Home›Lesson Plans›The Arts›Theater · Grade 2

Show a Feeling

Second graders learn how actors show feelings with their face and body — a big smile for happy, a droopy frown for sad — so they can act out emotions without saying a word.

Grade 2Acting30 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Show a feeling.
  • ✓Use your face & body.
  • ✓Match feelings to actions.
  • ✓Act a feeling.
Essential Question

Actors can show how a character feels using just their face and body — no words needed! How do you show a feeling when you act?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Feeling to How to Show It

Project this and match each feeling to how you would show it — tap a feeling, then tap how to show it.

🎭 Match each feeling to how to show itTry it
Feeling
How to Show It
Now tap how to show it!
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Play · Perform · Reflect)

30 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — No Words Needed

4 min

Actors show feelings with face and body — no words! How?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a feeling silently.
  • Ask what it was.
  • Warm up faces.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Guess.
  • Notice.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Explore Feelings

8 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Match the Feeling.
  • Match each one.
  • Try the faces.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Try faces.
  • Explain.
3

Play — Play

9 min

Children play.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Act out each feeling.
  • Use face and body.
  • Make big faces.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Act them.
  • Use both.
  • Make faces.
4

Perform — Perform

6 min

Children perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a feeling.
  • Have others guess.
  • Be kind.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Show it.
  • Let them guess.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

3 min

Children close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a way to show sad.
  • Show a feeling.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Show it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Theatre).

NCAS
TH:Pr5.1.2

Use face and body to show feelings.

NCAS
TH:Cr1.1.2

Imagine a character’s feelings.

NCAS
TH:Pr4.1.2

Act out an emotion.

NCAS
TH:Re7.1.2

Recognize feelings in a performance.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Feeling + action cards.
  • Sentence frame: “To look ___, I ___.”
  • Use a mirror.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with happy and sad.
  • Use a mirror.
  • Show one feeling.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Show a feeling changing.
  • Act a feeling in a scene.
  • Guess feelings from faces.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🪞Mirrors
  • 💻Match the Feeling
  • 🎭A pretend stage
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

feelingan emotionhappya glad feelingsadan unhappy feelingscareda frightened feelingangrya mad feelingfaceshows how you feelbodyhelps show feelingsshowto act it out
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How can you show that a character is happy?
Smile big and jump with joy.
QUESTION 2
How can you show that a character is sad?
Frown and let your shoulders droop.
QUESTION 3
Do actors need words to show a feeling?
No — they can show it with their face and body.

Reflect: show a feeling.

Have children show a feeling with their face and body for a family member to guess. A printable feelings sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Show a FeelingFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Show a FeelingQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Show a FeelingPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: angry, body, face, feeling, happy, sad, scared, show
  1. to act it out
  2. helps show feelings
  3. an unhappy feeling
  4. shows how you feel
  5. a mad feeling
  6. a frightened feeling
  7. a glad feeling
  8. an emotion

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How can you show that a character is happy?
  2. How can you show that a character is sad?
  3. Do actors need words to show a feeling?
Answer key — Part A: 1) show · 2) body · 3) sad · 4) face · 5) angry · 6) scared · 7) happy · 8) feeling
Part B: 1) Smile big and jump with joy. 2) Frown and let your shoulders droop. 3) No — they can show it with their face and body.