Emotional Intelligence Action

Lesson Overview

We Are Learning To (WALT): Identify strategies to manage emotional responses.

Success Criteria:

• List three strategies for thoughtful responses.
• Demonstrate understanding of these strategies through group discussion and creation of a strategy poster.

Differentiation:

• Visual learners create a colourful strategy poster illustrating the strategies.
• Auditory learners engage in verbal discussions and role-play scenarios to deepen understanding.
• Support students needing additional help by pairing them with peers or providing scaffolding in the activities.

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Curriculum Links

NSW Health and Physical Education Stage 3 Outcomes

• PH3-IHW-01: Examines and explains factors that influence identity, health and wellbeing of individuals and groups.
• PH3-CWT-01: Creating written texts supports understanding of health, safety and wellbeing.

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Lesson Duration

45 minutes

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction and Engagement (10 minutes)

• Begin with a brief recap of previous lessons on emotional intelligence focusing on recognising feelings and understanding emotional triggers.
• Introduce today's topic: Responding Thoughtfully – what it means and why it matters for managing emotions.
• Use a relatable scenario (e.g., feeling frustrated when a friend disagrees) and ask students how they might react. Write responses on the board.

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2. Teaching and Modelling (10 minutes)

• Introduce three key thoughtful response strategies to manage emotional responses:

1. Pause and take deep breaths – helps slow down emotional reactions.
2. Think before you speak or act – gives time to consider consequences and choose positive ways to respond.
3. Use ‘I’ statements to express feelings calmly – encourages respectful communication.

• Demonstrate each strategy using a short role-play or video clip (acted out by teacher or selected students).
• Explain why each strategy supports wellbeing and respects others.

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3. Guided Practice - Strategy Poster Creation (15 minutes)

• Split the class into small groups (4-5 students).
• Each group creates a colourful poster on one strategy, including:
• The strategy’s name.
• A simple explanation in their own words.
• An illustration or symbol to help remember it.
• Encourage students to plan their posters by brainstorming ideas first (verbal discussion for auditory learners, sketching for visual learners).
• Provide materials such as markers, paper, and coloured pencils.
• Circulate and provide guidance as required.

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4. Group Presentations and Discussion (7 minutes)

• Each group presents their poster, explaining their strategy and why it helps with managing emotions.
• Facilitate a short discussion encouraging students to share which strategy they feel they might use or have used before.

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5. Reflection and Consolidation (3 minutes)

• Recap the three strategies and their benefits.
• Ask students to individually write down one strategy they will try next time they feel upset or angry. This could be a sentence or a simple drawing for those who prefer.
• Collect responses if desired for teacher feedback.

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Assessment

• Observation of group poster work and engagement in presentations to assess understanding.
• Review of students’ written or drawn reflections to confirm identification of at least one strategy.

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Additional Differentiation Ideas

• Provide sentence starters for students who struggle with writing, e.g., "One strategy to help me when I feel angry is..."
• Use visual cue cards with illustrations of breathing and ‘I’ statements for EAL/D or students with special needs.
• Provide alternate roles within groups (e.g., scribe, artist, presenter) to engage all learners.

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Teacher's Notes

• Emphasise the importance of respectful communication and self-awareness as part of emotional intelligence.
• Encourage a safe classroom environment where students can share without judgement.
• Consider linking this lesson to later lessons on empathy and conflict resolution in the unit.

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Outline of Remaining Lessons in the Unit: Emotional Intelligence in Action

Lesson	Title	Key Focus	WALT	Success Criteria
1	Understanding Emotions	Identifying and naming emotions accurately	Identify a range of emotions and why we feel them	Correctly name emotions in scenarios
2	Emotional Triggers	Recognising triggers that lead to strong emotions	Recognise personal triggers for emotions	List common triggers that affect their feelings
3	Managing Emotions	Basic calming strategies	Practice simple calming techniques	Demonstrate use of breathing and counting
4	Responding Thoughtfully	Managing responses mindfully (current lesson)	Identify strategies to manage emotional responses	List and explain three thoughtful response strategies
5	Empathy in Action	Understanding and expressing empathy	Show empathy towards others in different situations	Demonstrate empathy through role play and stories
6	Communicating Feelings	Using ‘I’ statements and active listening	Use ‘I’ statements to express feelings	Use ‘I’ statements in paired conversations
7	Resolving Conflicts	Conflict resolution techniques	Apply conflict resolution strategies effectively	Role-play conflict resolution with peer support
8	Setting Boundaries	Understanding personal boundaries and respect	Identify personal boundaries and express them	Identify and respect boundaries in scenarios
9	Coping with Change	Strategies to adapt to change and uncertainty	Use coping strategies during change	List coping strategies and reflect on their use
10	Reflecting on Growth	Reflect on emotional intelligence progress	Reflect on personal growth through the unit	Share reflections in discussions or journals

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This detailed, specific lesson plan aligns with NSW curriculum requirements and is designed to engage diverse Year 5 learners effectively in the concept of emotional intelligence focusing on thoughtful responses. It promotes creativity, discussion and practical application matching the teaching style and differentiated learning approaches requested.