Expressing With Confidence

Overview

Subject: English
Year Level: Year 1
Australian Curriculum Reference:
English / Language / Language for interacting with others
ACELY1656 – Engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest, and contributing ideas, information and questions.
ACELY1788 – Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact.

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Lesson Title:

Expressing Ourselves: The Power of Words and Actions

Duration:

45 minutes

Class Size:

20 students

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Learning Intentions:

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand how words, facial expressions, and body language help us communicate ideas and feelings.
• Practise using language to ask questions, give commands, and offer help.
• Use gestures and facial expressions to enhance spoken communication.
• Work cooperatively in pairs and small groups to role-play different communicative situations.

Success Criteria:

Students will:

✅ Use appropriate gestures and facial expressions to match spoken language.
✅ Participate actively in discussions and role-play games.
✅ Speak clearly and listen respectfully to their classmates.
✅ Identify how we can use voice and actions to make our message clearer.

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Resources Required:

• Emotion flashcards (happy, sad, excited, angry, surprised, confused)
• Prompt cards: ‘Ask a question’, ‘Make an offer’, ‘Give a command’
• Soft toy (for use in circle time activity)
• Printed scenario slips (short role-play ideas)
• Mirror station (optional, for individual practice of expressions)
• Whiteboard + markers

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Pedagogical Approach:

• Interactive Discussions ➜ Support student talk and collaboration
• Kinesthetic Play ➜ Encourage movement and body awareness
• Explicit Teaching with Modelling ➜ Demonstrate correct techniques
• Drama and Improvisation ➜ Foster confidence and creativity
• Positive Reinforcement ➜ Celebrate communication attempts, not just outcomes

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Lesson Breakdown:

1. Welcome & Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Activity: Feelings Pass

• Students sit in a circle.
• Teacher explains: "We communicate with more than just words. Our faces and actions tell people how we're feeling."
• Pass a soft toy around the circle. Each student says how they’re feeling and shows the facial expression (e.g. “I feel excited!” + big smile + bouncing slightly).
• Encourage variety and dramatic play.

🗣️ "Great expression, Zara! I could SEE your excitement!"

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2. Explicit Teaching (10 minutes)

Mini-Lesson: Words, Faces, and Body

• On the whiteboard, draw three stick figure icons:

  🗣 Words | 😊 Faces | 💃 Bodies

• Brief explanation:

  • Words are what we say.
  • Faces show our emotions.
  • Bodies help show meaning (e.g. pointing, nodding).

Modelling Activity:

• Teacher acts out simple phrases with and without expression.

  Example 1: “STOP!” (once with flat voice, once with firm voice & hand gesture)
  Example 2: “Can I help you?” (with a smile vs with frown)

Ask: “Which one helped you understand better? Why?”

Introduce Communication Purposes:
Use 3 symbol cards for:

• ❓ Asking for information
• ✋ Giving a command
• ⭐ Making an offer

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3. Pair Activity: Mirror, Mirror (8 minutes)

• In pairs, students take turns making emotions with their face while the partner mirrors them.
• Teacher walks around saying things like, “Can you show happy AND surprised?”
• Extension: Use a mirror station for students to practise solo.

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4. Small Group Role-Play (15 minutes)

Setup:

• Break students into groups of 4.
• Provide each group with 2 scenario slips and 3 Communication Cards.
• Scenarios are age-appropriate and simple.

Example scenarios:

• Asking for help in art class
• Offering to play with someone new
• Telling someone to stop doing something unsafe

Instructions:

1. Groups read the scenario together.
2. Choose which communication type fits best (question, offer, command).
3. Practise their role-play using voice, expressions and gestures.
4. Perform for the class if they’re ready and willing.

🌟 Allow “audience” students to share what facial or body language they noticed and how it helped them understand.

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5. Class Reflection & Wrap-Up (7 minutes)

Discussion Prompts (sitting together as a class):

• “What helped you feel more confident today when speaking?”
• “How did someone show they were listening to you?”
• “What happens if we say something nice but our face looks angry?”
• “How can we help others feel safe when we talk with them?”

Teacher summarises key concepts on the board as a shared brainstorm (e.g. “Look at people’s eyes when you talk”; “Use your face to match your words”)

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Assessment Opportunities:

Formative Assessment

• Observation of student participation and engagement during role-play.
• Listening for clear expression and matching facial/body language.
• Anecdotal notes on students who may need more support with expressive confidence.

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Differentiation Strategies:

For EAL/D students:

• Provide gestures and sentence starters:
  “Can you help me…?”, “Let’s play…”, “Please stop…”

For high-achieving students:

• Challenge them to mix emotions subtly (e.g. excited but nervous) or combine communication types in a scene (e.g. ask and then command).

For students with speech/language delays:

• Focus on facial/body cues more than accurate wording. Accept gestures or facial mimicry as a valid form of participation.

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Extension Ideas:

• Create a “Classroom Communication Champions” chart.
• Use puppet theatre for ongoing practice in free play.
• Buddy up with an older year group for inter-year expressive games.

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Teacher Reflection Prompts:

• Which students needed prompting to use expressions?
• Did any students shine unexpectedly?
• Were all students engaged during group activities?

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👏 Extra Tip for Teachers: Leave emotion flashcards in the calm corner or daily check-in area for self-expression beyond the lesson.

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Final Thought for the Students:

“Every time you speak with your words, face and actions, you’re telling a story. Make it clear and kind!”

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🔄 Next Steps:
No follow-up lesson is required, but encourage spontaneous role-play, daily “expression check-ins”, or classroom commands delivered using expressive voices throughout the term.