Zones and Emojis

Overview

In this 25-minute Health session, students explore Zones of Regulation, notice body signals linked to emotions, and practise recreating emotion emojis that match each zone to strengthen self-regulation and safer interactions.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify the Zones of Regulation and the body signals that often show up in each zone.
• Students will practise strategies to manage emotions when they notice their body signals changing.
• Students will recreate simple emojis for each zone and explain what body signals match their emoji choice.

Success criteria

• I can name the Zones and describe at least one body signal for each zone.
• I can choose an emoji that matches a zone and justify why using my body signals.
• I can practise a self-regulation strategy that helps me move to a safer zone.
• I can respectfully respond when others share their body signals or emoji choices.

Curriculum links

• Health: apply strategies to manage emotions and analyse how emotional responses influence interactions.
• Health: explore emotions associated with feeling unsafe or uncomfortable and propose strategies to manage these situations.
• Health: when emotional responses are intense or unpredictable, practise strategies to self-regulate and manage expression of strong emotions.

Lesson structure (25 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Start prompt. Teacher writes: “How does your body tell you your feelings are changing?” and shows 4 zone emoji cards (no explanations yet). Students do a quick turn-and-talk: “Which emoji matches your current feeling and why?”
2. 3–8 min · Direct teach: Zones + body signals. Teacher briefly presents the four zones (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red) and models “body signals” (e.g., fast heart, clenched fists, heavy body, fidgeting, tense shoulders, calm breathing). Students watch and then point to a body-signal example the teacher reads aloud.
3. 8–13 min · Guided practice: Match body signals to zones. Teacher displays 6 short scenario prompts (teacher reads one at a time), each followed by a question: “Which zone might this person be in, and what body signal would you notice?” Students record answers on a half-sheet: Scenario → Zone → 1 body signal.
4. 13–18 min · Emoji recreation (hands-on). Teacher demonstrates recreating one emoji (teacher draws quickly on board or shows a template): eyebrows, eyes, mouth shape, and adds a “body signal word” (e.g., “tense”, “shaky”, “steady breath”). Students in pairs recreate the four emojis on their template: Green, Yellow, Red, Blue. They must include a one-word body-signal label under each emoji.
5. 18–22 min · Self-regulation mini-practice. Teacher asks: “If your body signals move you into Yellow or Red, what can you do next?” Students choose one strategy card per zone (e.g., breathing, take a break, drink water, use a calm-down corner, talk to an adult/teacher if needed) and practise it for 30 seconds with teacher guidance. Emphasis: strategies are to help manage emotions and interactions.
6. 22–25 min · Exit check (quick). Teacher collects students’ sheets or holds a “show and tell”: each student shows one emoji and says one body signal and one strategy. Teacher uses a checklist to ensure students can link zone → body signal → strategy.

Resources

• Zones of Regulation emoji cards (4)
• Body-signal word bank cards (calm, steady, fidgety, hot, tense, fast breathing, heavy, shaky)
• Scenario prompt cards (6 short, age-appropriate examples)
• Emoji template sheet for recreating emojis (eyes/mouth/brows guides)
• Strategy cards (calm-down actions and help-seeking prompts)
• Timer (for 30-second practice)
• Check-list for teacher (zone recognition + body signal + strategy)

Assessment

• Formative: scenario matching sheet (zone + body signal).
• Formative: teacher checklist during show-and-tell (zone → body signal → strategy).
• Quick check: students select the emoji that matches their current feeling and identify one body signal.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters on the worksheet: “I think the zone is __ because I notice __.” “My strategy is __.”
• Use dyslexia-friendly reading supports: larger font worksheets, minimal text per card, and teacher read-aloud for all scenario prompts; allow students to underline key words instead of full sentences.
• Offer alternative response formats: if drawing is hard, allow students to choose emoji stickers and add a single body-signal word.
• Extension option (for faster finishers): add one “safe interaction” sentence to one emoji (e.g., “In Yellow, I can use a calm voice and ask for a break.”).

Extension (optional)

• No additional extension requested.