Health & Physical Education Curriculum –

Mental Health Literacy

Grade 1: Lesson 2

Thoughts, Emotions, Actions

Optional Mentor texts: Visiting Feelings – Lauren Rubenstein
Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day – Jamie Lee Curtis
Beautiful Oops – Barney Saltzberg
How Are You Feeling Today? – Molly Potter
Little You – Richard Van Camp

Time: Lesson – 1 period

Extension – 1 period

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS:

A1. apply, to the best of their ability, a range

of social-emotional learning skills as they
acquire knowledge and skills in connection
with the expectations in the Healthy Living THOUGHTS
strand for this grade. The stories we tell ourselves
impact our emotions and actions
D3. demonstrate the ability to make
connections that relate to health and well-
being – how their choices and behaviours
affect both themselves and others, and how
factors in the world around them affect their
ACTIONS EMOTIONS
Actions influence Emotions affect our
own and others’ health and well-being. thoughts and emotions thoughts and actions

SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS:

A1.6 apply skills that help them think critically and creatively as they participate in learning experiences
in health and physical education, in order to support making connections, analysing, evaluating, problem
solving, and decision making.

D3.3 demonstrate an understanding that a person’s thoughts, emotions, and actions can affect mental health.

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LEARNING GOALS:

We are learning...

• that Thoughts have an impact on the emotions you feel and the actions you take.
• that Emotions affect your thoughts and actions.
• that Actions influence your thoughts and emotions.
• that your perspective on a situation will give you a choice as to how you react.
• to understand that my actions are determined by my thoughts and emotions.
• to understand that thoughts are words we say to ourselves.
• to understand that two people can have different thoughts about the same thing.
• that there are some things affect how we feel, and that we have no control over

SUCCESS CRITERIA:

Consider using these questions to co-develop success criteria with your students:
“How will we know we are achieving our learning goals? What will that look like/sound like?”

Sample success criteria to help guide you

• I can connect my thoughts, feelings, and actions to help manage them for a positive mental health.

MATERIALS & RESOURCES NEEDED:

Lesson
p Feelings Flashcards (provided)
p Playground Poster (provided)
p First Day of School Poster (provided)
p “Reaction – Possible Outcome(s)” handout (provided)
p Markers/Highlighters

Extension
p Mentor Text
p Beautiful Oops task (provided)
p Feelings Wheel task (provided)
p Feelings Wheel example (provided)
p Different types of lines example (provided)
p Markers/pencil crayons/crayons

CONSIDERATIONS:

• Approaches to all instruction, including Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills, must be mediated
through respectful conversations about students’ lived realities, inequity, bias, discrimination
and harassment.

• Recognize that there are systemic factors that students are unable to control and can impact how a
student feels. This lesson addresses feelings that students have the ability to manage themselves.
See the prompt at the beginning of the Action Task below for a suggestion on how to communicate
this with students.

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Cross Curricular Expectations
NOTE: Language expectations and Visual Arts expectations are met when adding the optional extension task.
If you are not using, then ignore.

Health & Physical Language The Arts

Education

Social Emotional Reading – Drama –

Learning Skills – Specific Expectations Specific Expectations
Specific Expectations
1.3 Comprehension Strategies B1.2 Demonstrate an
Strand A Identify a variety of reading understanding of the element of
comprehension strategies and character by adopting thoughts,
A1.1 Apply skills that help them use them appropriately before, feelings, and gestures relevant
think critically and creatively during, and after reading to to the role being played
as they participate in learning understand texts
experiences in health and Visual Arts –
physical education, in order to 1.4 Demonstrating Specific Expectations
support making connections, Understanding
analysing, evaluating, problem Demonstrate understanding of D1.1 Create two- and three-
solving, and decision making a text by retelling the story or dimensional works of
restating information from the art that express feelings
text, including the main idea and ideas inspired by
personal experiences
Healthy Living – 1.6 Extending Understanding
Specific Expectations Extend understanding of texts D1.3 Use elements of design
by connecting the ideas in them in art works to communicate
Strand D to their own knowledge and ideas, messages, and
experience, to other familiar texts, personal understandings
D3.3 Demonstrate an and to the world around them
understanding that a person’s D2.2 Explain how elements and
thoughts, emotions, 1.8 Responding To and principles of design are used
and actions can affect Evaluating Texts to communicate meaning
mental health Express personal thoughts and or understanding in their own
feelings about what has been read and others’ art work

D2.4 Identify and document

Oral Communication – their strengths, their interests,
Specific Expectations and areas for improvement
as creators of art
1.5 Making Inferences/
Interpreting Texts
Use stated and implied
information and ideas in oral
texts, initially with support
and direction, to make
simple inferences and
reasonable predictions

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Lesson

Minds On – 10 minutes

Start lesson with Feelings Flashcards. Use the flashcards and go over the different feelings a person
can have with your students. Talk about what each feeling is and when someone might have that feeling.

Show the schoolyard picture.

