Zones Blueprint Teacher Guide Zones One-to-One Blueprint
Tier 3 Individual Support • 5th Grade
Duration: 30 Minutes
The Why
Building self-awareness of emotions helps students recognize and regulate their feelings independently, boosting emotional resilience and classroom engagement.
Objective
"Guide a 5th grader to identify their current regulation zone using color-coded visuals and self-assessment, and record it with a personalized tracker."
Preparation (5 Minutes)
Print one copy of the My Current Zone Tracker worksheet.
Open Feelings Color Wheel Slides in presentation mode.
Review the flow and questions in the Guided Self-Reflection Dialogue .
Arrange a quiet, comfortable workspace free of distractions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1
5 MIN
Introduction & Rapport Building
Greet the student and explain today's goal: to explore feelings and identify their regulation zone.
Briefly describe the four Zones of Regulation (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red).
Set a positive, supportive tone and invite any initial questions.
2
10 MIN
Explore Zones with Visuals
Display the Feelings Color Wheel Slides .
Ask the student to scan the wheel and point to emotions they recognize feeling today.
Discuss each selected emotion: What does it feel like in your body? When do you notice it?
Help the student map each emotion to its corresponding zone color.
3
10 MIN
Guided Self-Reflection
Introduce the Guided Self-Reflection Dialogue .
Read aloud and discuss each key question:
• “What am I feeling right now?”
• “Which color on the wheel best matches my feeling?”
• “How intense is this feeling on a scale of 1–5?”
Have the student complete the My Current Zone Tracker .
4
5 MIN
Strategy Planning & Wrap-Up
Collaboratively choose one or two coping strategies suitable for the student’s current zone.
Record selected strategies on the tracker (e.g., deep breathing, movement break).
Review how and when to use these strategies.
Praise the student’s self-awareness and confirm next steps for practice.
Feelings Color Wheel Slides Welcome to the Feelings Color Wheel
Today, we’ll use a color wheel filled with emotions to help us notice how we’re feeling and which "zone" we’re in.
Teacher Note:
Welcome the student and set a positive tone. Explain that today you’ll explore a fun tool called the Feelings Color Wheel to help us notice and name our emotions.
Zones of Regulation Overview
Blue Zone
Low energy (sad, tired, bored, sick)
Green Zone
Calm & ready (happy, focused, proud)
Yellow Zone
A bit off (anxious, worried, silly, excited)
Red Zone
Very intense (angry, out of control, terrified)
Think about: Which one have you been in today?
The Feelings Color Wheel
SAD
WORRIED
HAPPY
ANGRY
Take a look at all the words. Notice which ones you know and which ones feel new.
"Every feeling is okay. We just want to notice them!"
Spot Your Feelings
1
Scan the wheel with your finger.
2
Point to any feelings you’ve had today.
3
Tell me more about one feeling you picked.
Mapping Emotions to Zones
Blue Zone
"sad," "tired"
Green Zone
"happy," "calm"
Yellow Zone
"worried," "excited"
Red Zone
"angry," "out of control"
Ready to find your zone?
We’ll use questions to reflect on how you feel right now and record it on your tracker.
Let's start the Self-Reflection!
Guided Self-Reflection Script Guided Self-Reflection
One-on-One Scripted Dialogue
Tier 3 Support
Below is a word-for-word script to help you guide the student through self-reflecting on their current zone. Read each prompt exactly, allow wait time, then use the follow-up questions if the student needs more support.
Step 1
Set Up & Explain
Teacher: “Okay, let’s take a quiet moment and check in with how you’re feeling right now. I’ll ask you a few questions, and you can share as much as you like. There’s no right or wrong answer—just what’s true for you.”
Pause, smile, and nod.
Step 2
What Am I Feeling Right Now?
Teacher: “First question: What am I feeling right now?”
Wait 10–15 seconds.
Follow-up if needed:
“Can you use one word to name that feeling?”
“What does that feeling word mean to you?”
“Have you felt that way before? When?”
Step 3
Which Color on the Wheel?
Teacher: “Great. Now, look at our Feelings Color Wheel. Which color best matches that feeling you named?”
Pause as the student points.
Follow-up if needed:
“Remember: Blue is low energy, Green is calm and ready, Yellow is a bit off-kilter, and Red is very intense. Which one feels right?”
“Show me on the wheel where that color is.”
Step 4
How Intense Is It?
Teacher: “Okay, last question for right now—how strong is this feeling on a scale of 1 to 5? 1 means super calm, and 5 means really intense.”
Wait 10 seconds.
Follow-up if needed:
“What number feels right?”
“What does a 4 feel like in your body?”
“Where can you feel this feeling—your heart, your tummy, your shoulders?”
Step 5
Record on Your Tracker
Teacher: “You did awesome! Now let’s fill in your My Current Zone Tracker.”
“Color in the zone you chose.”
“Write the feeling word and your number from 1–5.”
“Under ‘Trigger or Situation,’ jot down what was happening right before you felt this way.”
Offer help reading or spelling as needed.
Wrap-Up Prompt
“Thank you for sharing and recording that. In our next step, we’ll choose one or two ways you can help yourself when you notice these feelings. But for now, give yourself a quick pat on the back—you did great self-reflecting!”
My Current Zone Tracker Worksheet My Current Zone Tracker
Let's check in with how you're feeling right now.
Name:
Date:
1. Circle the zone you are in right now:
Blue Zone
Low energy: sad, tired, bored
Green Zone
Calm, focused, ready, happy
Yellow Zone
Off-kilter: anxious, excited
Red Zone
Intense: angry, out of control
2. My Feeling Word:
3. Intensity of Feeling:
Calm
1
2
3
4
5
Intense
4. Trigger or Situation:
What was happening right before I felt this way?
5. Coping Strategy I will use:
Examples: Deep breathing, movement break, positive self-talk, drink of water.
6. Additional Notes or Ideas: 
