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What’s Your Inner Weather?

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Lesson Plan

Inner Weather Guide

Students will identify and describe their emotions by comparing them to weather patterns, using precise vocabulary. They will practice self-reflection through mapping emotions, creative collage work, journal check-ins, and positive affirmations to strengthen emotional literacy and regulation.

This lesson builds self-awareness and emotional vocabulary, helping 7th graders recognize and articulate feelings. It promotes mental health by normalizing emotional check-ins and teaching coping strategies through engaging, creative activities.

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

50 minutes

Approach

Reflection, creative mapping, journaling, and affirmations.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

5 minutes

  • Display slide 1 of Weather Mood Slides with a vivid weather image
  • Explain how weather patterns (sunny, stormy, cloudy) can represent emotions
  • State today’s goals: identify your inner weather and learn coping language
  • Aligns with CASEL self-awareness standards

Step 2

Weather-Emotion Mapping

15 minutes

  • Show various weather icons in Weather Mood Slides
  • Ask students to select the weather that matches their current feeling
  • Have them write the chosen weather and corresponding emotion word in their journals
  • Prompt: “What makes you feel this way today?” to encourage deeper reflection

Step 3

Emotion Clouds Collage Activity

10 minutes

  • Distribute Emotion Clouds Collage Handout
  • In pairs, students choose cloud templates representing an emotion-weather pair
  • Decorate with colors, textures, and label each cloud with emotion vocabulary
  • Share with partner why each cloud matches the emotion — supports social awareness

Step 4

Daily Weather Check-In Journal

10 minutes

  • Hand out Daily Weather Check-In Journal
  • Students complete one entry: date, weather icon, emotion word, trigger, coping strategy
  • Emphasize honest reflection and ongoing use of the journal
  • Teacher collects journals to monitor classroom mood patterns

Step 5

Sunshine Affirmations Cool-Down

5 minutes

  • Gather class in a circle and distribute Sunshine Affirmations Cards
  • Each student picks a card and reads the positive statement aloud
  • Class echoes affirmation together to build self-management and group positivity

Step 6

Closure & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Lead a brief discussion: “How can you apply inner weather check-ins daily?”
  • Invite volunteers to share one new strategy they’ll try
  • Remind students to use their journals and affirmations beyond today
  • Collect journals and collages for informal assessment
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Slide Deck

What’s Your Inner Weather?

Explore how weather patterns can reflect our emotions.

[Show a vivid collage of weather scenes as background] Welcome students and introduce the metaphor: our emotions can feel like different weather patterns.

Today’s Goals

• Identify your inner weather
• Use precise emotion vocabulary
• Practice reflection and coping strategies

Explain CASEL self-awareness: recognizing emotions and naming them precisely.

Weather Patterns

☀️ Sunny ☁️ Cloudy 🌧️ Rainy ⛈️ Stormy 🌬️ Windy ❄️ Snowy

Point to each icon and invite students to share a feeling word that matches.

Mapping Weather to Emotions

Sun → Happy, Content
Clouds → Sad, Reserved
Rain → Reflective, Melancholy
Storm → Angry, Frustrated
Wind → Anxious, Restless
Snow → Calm, Peaceful

Model a few examples and ask students to suggest additional emotion words.

Weather-Emotion Mapping

In your journal:

  1. Draw or write today’s weather icon
  2. Name the matching emotion
  3. Answer: What makes you feel this way today?

Distribute journals. Circulate to support deeper reflection.

Emotion Clouds Collage

• In pairs, choose a cloud template + emotion-weather pair
• Decorate with colors, textures, labels
• Share why your design matches the emotion

Hand out the Emotion Clouds Collage Handout. Encourage creative expression and partner discussion.

Daily Weather Check-In

Complete one entry:
• Date
• Weather icon
• Emotion word
• Trigger
• Coping strategy

Show a sample journal entry. Remind students this becomes a daily habit.

Sunshine Affirmations

  1. Pick a card
  2. Read the positive statement aloud
  3. Class echoes together

Use your printed Sunshine Affirmations Cards. Foster enthusiastic participation.

Closure & Reflection

How can you apply inner weather check-ins daily?
Share one new strategy you’ll try.

Invite volunteers. Reinforce that check-ins and affirmations support ongoing well-being. Collect journals and collages.

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Activity

Emotion Clouds Collage Handout

Instructions

  1. Work with your partner. Choose two different cloud templates below, each representing one emotion-weather pair.
  2. Decorate each cloud. Use markers, colored paper, textures (cotton, glitter, fabric) to bring your emotion-weather cloud to life.
  3. Label each cloud. Write the weather icon and the emotion word that match your design.
  4. Discuss with your partner. Share why you chose each color, texture, and emotion. Use the prompts at the bottom.

Cloud Template #1

[Draw or glue cloud shape here]











Weather icon: ____________________
Emotion word: ____________________

Cloud Template #2

[Draw or glue cloud shape here]











Weather icon: ____________________
Emotion word: ____________________

Partner Sharing Prompts

• Why did you choose these colors and textures for each cloud?
• How does the weather icon reflect the emotion you selected?
• What makes this emotion feel like that weather pattern?

Partner’s thoughts:






Cut out your completed clouds and share them with the class during the collage gallery walk.

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Journal

Daily Weather Check-In Journal

Date: ___________________________



1. Today’s Weather Icon
(Draw or select the icon that best matches how you feel: ☀️ ☁️ 🌧️ ⛈️ 🌬️ ❄️)





2. Emotion Word
What single word best describes your feeling right now?





3. Trigger
What happened (or what thought) led to this feeling?






4. Coping Strategy
What did you do—or what could you do—to feel better?






5. Reflection
How did your strategy help? What might you try differently next time?












Use this check-in each day to notice patterns in your inner weather and build healthy habits around recognizing and managing your emotions.

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Cool Down

Sunshine Affirmations Cards

In this cool-down, each student picks one card, reads it aloud, and the class echoes together to end on a positive note.

☀️ I shine bright from within.



☀️ My thoughts bring warmth and light.



☀️ I spread kindness like sunshine.



☀️ Every challenge helps me grow.



☀️ I am calm, confident, and capable.



☀️ I brighten the world with my smile.



☀️ I let go of clouds and welcome light.



☀️ My positive energy warms others.



☀️ I choose joy and confidence today.



☀️ I radiate hope and happiness.



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What’s Your Inner Weather? • Lenny Learning