Every Child is Special - Social and Emotional Learning Part B - Unit 1

In this unit, students begin their social and emotional learning journey by developing greater self-awareness and learning how to recognise and respond to emotions of others. Through a focus on emotional vocabulary and shared experiences, students explore what makes them unique and how to build positive relationships with those around them. 

Each lesson invites students to connect personally with the concepts of feelings, identity, and belonging. They learn to name and describe their emotions, identify their own strengths and preferences, and recognise that others have feelings, likes and dislikes too. Key concepts such as inclusion, kindness empathy and reflection are introduced in age-appropriate and engaging ways.  

Students are supported to identify body cues and emotional triggers, practise recognising emotions in themselves and others, and learn simple strategies for expressing feelings and showing care. The unit culminates with a reflective review that helps students consolidate their learning and celebrate their growing self-awareness. 

• Name how you are feeling using words like happy, sad, mad, or scared.  
• Share something you like and talk about something you are good at. 
• Understand what makes someone feel left out and how you can help them feel included.   
• Notice how your friends are feeling by what you see or hear. 
• Say something kind to make others feel happy. 
• Notice how your body feels when you’re happy, sad, or mad.
 
• Identify things that make you feel happy or sad and practise responding to those feelings. 
• Be brave and try something new, even if you feel a bit nervous. 
• Talk about your feelings.   

Lessons

• 9 lessons 

Resources

• Teaching Guide
• Student Workbook 
• Posters/Resources-  
  • My Gauge Poster: Helps students understand that their feelings can change 
  • Student Reflections: Optional activity that can be used to have students reflect on certain emotions 

Optional Summative Assessment 

In this unit, students deepen their self-awareness and begin to explore the experiences, feelings and perspectives of others. This unit builds on early emotional understanding and introduces key concepts such as identity, belonging, interests, emotional triggers and inclusion. 

Through purposeful dialogue, reflection and playful activities, students practise identifying what they like, what makes them feel safe and how they experience a range of emotions. Students also begin to recognise how others might feel differently and what actions help others feel included and valued. 

Body language, physical cues and vocabulary for more complex feelings, such as frustration or tiredness, are introduced to help students build emotional literacy and develop strategies for understanding and naming their emotional experiences. By the end of the unit, students reflect on their own identity and feelings and how these shape their behaviour and relationships. 

• Talk about ways you feel like you belong at school and in your class. 
• Share your interests and learn that everyone has different likes. 
• Think about places, people or things that help you feel safe and calm. 
• Learn how your actions can make others feel welcome and included. 
• Name your feelings and explain what caused them. 
• Recognise feelings by looking at body language and facial expressions. 
• Reflect on what helps you feel calm, focused and ready to learn. 
• Learn to use words like frustrated and tired to describe how you feel and practise ways to reset.
• Think about your feelings and what you’ve learned about yourself. 

Lessons

• 9 lessons

Resources

• Teaching Guide
• Student Workbook
• Posters/Resources:  
  • My Gauge Poster: Helps students understand that their feelings can change. 
  • Student Reflections: Optional activity that can be used to have students reflect on certain emotions. 

Optional Summative Assessment 

In this unit, students expand their emotional vocabulary and deepen their understanding of self and others. The unit supports the development of emotional intelligence by helping students recognise complex emotions, explore personal values and reflect on how identity shapes experiences and relationships. 

Students explore what kindness looks like in action, how emotions can differ between people and how inclusion and exclusion affect others. Lessons provide opportunities to identify what makes students feel proud, disappointed, confused or worried, and how those emotions connect to deeper personal triggers and values. With increasing maturity, students learn to name and reflect on these emotional experiences with clarity and confidence. 

The unit also encourages students to recognise their own strengths and consider how understanding their identity can help them relate better to others. Interactive games and reflective activities help students practise empathy, perspective-taking and respectful communication in real-life scenarios. 

• Explore how kindness can look, sound and feel in real-life situations.   
• Learn how to notice and understand other people’s feelings.   
• Learn how inclusion and exclusion can make people feel.   
• Learn to recognise what makes you feel proud and why.   
• Explore what makes you feel disappointed and how to respond calmly.   
• Learn how to name and manage feelings like worry and confusion.  
• Learn to identify what triggers strong emotions and how to respond to them.   
• Learn how to recognise your personal strengths and how they help you.   
• Review what you’ve learned about emotions, identity and empathy.  

Lessons

• 9 lessons

Resources

• Teaching Guide
• Student Workbook
• Posters/Resources: 
  • My Gauge Poster: Helps students understand that their feelings can change. 
  • Student Reflections: Optional activity that can be used to have students reflect on certain emotions. 

Optional Summative Assessment 

In this unit, students develop deeper insight into their own identity, values and emotions while learning to consider the perspectives of others. This unit invites students to reflect on how emotions influence their behaviour, how they view themselves and how others might perceive them. The unit supports emotional literacy by helping students identify and name more complex emotions such as shame, nervousness and guilt. Students explore the relationship between emotions and actions, learning how self-awareness can shape more thoughtful responses in social situations. They examine how their strengths, values and personal experiences contribute to their sense of self and influence how they relate to others. Lessons also focus on recognising when they feel overwhelmed, using body cues to understand emotional signals and practising strategies for regulation and reflection. Through structured discussion, interactive activities and games, students are encouraged to think critically, act with empathy and stand for what they believe in. 

• Learn how emotions influence your behaviour and the choices you make.  
• Earn how emotions influence your behaviour and the choices you make.  
• Learn to consider how others might see or interpret your words and actions.  
• Learn to name complex emotions like nervousness or shame and practise managing them.  
• Learn to identify your personal strengths and what helps you feel confident.   
• Learn to recognise when you feel overwhelmed and use strategies to reset.   
• Explore the feeling of guilt and how to repair relationships when you’ve done wrong.   
• Reflect on your personal values and how they guide your actions.   
• Review what you’ve learned about your identity, emotions, and how you relate to others.  

Lessons

• 10 lessons 

Resources

• Teaching Guide
• Student Workbook
• Three fact sheets about big issues in the world today: Food for Tomorrow, Saving Species, Water for Everyone  

   

Optional Summative Assessment