Unit Plan 31 (Grade 1 Counselor): Feelings and Coping Review

Focus: Review emotion words, body clues, and coping tools from across the year. Students match feelings to strategies, practice breathing or self-talk, and identify when a problem requires adult help. The counselor uses a feelings board game, toolbox sort, or class review activity to make the lesson active and engaging.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: School Counseling (Feelings • Coping Tools • Help-Seeking)

Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This Grade 1 counseling lesson helps students review the feelings and coping skills they have practiced throughout the year. Students revisit common emotion words such as happy, sad, mad, worried, scared, excited, embarrassed, proud, and calm. They also review body clues that may show how someone feels, such as a tight stomach, hot face, tears, loud voice, quiet voice, fast heartbeat, smile, or relaxed body.

The counselor uses an active review format such as a feelings board game, coping toolbox sort, picture-card match, puppet game, or class challenge. Students practice matching feelings to helpful strategies, such as breathing, counting, positive self-talk, taking a break, using a quiet voice, or asking for help. The goal is for students to leave the lesson remembering that feelings are normal, coping tools can help, and trusted adults can support them when feelings or problems feel too big.

Essential Questions

• What emotion words can students name and recognize?
• What body clues can show how someone might feel?
• What coping tools can help when feelings get big?
• How can students choose a strategy that matches a feeling?
• When should students ask a trusted adult for help?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Name and recognize common emotions, including happy, sad, mad, worried, scared, excited, embarrassed, proud, and calm.
2. Identify body clues that may show how a person feels.
3. Match feelings to calming and coping strategies such as breathing, counting, positive self-talk, asking for help, taking a break, or using a quiet voice.
4. Practice at least one coping tool during the lesson.
5. Recognize when a feeling or problem is too big to handle alone.
6. Identify a trusted adult who can help with big feelings, unsafe problems, health needs, friendship problems, or confusing situations.
7. (Optional Session) Apply feelings and coping review skills through a board game, toolbox sort, scenario match, puppet practice, or class review challenge.

Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (ASCA-based Custom)

• C:S2.1a — Name and Recognize Common Emotions
  • Identify common emotions in themselves and others, including happy, sad, mad, worried, scared, excited, embarrassed, proud, and calm.
  • Example: A student looks at a picture and says, “He looks worried because his eyebrows are up and he is holding his backpack tightly.”
• C:S2.1b — Use Calming and Coping Strategies
  • Practice calming tools such as breathing, counting, positive self-talk, asking for help, taking a break, or using a quiet voice.
  • Example: A student practices taking three slow breaths before trying again after a mistake.
• C:S2.1c — Know When and How to Ask for Help
  • Recognize when a feeling or problem is too big to handle alone and identify a trusted adult who can help.
  • Example: A student says, “If I feel really scared on the playground, I can tell the teacher on duty.”

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name common feelings.
• I can notice body clues that show feelings.
• I can choose a coping tool for a big feeling.
• I can practice breathing, counting, self-talk, a break, or asking for help.
• I can tell when a feeling or problem is too big to handle alone.
• I can name a trusted adult who can help me.