lesson plan

University of Nebraska Kearney Teacher Education Unit Plan Summary/Instructional Sequence Template

Name Alexa Sherry Date 03/02/2025

The purpose of this summary is to guide the sequence and pace of skills and knowledge acquisition described in more granular detail by lesson plans. It will help map out the learning journey and destination. It provides a framework from which to teach content in a meaningful, organized fashion. A unit/ instructional sequence is a sequential plan of instruction that integrates skills, concepts, and activities within the context of a theme.

Introduction to Unit

Unit Name: Exploring Emotions and Social Skills Length of Unit (Number of Days): 10 Grade Level: 3 – 4 years old / preschool Content Area: Social Emotional Development

Check the lesson that you want the cooperating/mentor teacher to score and observe: ___1 ___2 ___3 ___4 ___5

Unit Academic Standards OR IEP Goals: If applicable, include cross-curricular standards

Academic Standards (Social-Emotional Development):

Nebraska Early Learning Guidelines (ELG) – Social-Emotional Development:

o Standard SE.01: Develops self-awareness and recognizes personal traits and emotions. o Standard SE.02: Manages emotions with increasing independence, using strategies for emotional regulation. o Standard SE.03: Develops foundational skills to support cooperation and prosocial behavior. o Standard SE.04: Shows interest in, interacts with, and develops personal relationships with others. o Standard SE.05: Develops a sense of belonging to family, community, and other groups.

Unit Learning Objectives 1. Objective 1: Children begin to recognize and describe a wide range of emotions, including primary emotions, with the support of adults

(Social-Emotional Standard SE.02). 2. Objective 2: Children begin to regulate emotions, manage transitions, and adapt to changes in schedules, routines, and situations with adult

support (Social-Emotional Standard SE.02).

3. Objective 3: Children begin to engage in cooperative group play and demonstrate understanding of sharing with peers (Social-Emotional Standard SE.03).

4. Objective 4: Children begin to empathize with others' feelings and show appropriate emotional responses to peers (Social-Emotional Standard SE.03).

5. Objective 5: Children begin to develop close friendships with peers, initiate conversations, and engage in sustained cooperative play (Social-Emotional Standard SE.04).

Unit Assessment/Evidence

Pre-Assessment Attach or describe the pre-assessment instrument.

Observational Checklist

Summative Assessment Attach or describe the summative assessment instrument.

Anecdotal Records / Observation Notes

Explain how the pre-assessment will be used to inform progression and instructional decisions.

Prior to the start of the unit, observe children during free play and structured activities to assess their current ability to recognize emotions, engage in cooperative play, and express empathy toward others. Use an observational checklist to note behaviors such as sharing, initiating conversations, using appropriate communication, and demonstrating emotional regulation.

Explain how the summative assessment will produce data/evidence of student achievement of the unit objectives.

At the end of the unit, document each child's progress through anecdotal records based on direct observations. Focus on how children demonstrate social-emotional skills such as empathy, cooperative play, and emotional regulation in natural settings like free play, group activities, and interactions with peers and adults. Record specific examples where children use words to express emotions, resolve conflicts, or show concern for others.

Instructional Sequence

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Sequence of Learning Objectives

List the learning objectives for each lesson. Objectives should be aligned with the unit outcomes. Objectives should demonstrate logical progression & sequence.

Children will begin to identify and label emotions (e.g., happy, sad, angry) in themselves and others.

Children will begin to demonstrate empathy by responding appropriately to the emotions of others.

Children will begin to use words to express their emotions in appropriate ways.

Explanation/Justification

Explain and justify the sequential connectivity of the learning objectives across all lessons.

Lesson 1 - This objective lays the foundation for emotional awareness, which is critical for social-emotional learning. Understanding and identifying emotions is the first step in managing them and recognizing them in others. In this lesson, children are introduced to basic emotions, which will help them develop a vocabulary for emotional expression and begin to recognize emotional cues in themselves and others. This skill is essential for later lessons, as it supports the development of empathy and conflict resolution strategies.

Lesson 2 - In this lesson, children start applying the emotional vocabulary they learned in Lesson 1 to respond

to others' feelings with empathy. Being able to recognize others' emotions and respond with care is foundational for building positive social relationships and conflict resolution skills. This lesson follows naturally from identifying emotions, as it pushes children to understand how others might feel and begin to show appropriate empathy.

Lesson 3 - This lesson focuses on helping children develop the ability to express their emotions verbally rather than through physical actions. This objective is a critical step for building emotional regulation skills and fostering healthy communication between peers. It also supports conflict resolution, as children will learn how to express frustration, anger, or excitement in words instead of using physical behavior.

Lesson 4 - This lesson helps children learn strategies for managing their emotions independently, a key aspect of emotional development. Techniques such as deep breathing, counting, or taking a break will be introduced to help children manage frustration or anger. This objective builds on the previous lesson, where children learned to express emotions. Now, they need strategies for managing those emotions when they arise.

Lesson 5 - This lesson focuses on applying the skills of emotion recognition, empathy, and self-regulation to resolve conflicts. By using appropriate verbal skills and managing their emotions, children can solve disagreements peacefully and constructively. This final lesson builds on all previous lessons, as children are now ready to handle social situations with greater emotional intelligence.

Sequence of Instructional Strategies

Summarize the instructional strategies/best practices used in each lesson. Include a wide variety of research- based strategies that use several modes of learning.

Modeling: The teacher will demonstrate how to label emotions using facial expressions and scenarios. Interactive Read-Aloud: Reading a book about emotions will provide children with examples of emotional expressions in different contexts. Group Discussion: Children will have the opportunity to express their own emotions and label them using visuals of faces showing different emotions.

