Unit Plan 11 (Grade 1 Counselor): Feelings Show Up in My Body

Focus: Help students notice body clues connected to emotions. The counselor uses a body outline, puppet, or picture cards to help students identify clues like fast heartbeat, tight fists, tears, butterflies in the stomach, hot face, or wiggly excitement. Students learn that body clues are signals that they may need a coping strategy or adult help.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: School Counseling (Feelings • Body Clues • Help-Seeking)

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

I. Introduction

This Grade 1 counseling lesson helps students understand that feelings can show up in the body. Students learn that emotions are not only something people say with words; feelings can also appear through body clues such as tears, tight fists, fast heartbeat, hot face, butterflies in the stomach, shaky hands, wiggly excitement, or a quiet voice.

The counselor uses a body outline, puppet, picture cards, or story scenarios to help students connect feelings to body signals. Students learn that body clues are helpful signals. When students notice those signals, they can name the feeling, choose a coping strategy, or ask a trusted adult for help if the feeling or problem feels too big.

Essential Questions

• How do feelings show up in the body?
• What body clues can show mad, worried, scared, excited, sad, calm, or frustrated feelings?
• How can body clues help students name their feelings?
• What can students do when they notice a body clue?
• When should students ask a trusted adult for help?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Name common emotions such as happy, sad, mad, worried, scared, excited, embarrassed, proud, calm, and frustrated.
2. Identify body clues connected to common emotions.
3. Connect feelings and body clues to common school or home experiences.
4. Describe simple needs connected to body clues, such as help, space, a break, comfort, directions, or adult support.
5. Recognize when a feeling or problem feels too big to handle alone.
6. Identify trusted adults who can help when body clues signal a big feeling or unsafe situation.
7. (Optional Session) Apply feelings and body-clue learning through a body map, puppet scenario, picture sort, or read-aloud reflection.

Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (ASCA-based Custom)

• C:S1.1a — Identify Feelings, Needs, and Experiences
  • Name basic feelings, describe simple needs, and connect emotions to common school or home experiences.
  • Example: A student says, “I feel frustrated because I could not finish my work.”
• 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:S2.1c — 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 a feeling.
• I can notice body clues connected to feelings.
• I can say what might have happened to cause a feeling.
• I can name what I might need when a feeling gets big.
• I can ask a trusted adult for help when a feeling feels too big.