Duration: 15-20 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Empathy
- Emotional awareness, regulation and communication
Brief Description:
Based on the scenario discussed in the previous stage, students work in groups to plan how their robot should respond to different emotional states. Using simple IF–THEN logic, they match feelings with caring, appropriate responses. These ideas will later guide the robot’s design and presentation.
Example:
- IF a classmate is sad → THEN robot offers comforting words and glows soft blue
- IF someone is angry → THEN robot plays relaxing sounds
- IF a child is afraid → THEN robot says, “You’re not alone” and displays a calming animation
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
- Children explore how to respond sensitively and appropriately to others’ emotions
- They practice imagining what kind of support someone in distress might need
- They create caring and meaningful responses through structured logic.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
- Students learn to match emotions with helpful behaviours
- Students develop greater awareness of how words, tone, and gestures can support others
- Students connect abstract emotional knowledge with concrete actions
- Students gain confidence in expressing empathy in clear, structured ways.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
- Introduction to logical thinking and decision making (IF–THEN structure)
- Social and emotional learning (SEL)
- Oral and written communication.
Materials and tools needed for implementation
- Emotion Scenario Card (from previous stage)
- IF–THEN planning worksheet or blank paper
- Pens, markers, optional logic flow templates
Preparation notes
- Prepare a few examples of IF–THEN statements to model for the class
- Encourage diversity in responses (emotions can have more than one possible supportive action)
- Reinforce that all ideas are welcome, as long as they show care and understanding.
Guided Questions
- What would a caring friend do in this situation?
- How could your robot show kindness or support?
- What could help this person feel better, safer, or calmer?
- What would YOU want someone to do if you felt this way?
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- Did you find some emotions harder to respond to than others?
- How did your group decide on the best robot action for each feeling?
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Some children may suggest “funny” or silly robot responses — guide them to think about the needs of the person in the scenario
- Offer emotion word banks and example responses for students who struggle with vocabulary
- Support students in combining kindness with creativity — there is no one right answer.