Emotions and Connections

Year Level

Year 6 (ages 10-11)

Duration

60 minutes

Context

A drama lesson inspired by the film Inside Out aimed at developing understanding of relationships, empathy, and appropriate responses to various social situations. This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum's Arts learning area, specifically Dramatic Arts, integrating with social and emotional learning competencies.

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Curriculum References

The New Zealand Curriculum: The Arts – Drama (Years 5-6)

• Achievement Objective:
  Students will develop ideas in drama and in response to drama.
  Focus on taking on and sustaining roles using verbal and non-verbal communication to express feelings and ideas and to respond thoughtfully to others.
• Key Competencies:
  • Relating to others: understanding and respecting others' feelings and points of view; cooperating and contributing during group activities.
  • Managing self: expressing ideas and emotions with confidence and self-control.
  • Thinking: empathy and perspective-taking to understand characters and situations.

Values Developed:

• Empathy, Respect, Integrity, and Community participation as outlined in the NZC values section.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Identify and express a range of emotions through role-play (e.g., joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust).
2. Demonstrate empathy by responding to scenarios from different emotional perspectives.
3. Explore how emotions influence relationships and decision-making in various social situations.
4. Use verbal and non-verbal communication, including facial expressions and body language, to sustain roles during drama activities inspired by Inside Out.
5. Collaborate respectfully in groups, listening actively and providing thoughtful feedback.

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Resources Required

• Large open space for movement and group work
• Character emotion cards (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust) with facial expressions and key traits
• Scenario cards presenting everyday social challenges (e.g., disagreement with a friend, feeling left out, receiving praise)
• Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
• Timer or stopwatch
• Optional: short clips or images from Inside Out (if copyright permits) for visual stimulus

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction and Warm-up (10 minutes)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge about emotions and prepare for drama work.

• Begin with a brief discussion: "What kinds of emotions do we all feel? Can you name a few?"
• Show the Inside Out characters (or emotion cards), giving a quick description of each emotion they represent.
• Quick warm-up game: Emotion Circle
  • Students stand in a circle.
  • The teacher says an emotion, and students express it using only facial expressions and body posture.
  • Volunteer a few students to demonstrate to the class.
• Highlight how non-verbal cues can tell us about how others feel.

2. Exploring Emotions Through Role (15 minutes)

Objective: Develop ability to take on roles representing different emotions.

• Divide class into manageable groups (approx. 6–7 students). Given 53 students, form 8 groups with a couple slightly larger.
• Assign each group one Inside Out emotion to role-play.
• Groups come up with short non-verbal and verbal ways to show their emotion—facial expressions, body language, voice tone.
• Each group presents a short 1-minute act demonstrating their emotion to the class.
• Discuss as a class: "What did you notice about how they showed the emotion? How did it make you feel?"

3. Responding to Scenarios with Empathy (20 minutes)

Objective: Practice empathetic responses and explore perspectives.

• Still in the same groups, give each a scenario card presenting a relational challenge (e.g., a friend is upset, someone gets left out, receiving a compliment but feeling shy).
• Groups create a short role-play (3-4 minutes) showing:
  • How their assigned emotion reacts to the situation
  • How other emotions might respond differently (groups can include other emotions or improvise).
• Emphasise use of verbal and non-verbal communication to show feelings and responses.
• Perform each scenario for the class.
• After each, discuss:
  • What emotions did you notice?
  • How could a person respond thoughtfully and empathetically?
  • How do different emotions affect relationships?

4. Reflective Discussion and Feedback (10 minutes)

Objective: Develop metacognitive awareness about emotions and responses.

• Lead a class discussion guided by these prompts:
  • How does understanding different emotions help us in real life?
  • Can you share a time when you felt one of these emotions and how you reacted?
  • How can drama help us become better at understanding other people's feelings?
• Invite students to share what they learned about empathy and relationships.
• Encourage students to think about how they might use these skills outside the classroom.

5. Cool Down and Closure (5 minutes)

• Lead a calming breathing exercise focusing on awareness of feelings (link to self-regulation from NZC).
• Recap key points: emotions are normal, understanding them helps us relate better, and drama is a fun way to practise this!
• Remind students of the values practiced today: empathy, respect, and cooperation.

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Assessment and Feedback

• Formative assessment: Teacher observes group interactions and individual participation during role-play, noting ability to express emotions and listen/respond empathetically.
• Peer feedback: After role-plays, students give positive and constructive feedback focusing on communication and empathy.
• Self-reflection: Students complete a quick written or oral reflection answering:
  • Which emotion role did you find easiest or hardest to play? Why?
  • How will understanding emotions help your friendships or family life?
• Collect reflections to inform next teaching steps.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide emotion cards with clear expressions and keywords for ELL or neurodivergent students.
• Allow flexible group roles (e.g., actor, narrator, director) to suit different comfort levels.
• Use visual supports and prompts to scaffold language use.
• Adapt volume and pace as appropriate during presentations to support all learners.

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This lesson effectively integrates the New Zealand Curriculum's Arts strand of Dramatic Arts, supporting the development of emotional literacy and relational skills through creative drama inspired by a familiar theme. It encourages active engagement, cooperation, and culturally responsive teaching, fostering key competencies essential for personal and social success .