Ask students to tell you what they see in the picture and record their answers on chart paper/smartboard/
whiteboard (do not cue them, you will be coming back to look at the picture after the action task).ute

Action Task – 25 minutes

Suggested Teacher Prompt: (Ontario Curriculum, Health and Physical Education, 2019, p110)
“When we talk about staying healthy, we talk about all the things that help keep our bodies well. We are
mindful of what we eat, make sure that we get enough sleep, and are active every day. When we take
care of our body in these ways, we are also taking care of our brain’s health, because our brain is part
of our body! When our brain is healthy, this helps our mental health.”

Ask students:
“Describe some things you can do to take care of your brain health?” Have students talk to their elbow
partner then take answers up as a class.

NOTE: It is important to recognize how systemic factors can impact the way a student might feel. The
following suggested prompt will help you discuss that with your students.

Suggested Teacher Prompt: “In today’s lesson, we’re going to talk about the things that you can
manage yourself, but I want to recognize that there are things that sometimes affect how we feel that
we don’t have a lot of control over. Things like not having money to buy healthy food or a place to live
that is safe. Those are big things and they affect how a person feels. It’s not okay that this is the case
and it’s something that people in our country are working on changing. If you are feeling upset about
some of the bigger things that I just mentioned, I am available to talk to you about this.

Suggested Teacher Prompt: (Ontario Curriculum, Health and Physical Education, 2019, p110)
“There are other ways to keep our mental health strong besides caring for our body. How we think, how
we feel, and the actions we take can help. The way we think about something can change the way we
feel about it.

For example, when you think that someone took a toy you were playing with on purpose, you might feel
sad or angry. But if you think instead that it may be the person didn’t know you were in the middle of
using it and took it by mistake, you might feel more okay about it.

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Also, how we feel – our feelings or emotions – can change the way we act. So, if you are angry
because you think the person took the toy on purpose, you might yell at them. If you feel less upset
because you think it was an accident, you might just tell them you weren’t finished using the toy and
ask for it back. The second way probably makes things go better.
So, our thinking can change our feelings or emotions and our emotions can change our actions. When
we think well, we feel well and we can act in ways that make us and others, feel good. Let’s try this with
another example.”
Ask students:
“If someone bumps into you when you are in line for the water fountain, what are some thoughts you
might have? Describe some possible ways someone may respond and possible outcomes it can have.
[SEL A1.6] (Feel free to give students more scenarios to get their reaction and possible outcomes)
Have students respond orally while filling in the chart provided called “Reaction – Possible Outcome(s)”
or write on chart paper or a whiteboard.
Use the image provided titled “The First Day of School”.
Tell a social story that goes along with the picture. For example, (Label students with arrows and a
name – Tim, happy expression – Kim, nervous expression) “Tim and Kim are going in the same class
and are going to school for the first time.”
Investigate the image with students by asking the following:
• “By looking at the picture, describe how Kim may be feeling right now…
What makes you say that?”
• “Let’s look at the picture again, describe how Tim may be feeling right now…
What makes you say that?”
• “What do you think each of the students are thinking about the first day of school,
and how do you think it is connected to how they are feeling?” [SEL A1.6]
Ask students:
“What could be making them feel so different? It’s the same school, same class, same teacher.”
Let the student(s) guess and guide the conversation towards the students thinking about the first day
of school differently.
Ask students:
“What do you think Kim is thinking while she is standing over on the side?”
“What about Tim as he’s running to the front door?”
“What do you think they were thinking this morning when they got up and were getting ready for the
first day of school?”
Draw thought bubbles over Tim’s and Kim’s heads. You want the students to understand that one
student is having negative thoughts and the other is having positive thoughts.
Next, you want them to make the connection that the first day of school isn’t causing the feelings since
they feel different. If it was school, they’d feel the same. Instead their feelings are influenced by their
thoughts. Kim has a lot of negative thoughts about the first day of school and she also has a lot of
negative feelings.
Activity:
Have students pair up or use small groups. Role play about what the conversation would be like if a
student spoke to Kim to try and help her.
Give students about 5-7 minutes to prepare the mini skit.

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Consolidate – 10 Minutes

Have students present their mini skit and discuss.

Now refer back to the playground picture from Minds On.

Ask students if they notice anything different than they did at the beginning of the lesson. [SEL 1.6]

As they refer to the images feel free to circle them to keep track.

Optional Extension Task – 40 minutes – Feel free to choose one of the following.

1. Choose an optional Mentor Text that will best fit your needs.

2. Read using guiding questions.

3. Go over the task with your students. The rubric attached will work for any of the activities.

Overview of the books suggested:

VISITING FEELINGS
Visiting Feelings encourages children to treat their feelings like guests — welcome them in, get to know
them, and perhaps learn why they are visiting. Through this purposeful and mindful exploration, Visiting
Feelings harnesses a young child’s innate capacity to fully experience the present moment and invites
children to sense, explore, and befriend all of their feelings with acceptance and equanimity.

TODAY I FEEL SILLY & OTHER MOODS THAT MAKE MY DAY

Jamie Lee Curtis’s zany and touching verse, paired with Laura Cornell’s whimsical and original
illustrations, helps kids explore, identify, and, even have fun with their ever-changing moods. Silly,
cranky, excited, or sad—everyone has moods that can change each day. And that’s okay! Follow the
boisterous, bouncing protagonist as she explores her moods and how they change from day to day.

