Develop Emotional Vocabulary and Foster Empathy in Your Students

You broke your favorite toy.
You lost your tooth.
You won a prize.
You made a new friend.
No one gave you a turn.

How would you feel?

Learning to understand the different emotional responses that people may experience in different situations is the first step toward developing empathy. When we are in sync with our own reactions to various stimuli, our ability to understand the feelings of others increases.

This set of 20 scenario task cards has been created by a dedicated team of educators to support students’ social-emotional learning by allowing them to consider how they would feel in a variety of real-life situations. Students can reflect upon each situation and brainstorm how they might feel should the scenario happen to them.

Multiple Applications for This Emotions Activity

Use these task cards to enhance learning through whole-class lessons, group activities, or independent reflection.

Whole-class Discussion

Display the task cards on your interactive whiteboard. Use guiding questions to promote exploration of each scenario, such as:

• Has anyone ever been in this situation before?
• How did (or would) the situation make you feel?
• How did (or would) you deal with your feelings?

You might like to use a prop that can be passed around to indicate whose turn it is to contribute to the discussion.

Group Drama Activity

Divide the class into small groups. Provide each group with a scenario card. Have the students present a group role play that explores some emotional responses to the situation.

Individual Reflection

Have each student choose a scenario card and write a sentence about how they would feel in that situation.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource.

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access and safekeeping.

This resource was created by Kirsten Sowers, a teacher in Illinois and a Teach Starter collaborator.