Materials Needed:
- Emotion cards with faces depicting different feelings (happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, etc.).
- Storybooks that illustrate various emotions and situations.
- Art supplies for creating emotion masks or drawings.
- Music clips that evoke different emotions.
- A “feelings wheel” poster to help children articulate how they are feeling.
- A mirror for children to observe their own facial expressions.
Learning Objectives:
- Learners will identify and name basic emotions.
- Learners will express their own emotions and begin to understand the feelings of others.
- Learners will engage in activities that help regulate and articulate their emotions.
Anticipated Challenges and Solutions:
- Challenge: Some students might feel uncomfortable expressing or talking about certain emotions.
- Solution: Create a supportive and non-judgmental classroom environment. Use role-playing and stories to help children feel more comfortable expressing emotions indirectly.
Lesson Outline:
- Introduction to Emotions (10 minutes):
- Begin with a simple explanation of emotions and why it is important to understand and express them. Use the feelings wheel to introduce different emotions.
- Have children use the mirror to make faces that show different emotions, helping them connect physical expressions with emotional states.
- Story Time (15 minutes):
- Read a storybook that discusses emotions. Choose a story where characters experience a range of emotions and resolve emotional conflicts.
- Pause at key moments to ask children how they think the character is feeling and why.
- Emotion Card Activity (20 minutes):
- Use emotion cards to play a game where children guess the emotion shown on the card and come up with a time when they felt that way.
- Discuss healthy ways to express each emotion, reinforcing the learning with examples from the story.
- Music and Emotions (15 minutes):
- Play short clips of music that evoke different feelings. Ask children to identify how the music makes them feel and choose the corresponding emotion card.
- Discuss how music can help us express or change our feelings.
- Art Activity: Creating Emotion Masks (25 minutes):
- Provide art supplies for children to create masks that represent different emotions. This activity allows them to work with colors and shapes that they feel represent their emotions.
- Children can present their masks and explain why they chose certain colors or features.
- Reflection and Sharing Time (15 minutes):
- Allow children to reflect on what they learned about emotions and share their thoughts. They can use their masks to help describe their feelings.
- Emphasize that all emotions are normal and part of life, and it’s okay to talk about them.
- Conclusion (10 minutes):
- Review the emotions discussed today and reiterate that understanding and expressing emotions can make us feel better and help us get along with others.
- Encourage children to use their new knowledge about emotions at home and with friends.
TEACHING NOTES:
This lesson plan is designed to help Grade 1 students understand and express emotions in a healthy way. By integrating interactive games, storytelling, music, and art, the lesson caters to different learning styles and keeps students engaged.
The activities are structured to help students identify not only their own feelings but also to start recognizing and empathizing with the emotions of others, which is a crucial social skill. Encouraging open discussion about feelings and providing tools like emotion cards and feelings wheels helps demystify emotions and supports emotional development in young children. This foundational understanding is vital for their emotional and social learning throughout their schooling and beyond.