BEAUTIFUL OOPS
A spill. A smear. A smudge. A tear. When you think you have made a mistake, think of it as an
opportunity to make something beautiful! A life lesson that all parents want their children to learn:
It’s OK to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a
portal of discovery. A spill doesn’t ruin a drawing—not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal.
And an accidental tear in your paper? Don’t be upset about it when you can turn it into the roaring
mouth of an alligator.

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HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?
We all experience emotions and emotions are absolutely fine as long as we know what to do with
them. Feelings arrive effortlessly enough but deciding what to do with them when they turn isn’t so
easy – especially when you are a child. Cue: this book! It provides children with several straightforward,
entertaining and appropriate interactive ideas to help them deal with a selection of significant emotions.
This is a great dip-in book where children can choose a feeling that relates to them and then turn to the
page that provides child-friendly strategies for dealing with that feeling.

LITTLE YOU
Celebrates the potential of every child.

Suggested Mentor Texts and Guides

BEAUTIFUL OOPS

Before Reading:

Talk about the meaning of the word ‘oops’.

Think aloud: When I say ‘oops’, what do you think of?

Ask students “Have you ever made an oops?”

Notice the title. How can an oops be a beautiful thing? When I think of an oops,
I think of a mistake, an error. Do you think an oops can ever be a good thing?

Can we turn an oops around?

During Reading:

Read the entire text. Owing to the tactile nature of the text, you may wish to have
students interact with the text features.

After Reading:

Ask students, “What do you think the author is trying to teach us about mistakes?”

Art Activity

• Tell students they are going to create their own beautiful “oops”.
• Have students cut their page on the solid grey lines so they have 4 pieces of paper with images
on them.
• Now they are to create their own works of art using the “oops” to create a picture.
• Glue the 4 pieces of art onto a piece of construction paper
• Hang up for all to admire!

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TODAY I FEEL SILLY, VISITING FEELINGS, HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?

Before Reading (all texts):

Ask students “What are feelings? Have you ever felt that your feelings can be your friends? How do you
think our feelings influence our behaviour?” Turn and talk. Now say “This book shows us that feelings
are neither good nor bad. Like a visitor, they come and go. If we treat our feelings as a friend talking to
us, we can learn about ourselves and the world around us.”

During Reading:

FOR “TODAY I FEEL SILLY”

1. Ask students to verbalize different feelings they have today. Ask them if it is normal to have more
than one feeling in a day.

2. Read aloud Today I Feel Silly and pause at each illustration to ask the students what they think the
feeling is before reading the passage.

3. After reading each passage, pause to ask students when they have felt this way to share with the
group or class.

4. Ask the students about the body language and surroundings of the little girl and why they think she
looks that way. (e.g. If she is draped over her bed upside down with a frown on her face, I don’t think
she’s too happy!)

5. After some passages, ask students to show you what the feeling face looks like on their own face.
Make the face yourself if they have trouble.

FOR “VISITING FEELINGS”

1. On the page that ends, “Look at that feeling with wide-open eyes,” ask students, “How can we
look at feelings with wide-open eyes?” What do you think that means? Are feelings visible?
Can we see feelings?”

2. After reading the page, “Is it light as a cloud, floating on air?” ask, “What might be considered a light
feeling? What might be considered a heavy feeling?”

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FOR “HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?”

1. What do you predict will happen in this story?

2. What does the front cover of this book tell you about the story?

After Reading (all texts):

• What is the author’s message in this text?

• What connections did you make to the story? Or did you make any additional connections
to the story?
• Why do you think I read this story to you if our topic is focused on healthy living?

Art Activity for stories

• Create a list of feelings with students on chart paper/white board.

• Have them choose 3 positive and 3 negative feelings that they want to represent on their
feelings wheel.
• Students use lines and colour to represent that feeling in the section of the wheel. (See
example). Encourage students to use the different types of lines anchor chart. Students need
to label each section.

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REACTION POSSIBLE OUTCOME(S)

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Minds On
What can you see going on in the picture? How is everyone feeling?

Activity sheet 2 – School Playground

What can you see going on in the picture? How is everyone feeling?

© Sainsbuy Centre for mental Health 2005. Designed by Annie Tidyman.

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First Day of School
Feelings Thoughts

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“Beautiful Oops”

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Feelings Wheel

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Examples of types of line

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Feelings Flashcards
These feelings flashcards were created to accompany Lesson 2 – Body & Brain Responses, but they can be
used in a variety of ways. Here are some additional suggested uses that are suitable for a variety of grades:

• Create a match game. When students find a match they name the emotion.
• Use for a check-in. Students select the emoji that they resonate with at that moment.
• Co-create labels for each of the flash cards. Decide, (as a class, or in small groups, or as individual
students), what feelings each of the emojis represent. Use the blank cards provided to have
students create their own emoji.
• Use them for a role play situation. Present students with an ‘imaginary text message’ and ask them
which emoji would be most appropriate to include.

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Feelings Flashcards

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Feelings Flashcards

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Feelings Flashcards

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Feelings Flashcards

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