Understanding Emotions

Lesson Overview

Unit: Community, Travel, Emotions
Lesson Number: 13 of 28
Year Group: Year 1
Subject: English (ELA)
Time: 60 minutes
Class Size: 30 students
Curriculum Link:

• National Curriculum for England – Year 1 English
• Spoken Language: Listen and respond appropriately to others, ask relevant questions, and express ideas clearly.
• Reading Comprehension: Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, and understanding by discussing word meanings and linking them to known vocabulary.
• PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education): Recognise and talk about different emotions and how they affect us.

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Learning Objectives

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

1. Listen actively to a story and recall key details.
2. Identify emotions felt by characters and give reasons.
3. Connect emotions from the story to their own experiences.
4. Discuss feelings using descriptive vocabulary.

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Resources Needed

• Storybook: The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas (or an alternative book that focuses on emotions).
• Visual emotion cards (happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised).
• Mini whiteboards and markers for sharing thoughts.
• Emotion puppets or soft toys (optional, for role-play).
• Large paper and markers for a class emotions chart.

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Warm-Up Activity (10 minutes) – "Emotion Guessing Game"

Objective: Encourage pupils to identify and talk about emotions.

• Teacher makes different facial expressions (e.g., happy, sad, surprised).
• Pupils guess the emotion and say a time when they felt that way.
• Use emotion cards to reinforce meaning.
• Example question: "When was a time you felt really happy?"

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2. Story Time (15 minutes) – "Listening for Feelings"

Objective: Develop active listening and emotional awareness.

• Read The Colour Monster aloud.
• As the story progresses, pause and ask:
  • "How do you think the monster feels now?"
  • "Why do you think he feels this way?"
• Use expressive voices and engage pupils by asking them to mimic the monster’s feelings.

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3. Discussion (10 minutes) – "How Did They Feel?"

Objective: Encourage verbal responses and connection to personal emotions.

• Show different pages from the book and ask:
  • "What colours were used? What do the colours tell us?"
  • "Can you think of a time you felt like this?"
• Write key emotions and reasons on a large chart.

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4. Group Task (15 minutes) – "Emotion Matching & Acting"

Objective: Reinforce learning through collaborative activities.

• Activity 1 – Matching (8 minutes):

  • Pupils work in pairs.
  • Each pair is given a short emotion description (e.g., Sam lost his toy and felt…).
  • They match it to the correct emotion card.

• Activity 2 – Acting Out (7 minutes):

  • Groups of four pick emotions from a hat.
  • They act out short scenarios (e.g., finding a new friend at school).
  • The rest of the class guesses how they feel.

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5. Reflection & Cool-Down (10 minutes) – "My Emotion Today"

Objective: Allow pupils to express their personal feelings and summarise learning.

• Each pupil draws a simple face showing how they feel today.
• They write or dictate a sentence: "Today I feel ____ because ____."
• Volunteers share their feelings with the class.

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Assessment & Differentiation

Assessment Strategies

• Observation: Monitor participation in discussions and activities.
• Questioning: Ask open-ended questions to check understanding.
• Written Reflection: Check drawings and sentences for emotional awareness.

Differentiation

• For SEND pupils: Provide visual prompts and allow responses through drawing or gestures.
• For EAL pupils: Use picture cards to aid understanding. Offer sentence starters (e.g., "I feel ____ when I ____.").
• For higher ability: Challenge them to use more descriptive vocabulary (e.g., instead of "sad," use "upset" or "tearful").

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Plenary – Creating a Class "Emotion Wall"

• Each pupil adds one emotion they felt today (written or drawn).
• Review key emotions from the lesson.
• Reinforce the idea: "It's okay to feel different emotions, and we can talk about them."

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Teacher Reflection

• Did pupils engage with the story and emotions?
• Were they able to link emotions to personal experiences?
• Were additional support strategies effective?

Next Lesson: Exploring emotions through role-play and storytelling.

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This carefully structured lesson will not only support literacy development but also foster emotional intelligence in young learners, creating a supportive and engaging classroom environment. 🚀