Expressing Big Feelings Lesson Plan

The VotesforSchools lesson plan for Primary 5-7 pupils focuses on the theme of managing intense emotions. The learning objectives are twofold: firstly, to explore methods for handling powerful feelings, and secondly, to reflect on how we can support others experiencing such emotions. The lesson commences with a brief review of the previous week's topic, followed by an engaging activity where students watch a clip of Prince Louis and interpret his feelings. This serves as an introduction to the week's discussion on 'big feelings' and encourages pupils to think of various emotions they are aware of.

Subsequent activities include identifying emotions from descriptions of children's behaviour and evaluating responses to those emotions, with students expressing their opinions through a thumbs-up or thumbs-down gesture. The lesson continues with a 'Checking in' exercise, where pupils consider different strategies for managing their own strong emotions and supporting others. This segment also prompts them to reflect on whether the approaches to dealing with emotions are universally applicable or vary from person to person. The lesson concludes with a voting session, where the class reviews arguments for and against a given statement related to the topic, and then casts their votes. Accompanying the lesson are challenge tasks and supporting materials tailored for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).