Lesson 1: Understanding Emotions and Their Impact

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Recognise a range of emotions and physical signs of emotions.
• Understand how emotions influence thoughts, choices, and behaviours.
• Explore how emotional reactions can strengthen or damage relationships.
• Identify strategies for responding thoughtfully rather than impulsively.

Curriculum Links

• NSW Health and Physical Education Syllabus for Years 5 and 6
• Outcomes: PH3-IHW-01 and PH3-CWT-01
• Students examine and explain factors that influence identity, health, and wellbeing of individuals and groups.
• Students create written texts to support understanding of health, safety, and well-being.

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Success Criteria

• I can name different emotions and physical signs linked to them.
• I can explain how emotions affect my decisions and behaviour.
• I can describe how emotions influence relationships.
• I can suggest ways to respond thoughtfully in emotional situations.

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Lesson Duration: 45 minutes

Class Size: 25 Students

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Begin with a simple question: "How do you know when you are happy, sad, or angry?"
• Discuss physical signs (e.g., smiling, frowning, clenched fists).
• Briefly introduce that emotions affect our thinking and behaviour and influence how we relate to others.

2. Emotional Literacy Activity: Emotion Charades (10 minutes)

• Prepare cards with different emotions (happy, sad, angry, excited, nervous, frustrated).
• Students take turns acting out emotions while peers guess.
• Discuss physical signs linked to each emotion after each charade.

3. Group Discussion: Emotions and Decisions (10 minutes)

• Present simple scenarios that provoke emotional reactions.
• Example: "You want to play with your friend, but they say no."
• Discuss how emotions like disappointment or anger might influence decisions.
• Connect how impulsive decisions can sometimes hurt relationships.

4. Think-Pair-Share: Emotional Impact on Relationships (8 minutes)

• Students think silently about a time they felt a strong emotion and how it affected their actions and relationships.
• Pair up and share their experience.
• Share some examples with the class emphasizing positive/negative impacts.

5. Strategy Development: Responding Thoughtfully (7 minutes)

• Introduce simple strategies such as:
• Taking deep breaths
• Counting to ten
• Talking to a trusted adult or friend
• In small groups, students brainstorm other helpful strategies.
• Share and list strategies on the board.

6. Reflection and Written Task (5 minutes)

• Students write a short paragraph explaining one emotion, how it can affect decisions, and one strategy to respond thoughtfully.
• This supports the outcome PH3‑CWT‑01 by creating written texts related to health and wellbeing.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support for Diverse Learners:

• Provide emotion cards with pictures and words for students who need visual support.

• Offer sentence starters for the written reflection (e.g., "When I feel ___, I might ____. One way to respond thoughtfully is ____.")

• Use paired discussion for students needing oral support before writing.

• Extension for Advanced Learners:

• Challenge students to identify and describe multiple emotions within a complex scenario.

• Encourage students to discuss how emotions can mix and affect decisions in different ways.

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Teacher Notes

• Create a welcoming environment where students feel safe sharing feelings.
• Reinforce that all emotions are valid—we are learning how to recognise and respond to them thoughtfully.
• Use real-life examples or students' experiences to make learning personal and relatable.

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Overview of 10-Lesson Sequence for Year 5 Health: Emotional Responses and Wellbeing

Each lesson will build progressively on outcomes PH3-IHW-01 and PH3-CWT-01 focusing on emotional literacy, self-awareness, regulation, and consequences of actions.

Lesson	Topic	Focus	Key Activity	Outcome Emphasis
1	Emotional Responses Impact (Intro)	Recognition of emotions and effects on decisions	Emotion Charades & Strategy Brainstorm	PH3-IHW-01, PH3-CWT-01
2	Identifying Physical Signs	Body clues to emotions	Body Language Detective	PH3-IHW-01
3	Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions	How feelings influence choices	Three-Step Thought Chain	PH3-IHW-01
4	Emotional Triggers	Recognising what causes emotions	Trigger Mapping	PH3-IHW-01
5	Impact on Relationships	Emotions in friendships and families	Role-play Scenarios	PH3-IHW-01
6	Self-Regulation Techniques	Managing strong emotions	Mindfulness and Breath Control	PH3-IHW-01
7	Reflecting on Decisions	Consequences of emotional choices	Decision-Making Journal	PH3-CWT-01
8	Empathy and Respect	Understanding others’ emotions	Empathy Walk & Discussion	PH3-IHW-01
9	Communication Skills	Expressing emotions effectively	“I feel…” statements practice	PH3-CWT-01
10	Creating Personal Emotional Plans	Consolidation & planning response strategies	Writing Emotional Response Plans	PH3-IHW-01, PH3-CWT-01

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If you would like, I can elaborate each lesson fully with detailed activities, timings, and differentiation for you.