Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Checking the Emotion Thermometer ActivityChecking the Emotion Thermometer Activity
Publisher
Thoughtful Learning
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
K - 5th
Subjects
Social & Emotional Learning
2 more...
Resource Type
Activities & Projects
Audiences
For Teacher Use
1 more...
Duration
30 mins
Instructional Strategy
Independent Practice
Year
2020
Usage Permissions
Creative Commons
BY-NC-SA: 4.0
cc
Activity

Checking the Emotion Thermometer

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Checking the Emotion Thermometer activity also includes:
  • Activity
  • Join to access all included materials

A hand-drawn thermometer provides a strong visual for how much of an emotion a child is feeling. Scholars color the thermometer's mercury to showcase whether what they are feeling is high or low at a certain moment. Questions allow learners to reflect on their feelings. 

28 Views 30 Downloads

Concepts

social-emotional learning, social skills, emotional development, emotions, expressing feelings, feelings, thermometers, self-awareness, identity, self identity

Additional Tags

social studies

Instructional Ideas

  • Laminate or place papers in plastic sheet covers, then Instruct pupils to keep their thermometer safely in their binder so they can reuse it 
  • Instruct class members to write their question responses on a sheet of paper or in a journal 
  • Have a large drawing of a thermometer displayed in the classroom, surround it with feeling words for learners to reference as an aid to express their feelings 

Classroom Considerations

  • Create a safe environment for class members who may not be comfortable sharing their feelings
  • Observe participants responses, take the necessary action as a mandated reporter 

Pros

  • The thermometer can be used to explain a variety of feelings 
  • Social and emotional learning benefits learners now and in the future 

Cons

  • None

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

My Feelings

Missouri Department of Elementary
Encourage self-awareness with a lesson that challenges scholars to identify feelings—happy, sad, mad, and scared. Using a feelings thermometer, similar to that of a bar graph, pupils discuss how they would feel in specific scenarios then...
1st Health
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Feeling Faces

Missouri Department of Elementary
A lesson help scholars identify emotions through facial expressions. After a friendly puppet reads scholars a poem all about feelings, learners act out how they would feel when a specific action happens to them. Participants watch and...
K Social & Emotional Learning
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Let’s Talk Emotions

Health Smart Virginia
A presentation guides a discussion and opportunity for role-playing about identifying and talking about emotions. To begin, scholars share memories of happiness and unhappiness and how they responded to specific feelings. Then, learners...
1st Social & Emotional Learning
Lesson Plan

Emotions

Health Smart Virginia
A list of activities inspires self-awareness and mindfulness. Scholars practice identifying emotions and expressing their feelings while using their hands, mind, and social skills to complete tasks. Activities include story...
1st Social & Emotional Learning
Activity

Emotion Card Games

Curated OER
Emotions come in all shapes and sizes, and can be difficult for young learners or students with special needs to identify. Support them in gaining the valuable social skill of recognizing emotions and understanding empathy with this...
K - 8th Social & Emotional Learning
Worksheet

Feelings Fill In

Kids' Pages
How does it feel when you don't get your favorite toy? Explore emotion words with an exercise that provides pictures and descriptions of people in different situations. Kids choose from a word bank to fill in the blanks for people who...
1st - 4th Health
Lesson Plan

Expressing Emotions through Art Lesson 1—Everyone Shows They Care

J. Paul Getty Trust
In a instructional activity that explores art and emotions, scholars analyze a piece of art and discuss which emotions it portrays. They go on to reflect on their own emotions and how they are similar to the feelings expressed...
K - 2nd English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Activity

Expressing Emotions Through Movement

Thoughtful Learning
Encourage scholars to better understand and express their feelings with an activity designed to boost self-awareness. Scholars read several statements that challenge them to showcase how their body moves when they feel certain feelings....
K - 5th Social & Emotional Learning
Activity

Seeing Emotion in Facial Expressions

Thoughtful Learning
Learning to read body language, especially facial expressions, is the focus of a mini-lesson. Young learners examine a series of photographs, identify the emotion being illustrated, and then discuss the cues that revealed the emotion.
K - 8th Social & Emotional Learning
Professional Doc

SEL for Educators Toolkit

Transforming Education
Four resources make up the SEL toolkit for educators. Intended for those that teach kindergarten to twelfth grade, helpful files include a companion guide, presentation, reference list, and a one-page snapshot that neatly showcases the...
K - Higher Ed Social & Emotional Learning
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use