Role-Playing: Children will engage in role-playing activities where they practice responding to peers’ emotions Emotion Charades: Children will act out different emotions and the class will discuss how to appropriately respond to each emotion. Empathy Stories: The teacher will share stories where characters show empathy, followed by a discussion on how to be kind and supportive in similar situations.

Emotion Journals: Children will draw or verbally describe their feelings in a journal, supported by teachers or aides. Feeling Faces Chart: Using a chart with faces representing different emotions, children will point to the face that matches how they feel. Guided Group Conversation: Children will be encouraged to share their emotions with the group, guided by the teacher, who will model appropriate emotional expression.

Explanation/Justification

Justify why specific instructional strategies were used and how these strategies support the learning objectives

Lesson 1- Modeling is important because it demonstrates the concept and provides a clear example for children to follow. Interactive Read-Aloud supports the development of listening skills and comprehension,

across all lessons. while also reinforcing emotional vocabulary. Group Discussion encourages social interaction and allows children to practice recognizing and labeling emotions in themselves and peers.

Lesson 2 - Role-Playing allows children to practice empathetic behaviors in a controlled, supportive environment, making abstract concepts more concrete. Emotion Charades encourages nonverbal communication and helps children think critically about how to respond to emotions. Empathy Stories offer real-world examples that children can relate to and learn from, encouraging prosocial behaviors.

Lesson 3 - Emotion Journals give children a structured way to express and reflect on their emotions, reinforcing emotional vocabulary and self-expression. Feeling Faces Chart provides a visual aid to help children match words to feelings. Guided Group Conversation fosters verbal expression and social interaction, which is essential for emotional development.

Lesson 4 - Modeling teaches children how to apply self-regulation techniques, providing an example they can imitate. Self-Regulation Practice gives children the opportunity to apply what they've learned in a real situation, reinforcing the skill. Calming Corner supports the practice of self-regulation by giving children a safe space to calm down and manage their emotions independently.

Lesson 5 - Role-Play allows children to practice real-life scenarios in a controlled, supportive setting. Group Discussion fosters collaboration and gives children the opportunity to share their ideas and strategies with their peers. Peaceful Problem-Solving Tools provide children with tangible tools for resolving conflicts independently.

Formative Assessments

List a variety of formative assessments implemented across all lessons, that allow students multiple ways to demonstrate knowledge and skills. Assessments should be aligned to the learning objectives.

Observation of children’s ability to label emotions: The teacher will observe whether children can identify and label emotions in themselves and others. Emotion Matching Activity: Children will match emotion cards (happy, sad, angry) to pictures of faces displaying those emotions.

Observation of children’s responses in role-playing: Teachers will observe whether children show appropriate empathy during the role-playing activity. Reflection on empathy stories: After the empathy stories, children will be asked to share how they would respond to a similar situation.

Observation of children’s ability to use words to express emotions during journal time and group conversation. Review of journal entries to assess the use of emotion vocabulary.

Explanation/Justification

Describe how formative assessments are designed to collect evidence of student achievement of the learning objectives in

Lesson 1 - The observation provides immediate feedback on each child’s ability to recognize and understand emotions. The emotion matching activity is a hands-on way for children to demonstrate their understanding of emotions through visual recognition.

multiple ways across all lessons. Lesson 2 - The role-playing observation allows the teacher to assess how well children apply empathy in practice. Reflection after reading empathy stories helps children internalize the behaviors by connecting them to real-world scenarios.

Lesson 3 - The observations during activities provide real-time data on whether children are able to verbalize their emotions. Journal reviews allow the teacher to assess children’s progress in expressing themselves independently.

Lesson 4 - The observations allow the teacher to assess how well children apply self-regulation techniques in real-time. The reflection on the calming corner helps assess whether children are developing the ability to use these techniques independently.

Lesson 5 - The observations provide insight into whether children can apply conflict resolution strategies independently. The review of strategies helps ensure children are using effective approaches to manage and resolve conflicts.

Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Sequence of Learning Objectives

List the learning objectives for each lesson. Objectives should be aligned with the unit outcomes. Objectives should demonstrate logical progression & sequence.

Children will begin to use self-regulation techniques to manage their emotions.

Children will demonstrate conflict resolution skills by using words and appropriate behavior to solve disagreements.

Sequence of Instructional Strategies

Summarize the instructional strategies/best practices used in each lesson. Include a wide variety of research- based strategies that use several modes of learning.

Modeling Self-Regulation Techniques: The teacher will model strategies like deep breathing and counting to calm down. Self-Regulation Practice: Children will practice self-regulation techniques during structured activities, such as calming down after a disagreement or frustration. Calming Corner: A designated space in the classroom will be set up with calming activities and tools (e.g., stress balls, breathing charts) for children to use when they need a break.

Conflict Resolution Role-Play: Children will practice solving conflicts using verbal communication and problem-solving strategies (e.g., asking for a turn, using kind words). Group Discussion on Solving Problems: The class will discuss different strategies for resolving conflicts and brainstorm ways to handle disagreements. Peaceful Problem-Solving Tools: The teacher will introduce tools like "I feel..." statements to help children communicate effectively during conflicts.

Formative Assessments

List a variety of formative assessments implemented across all lessons, that allow students multiple ways to demonstrate knowledge and skills. Assessments are aligned to the learning objectives.

Observation of children using self-regulation techniques during structured activities and independent play.

Reflection on use of calming corner: Children will be asked about their experience using the calming corner and whether it helped them manage their emotions.

Observation of children using conflict resolution strategies during role-play and group discussions.

Review of problem-solving strategies: Children will be observed as they use strategies to resolve conflicts, and feedback will be given.