GEMS Lesson Plan: Instructional Layout

Session Three: Express Yourself! (Effective Communication)

Time Allotted:1 Hour
Objective: Teach students the different emotions they can experience, and help them
communicate these emotions successfully.

Fundamental Questions: What am I feeling?

How do I express what I am feeling?

Students Will Be Able To (SWBAT):

 Understand feelings are normal
 Articulate their reactions effectively to others
 Identify and strengthen oral communication skills and strategies that will allow
appropriate use including sensitivity towards cultural differences to help communicate
their feelings

Related Terms:
 Emotion
 Expression
 Feeling
 Describe
 Communication
 Articulate

Time Activity Description Materials Required

Emotion Match  Handout
In the emoticon worksheet, students match  Pen/Pencil
emotions with emoticons.
1. Students have to fill in each
emoticon’s emotion.
2. Review answers with what has
5 mins DO NOW been provided below.
3. Ask students how they are feeling
today. Is there an emoticon that
expresses their feelings today?
What are some other adjectives to
describe feelings?
10 mins Introduction Charades Communications Game  Electronic device to
Watch the video: watch video
https://youtu.be/D-YHC8b6Hjk  Pre-written slips of
paper
Students line up facing forward. Last  Basket/Bowl
person is given a slip of paper that says “I
rode my bike and I fell off.” She tells
person directly in front of her to turn
 GEMS Lesson Plan: Instructional Layout
around and she acts out riding bike and
falling off. Then in turn, each person acts
out for the next person in line.

After the last person does it, the first

person reads the slip and shows how she
acted it out.

15 mins Guided Practice Instructor leads short discussion on how  Chart paper &
communications can get confused. Markers or
 Have students experienced that? Whiteboard & Dry
 What was a time when they either Erase Markers
were misunderstood or didn’t  Handout
understand?  Pen/Pencil
 Has it ever led to an argument or hurt
feelings?

Instructor draws two stick figures – one

with a mouth and the other with big ears.
Describe difference between intention and
impact, then writes Intent over first figure
and impact over the second one.
Instructor asks student to come up and
draw an arrow pointing at the most
important body part for the speaker and for
the listener.

Instructor gives a conversation example -

You asked your friend to get pizza and
hang out Friday night. Pointing to figure
with mouth: “No thanks, I’ve got to take
care of some stuff Friday.”

Instructor asks:
 How would you take that?
 What could your friend mean?
(Students should respond with things
like, she was busy, she doesn’t want to
hang with me.)

Instructor may ask, “maybe she just

doesn’t like pizza!”

Instructor asks if there are other body parts

that are involved in how we communicate
intent and understand impact. Ask
volunteer to put arrows on speaker to
 GEMS Lesson Plan: Instructional Layout
indicate intent and help by some questions:
 What if your friend doesn’t look at you
when she says she has stuff to take
care of? Try to get them to mention
body language like eye contact,
expressions.

Then ask a volunteer to put an arrow

pointing to the body part on the listener
that impacts the answer (the brain).
Nonverbal Communication  Slips of paper
Divide students in groups of 5, if possible.  Cup/Basket/Bowl
Assign 1 student to be the reader and 1
student to be the actor.

Have Reader and Actor students take a slip

from the bag and act out what it says while
the Reader student talks.
Actor Student must:
 Avoid eye contact
 Roll Eyes
 Tap foot over and over
Independent
25 mins  Cross arms tight over chest
Practice/Activity
 Stand too close

Without telling other students what the

slips say ask them whether the volunteer
was listening and how they could tell. Ask
what was being communicated by the
nonverbal gesture.

Ask students to give examples of good

nonverbal communications. Where
possible, point out students exhibiting
good examples.
How Am I Feeling?  Handout
On How Am I Feeling? Handout, students  Pen/Pencil
will write down:
5 mins Exit Ticket 1. How they are feeling
2. What coping skills they have tried
3. What they can try next