Face Detective Lesson PlanFace Detective Game Official Lesson Plan Why This Matters Understanding facial expressions is a crucial social-emotional skill. This lesson helps young students build empathy and better navigate their interactions with others by recognizing and interpreting non-verbal cues. Objective Students will use facial cues to correctly identify classmates’ displayed emotions in at least three out of four trials. 30 Minutes Kindergarten Classroom (Tier 1) Preparation Review lesson plan and slide deck. Print Emotion cards/instructions. Ensure projector is ready. Prepare journal sheets for cool-down. Materials Checklist Guess That Face Slides Mirror Faces Starter Guide Emotion Magnifying Glasses Feelings Journal Sketch Sheets Instructional Sequence 01 Mirror Warm-Up 5 MIN Begin with the Mirror Faces Starter. Students sit in a circle. Call out an emotion (happy, sad, surprised, angry) and have students "mirror" it. Encourage them to look at their own reflections or a classmate's to observe facial feature changes. 02 Model Detective Thinking 5 MIN Introduce the concept of "Face Detectives" using the Guess That Face Slides. Model how to look for clues: "When someone is happy, I see their mouth curves up, and their eyes crinkle a little." 03 Guess That Face Game 15 MIN Explain the Emotion Magnifying Glasses game. Students pair up. One student (Expresser) silently shows an emotion; the other (Detective) uses an imaginary magnifying glass to observe and guess. Switch roles after each round. ⭐ Group Debrief & Cool-Down Wrap Up Gather for a debrief: "What were some good clues you saw?" Emphasize that observing helps us understand each other. Optional: Hand out the Feelings Journal Sketch for students to draw an emotion they felt or observed.
Guess That Face SlidesTop Secret Mission Welcome, Face Detectives! Are you ready to use your super observation skills? Mirror Faces Warm-Up Let's make some silly faces! 😊 Happy! 😢 Sad! 😲 Surprised! 😠 Angry! What's a Face Detective? A Face Detective looks for CLUES on faces to guess how someone is feeling! Check the eyes Check the mouth 🕵️ Detecting Happiness 😄 How do we know someone is HAPPY? Mouth curves up in a smile! Eyes crinkle at the corners! Cheeks lift up high! Detecting Sadness 😢 How do we know someone is SAD? Mouth turns down (frown)! Eyebrows droop or tilt up! Maybe tears in the eyes! Time to Play: Guess That Face! 1 Find a partner or small group. 2 One person shows an emotion (no talking!). 3 The detective guesses the emotion. 4 Switch roles and try again! Detective Reminders Look closely at these clue spots: EYES Wide, squinty, or watery? MOUTH Smiling, frowning, or open? BROWS Up, down, or crinkly? Detective Debrief Was it easy or hard to guess emotions? What clues helped you the most? Case Closed! Draw an emotion face you saw or felt today in your Feelings Journal. ✏️ 🎨 📓
Mirror Faces Starter GuideActivity 01 Mirror Faces Starter Face Detective Training Manual Mission Objective To get students thinking about and physically expressing different emotions through facial cues. Setup Gather students in a circle or have them sit at desks. No special equipment needed, though mirrors are a plus! Training Steps 1 Explain that the class will play a game where they become "emotion mirrors." Tell students: "I'm going to call out an emotion, and I want you to make that face with your own face! Try to show exactly how that emotion looks." 2 Call out emotions one by one, pausing for students to make the face. Encourage them to look at their own reflections (if they have mirrors) or at a friend's face. Happy! Observe smiles, crinkly eyes Sad! Observe downturned mouths, droopy brows Surprised! Observe wide eyes, open mouths Angry! Observe furrowed brows, tight lips 3 Guided Reflection: After each emotion, ask quick questions: "What did your mouth do when you were happy?" or "What happened to your eyebrows when you were angry?" Detective Transition "Great job, emotion mirrors! You've just used your amazing observation skills to show feelings with your faces. Now, let's learn how to be emotion detectives!"
Emotion Magnifying Glasses ProtocolMain Mission Protocol Game Instructions: Guess That Face! Mission Duration 15 MINUTES Mission Objective Students will practice identifying emotions in their peers by observing facial cues through their "magnifying glasses." Investigation Gear Imaginary or real magnifying glasses Emotion Clue Cards (provided) Investigation Steps Demonstrate (3 Min) Model with a student volunteer. The volunteer makes a face, and the teacher acts as the detective, using a magnifying glass to look at the eyes, mouth, and eyebrows. Confirm the guess and the clues seen. Partner Up (1 Min) Assign partners. One is the "Emotion Expresser," the other is the "Face Detective." Game Play (8-10 Min) Round 1: Expresser silently shows an emotion. Detective observes carefully and guesses. Expresser confirms or gives a hint (e.g., "I feel this when I'm at the park!"). Round 2 & Beyond: Switch roles. Encourage more complex emotions once they master the basics. Teacher circulates to help guide observations. Extra Support Provide Picture Cards for the Expresser. Give Detectives a Word Choice List. Ask specific questions: "Are their eyes open wide or narrow?" Added Challenge Try nuanced emotions like Confused or Proud. Require Detectives to cite at least two facial "clues" to justify their guess.
Feelings Journal Sketch ActivityDetective Name: Mission Date: My Feelings Journal Case Assignment Draw a face showing an emotion you saw or felt today! Use clues like the eyes, mouth, and eyebrows. Sketch Your Evidence Here The emotion I drew is... The clues I drew are... Case Closed
Detective Detail CardsDetective Detail Cards Cut along the dotted lines for game play 😊 Happy Clues: Smile, Crinkly Eyes 😢 Sad Clues: Frown, Droopy Brows 😲 Surprised Clues: Wide Eyes, Open Mouth 😠 Angry Clues: Furrowed Brows, Tight Lips 😨 Scared Clues: Big Eyes, Shaky Mouth 😌 Proud Clues: Chin Up, Small Smile Official Face Detective Evidence Cards
