Unit Plan 2 (Grade 2 Counselor): Naming Feelings and Body Clues

Focus: Help students identify emotions with more detail than in earlier grades. Students name feelings such as happy, sad, mad, worried, embarrassed, frustrated, proud, jealous, disappointed, excited, and calm. The counselor uses feelings cards, body-outline visuals, or story characters to help students connect emotions with body clues like tight fists, tears, butterflies, fast heartbeat, or wiggly energy.

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: School Counseling (Emotional Awareness • Body Clues • Self-Understanding)

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

I. Introduction

This Grade 2 counseling lesson helps students build a richer feelings vocabulary and notice how emotions can show up in the body. Students move beyond basic feeling words by naming emotions such as worried, embarrassed, frustrated, jealous, disappointed, proud, excited, and calm. The counselor emphasizes that all feelings are normal and that naming a feeling is an important first step before choosing a helpful response.

Students use feelings cards, body-outline visuals, story characters, or short scenarios to connect emotions with body clues. For example, a student may notice tight fists when mad, tears when sad, butterflies when worried, wiggly energy when excited, or a relaxed body when calm. The goal is for students to recognize feelings in themselves and others so they can better understand what they need and when they may need support.

Essential Questions

• What are different feelings Grade 2 students may experience?
• How can students tell what they are feeling?
• What are body clues, and how do they connect to emotions?
• How can students connect feelings to school, home, friendship, or learning experiences?
• Why is naming a feeling helpful?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Name a range of emotions, including happy, sad, mad, worried, embarrassed, frustrated, proud, jealous, disappointed, excited, and calm.
2. Identify body clues connected to different emotions.
3. Connect emotions to school, home, friendship, or learning experiences.
4. Describe simple needs connected to feelings, such as needing help, space, encouragement, a turn, rest, or a chance to try again.
5. Recognize feelings in story characters, scenario cards, classmates, or themselves using respectful observation.
6. (Optional Session) Apply feelings and body-clue language through a body map, story reflection, or feelings scenario sort.

Standards Alignment — Grade 2 (ASCA-based Custom)

• C:S1.2a — Identify Feelings, Needs, and Personal Experiences
  • Name feelings, describe simple needs, and connect emotions to school, home, friendship, or learning experiences.
  • Example: A student says, “I feel disappointed because my friend picked a different partner.”
• C:S2.2a — Identify Emotions and Body Clues
  • Recognize a range of emotions in themselves and others and describe body clues connected to those feelings.
  • Example: A student says, “When I’m nervous, my stomach feels tight and my hands feel wiggly.”

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name many different feelings.
• I can notice body clues connected to feelings.
• I can connect feelings to things that happen at school, home, with friends, or during learning.
• I can describe a simple need that may go with a feeling.
• I can use feeling words respectfully when talking about myself or a character.