H: Shy
   • Thought Process: Being hunched over and looking down often indicates shyness or a desire to avoid attention.
9. Picture I: Tired
   • Thought Process: Slumped shoulders and closed eyes are strong indicators of fatigue.
10. Picture J: Excited
    • Thought Process: Jumping up and down with arms in the air is a common way to express excitement.
11. Picture K: Waving
    • Thought Process: Raising a hand to say hello is a direct gesture of waving.
12. Picture L: Thinking
    • Thought Process: A hand on the chin with a thoughtful expression is a widely recognized gesture for thinking.

Silent Signals Script

Introduction: What Are Silent Signals? (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to become detectives of communication. Have you ever known how someone was feeling without them saying a single word? How did you know? Maybe their face told you, or the way they were standing?"

Teacher: "That's right! Our bodies have a secret language of their own. Even when our mouths are silent, our bodies are always 'speaking.' This is called nonverbal communication. We use our faces, our bodies, and our hands to send messages without words. Let's look at our first few slides to explore this a bit more." (Refer to The Unspoken Language Slides - Slides 1-2)

Exploring Facial Expressions (10 minutes)

Teacher: "Our faces are amazing! They can show so many different feelings. Let's look at some examples." (Show The Unspoken Language Slides - Slide 3: Faces Tell Tales)

Teacher: "Look at this first face. What do you see? What do you think this person is feeling? Can you make that face?"

(Repeat for Happy, Sad, Angry, Surprised, Scared, Confused expressions on the slide, asking students to mimic and describe.)

Teacher: "Why is it important to notice what someone's face is telling us?"

Body Language Basics (10 minutes)

Teacher: "Just like our faces, our bodies also 'talk.' The way we stand or sit, and the movements we make, can tell a lot about how we're feeling. Let's look at some body language examples." (Show The Unspoken Language Slides - Slide 4: Body Language Speaks Loudly)

Teacher: "When you see someone with their arms crossed like this, what might they be feeling or thinking?"

(Demonstrate and discuss each body posture on the slide: Arms Crossed, Slumped Shoulders, Standing Tall, Fidgeting, Open Hands. Ask students what each might mean and when they might use these themselves.)

Teacher: "So, our bodies can give us big clues about what's going on inside someone, even without words!"

Charades of Emotion Game (15 minutes)

Teacher: "Now it's time to put your nonverbal communication skills to the test! We're going to play a game called Charades of Emotion Game." (Show The Unspoken Language Slides - Slide 5: Let's Play Charades of Emotion!)

Teacher: "I'm going to divide you into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out an emotion or a simple action without using any words. Your teammates will try to guess what you're communicating. Remember to use your whole body, your face, and your gestures!"

(Facilitate the game according to the Charades of Emotion Game instructions. Encourage students to really observe and discuss the nonverbal cues after each round.)

Wrap-up & Worksheet (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Great job, everyone! You were fantastic nonverbal detectives and communicators today!" (Show The Unspoken Language Slides - Slide 6: Your Silent Superpowers!)

Teacher: "So, what did we learn about silent signals today? Why is it important to pay attention to them?"

Teacher: "Exactly! Understanding nonverbal communication helps us know how others are feeling, and it helps us show our own feelings too. It makes our communication much richer. To help you practice even more, I have a special challenge for you!"

*(Hand out the Match the Gesture Challenge Worksheet.)

Teacher: "This worksheet will help you practice matching faces and body movements to what they mean. You can work on this independently, and we'll review it together next time! Great work today, silent signal experts!"

Match the Gesture Answer Key

Part 1: Facial Expressions

1. Picture A: Happy
   • Thought Process: The description