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    Basic Emotions

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    At a Glance:

    Grades:1, 2
    Subject:ELA (English Language Arts); SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)
    Topic:Emotions, Understanding Feelings
    Lesson Length:45 mins - 1 hour

    Standards / Framework:

    What will students learn in this activity?

    Students will display basic emotions they can feel.

    What should students know before this activity?

    Students should be familiar with the six basic emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust.

    How can teachers introduce this lesson?

    • Ask students:
      • “How do you feel today?”
      • “What are emotions?”
      • “Has there ever been a time you felt _____?”
    • Ask students to show a face that looks happy, sad, angry, frustrated, excited.

    What will students do?

    • As a class, have students discuss the six basic emotions and act out what someone might look like and sound like when experiencing those emotions.
    • Have students discuss example situations where those emotions might occur.
    • Have students select an event in their life that made them feel a certain emotion.
    • Have students share about the event and their emotions with a partner.
    • Using the sample comic as a model, have students create a comic displaying the event they identified and have the character show the emotion the student felt during that event.

    How can teachers wrap up the lesson?

    • Have students share their comics with the class or in small groups.
    • Have students explain what happened during the event and what made them feel that particular emotion.
    • Emphasize the importance of understanding our emotions and what makes us feel a certain way.

    How can teachers differentiate this activity?

    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
    • Allow students to use the voiceover to read their comics aloud.

    Related Resources:

    • Comic to print or display: Comic.
    • Books:
      • Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by Shelly Becker
      • The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
      • The Sour Grape by Jory John
    • Movie: Inside Out by Pixar
    • Video: Emotions for Kids

    Related Content:

    Suggested Story Starters:

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    Related Ideas

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