Activity 01
Emotion Component Sort
Provide students with cards listing various emotional phenomena (e.g., 'heart pounding', 'thinking I am in danger', 'screaming', 'feeling joyful'). In small groups, they must sort these cards into three categories: Physiological Arousal, Subjective Experience, and Expressive Behaviour.
Identify the three key components of an emotional experience.
Facilitation TipCirculate among groups to clarify any ambiguities and prompt discussion about why a card belongs in a certain category.
What to look forExit Ticket: Give students a one-paragraph scenario (e.g., 'Rohan saw his exam results and his jaw dropped'). Ask them to list one potential physiological, subjective, and behavioural component of Rohan's emotion.
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Activity 02
My Emotional Response Journal
For one day, students note down two significant emotional events they experience. For each event, they must write one sentence describing their physical sensations, one for their thoughts, and one for their actions.
Explain the role of the autonomic nervous system in the physiological arousal associated with emotions.
Facilitation TipEmphasise that the journal entries are private and the goal is self-reflection, not judgement.
What to look forShort Answer Question: 'Explain the relationship between motivation and emotion. Provide a real-life example where an emotion acts as a motive and another where a motive leads to an emotion.'
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Activity 03
Silent Movie Analysis
Show a short, dramatic movie clip with the sound muted. Ask students to identify the emotions being portrayed and to list the specific expressive behaviours (facial expressions, body language) that clued them in.
Analyse the relationship between motivation and emotion.
Facilitation TipAfter the activity, play the clip with sound to see how auditory cues add to the emotional experience.
What to look forStudents complete a K-W-L (Know, Want to Know, Learned) chart about the three components of emotion at the beginning and end of the topic to track their own learning.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin with a universally relatable scenario, like the feeling of getting a surprise gift. Ask students to brainstorm all the things that happen in that moment. Group their answers into 'Body Sensations', 'Thoughts/Feelings', and 'Actions' on the board before formally introducing the psychological terms for each component.
After this lesson, students will be able to analyse any emotional situation, from watching a scary movie to feeling happy with friends, by identifying its three core components.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Emotions are just feelings in our head.
Emotions are a complete psycho-physiological process. They involve real, measurable bodily changes (like heart rate and hormone release) and observable behaviours, in addition to the subjective feeling.
You can't control your emotions.
While the initial physiological jolt of an emotion is automatic, we can learn to manage our cognitive interpretation and our behavioural response to that emotion. This is the basis of emotional regulation.
Everyone shows happiness or sadness in the same way.
While some basic facial expressions are universal, cultural norms, known as 'display rules', heavily influence how, when, and where we express our emotions. For example, expressions of grief vary widely across different cultures in India.
Methods used in this brief