Lesson Plan
Your Body is a Super Signal Lesson Plan
Students will be able to recognize and name at least two physical sensations in their body associated with a specific emotion.
Understanding body signals helps students develop emotional awareness and provides them with tools to manage their feelings more effectively. This skill is crucial for self-regulation and overall well-being.
Audience
4th & 5th Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive activities and discussion to connect emotions with physical sensations.
Materials
Prep
Teacher Preparation
10 minutes
- Review the Body Signals Slides to familiarize yourself with the content.
- Print copies of the My Body's Clues Worksheet for each student.
- Prepare a list of emotions for the Feelings Charades Activity, such as happy, sad, angry, surprised, nervous, excited, calm, frustrated.
Step 1
Connect & Engage: Your Body's Secret Messages (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Begin with the first slide of the Body Signals Slides.
- Teacher Script Idea: "Good morning, super signal detectors! Today, we're going to explore something amazing: how your body sends you secret messages about your feelings. Has anyone ever felt their heart beat fast when they were excited, or their stomach get a little fluttery when they were nervous? Those are your body's super signals!"
- Ask students to share a time their body told them something about how they were feeling. (e.g., butterflies in stomach when nervous).
Step 2
Explore & Discover: Decoding Body Signals (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Transition to the next slides of the Body Signals Slides that introduce the concept of mind-body connection and physical cues.
- Teacher Script Idea: "Our brains and bodies are always talking to each other. When you feel an emotion, your body reacts! Let's think about some common emotions. What does your body feel like when you are happy? Sad? Angry?"
- Facilitate a brief discussion, writing student responses on the board or chart paper.
- Introduce the Feelings Charades Activity. Explain that students will act out an emotion, and their classmates will guess the emotion and describe the body signals they observe. (e.g., slouched shoulders for sadness, clenched fists for anger).
Step 3
Practice & Reflect: My Body's Clues (15 minutes)
15 minutes
- Hand out the My Body's Clues Worksheet.
- Teacher Script Idea: "Now it's your turn to become a super signal detective for yourself! On this worksheet, you'll think about different emotions and draw or write about what your body feels like when you experience them."
- Guide students through the worksheet, providing assistance as needed.
- Encourage students to think about at least two physical sensations for each emotion.
- Conclude with a brief sharing session where students can volunteer to share one emotion and its associated body signals from their worksheet. Emphasize that everyone's body signals might be a little different, and that's okay.
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Slide Deck
Your Body: A Super Signal Detector!
Have you ever noticed your body reacting when you feel something strongly?
Like a rumbling stomach before a test?
Or a big smile when you get good news?
Welcome students and introduce the idea of their bodies sending messages. Ask a few open-ended questions about how their bodies feel when they have strong emotions. This is the 'Connect & Engage' part of the lesson.
Your Brain & Body Talk!
Your brain and body are best friends! They are always sending messages to each other.
When you feel an emotion, your body can show it.
These are called 'body signals' or 'physical cues'.
Explain the mind-body connection. Use simple language to show how thoughts and feelings aren't just in our heads. This is part of 'Explore & Discover'.
What Do Emotions Feel Like?
Happiness
- Light and bouncy feeling?
- Smiling face, warm chest?
## Sadness
- Heavy shoulders?
- Tight throat, tears?
## Anger
- Clenched fists, tight jaw?
- Hot face, fast heartbeat?
Provide examples of common emotions and brainstorm with students what those might feel like. Prompt them to think about what their bodies do. This continues 'Explore & Discover'.
Let's Play Feelings Charades!
We're going to act out emotions!
- One person acts out an emotion.
- Everyone else guesses the emotion.
- Then, describe the body signals you saw!
Introduce the 'Feelings Charades Activity'. Explain the rules and encourage active participation. This transitions to the activity portion.
My Body's Clues Worksheet
Time to be a detective for your body!
- Think about different emotions.
- What do your physical sensations feel like?
- Write or draw your body's clues for each emotion.
Introduce the worksheet and explain its purpose: to help students connect specific emotions with their own personal body signals. This is for 'Practice & Reflect'.
Your Body Talks, Listen Up!
Your body gives you important clues about your feelings.
Listening to these signals can help you understand yourself better.
Keep practicing being a super signal detector!
Conclude the lesson by reinforcing the main idea and encouraging students to pay attention to their body signals in the future. This is the final part of 'Practice & Reflect'.
Activity
Feelings Charades: Your Body Speaks!
Objective: To practice recognizing and naming emotions through physical cues.
Time: 10 minutes (as part of 'Explore & Discover')
Materials: List of emotions (prepared by teacher)
Instructions:
1. Divide into small groups or play as a whole class.
2. Teacher provides an emotion. The teacher can write emotions on slips of paper and have students pick them, or simply call out emotions.
* Examples of emotions: Happy, Sad, Angry, Surprised, Nervous, Excited, Calm, Frustrated, Confused, Proud, Shy.
3. One student acts out the emotion. Without speaking, the student uses their face and body to show the emotion.
4. Classmates guess the emotion. Once the emotion is guessed correctly, the guessing students should also describe the body signals they observed.
* Teacher Prompt: "What did you see in their body that told you they were feeling [Emotion]?"
* Examples of body signals: Fast breathing, slumped shoulders, wide eyes, tight lips, bouncy movements, fidgeting, relaxed posture.
5. Repeat with different students and emotions as time allows.
Discussion Prompts (Optional):
- Was it easy or hard to guess the emotion? Why?
- How did the actor use their body to show the feeling?
- Do different people show the same emotion with different body signals?
Worksheet
My Body's Clues Worksheet
Name: ___________________________ Date:
Your body is a super signal detector! It sends you clues about how you're feeling. For each emotion below, think about what your body feels like. Draw or write at least two physical sensations you notice.
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## 1. When I feel Happy, my body feels like...
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## 2. When I feel Sad, my body feels like...
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## 3. When I feel Angry, my body feels like...
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## 4. When I feel Nervous, my body feels like...
_________________________________________________________________
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## 5. When I feel Calm, my body feels like...
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### Challenge Question:
Why is it helpful to know your body's clues about your feelings?
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