Duration: 20 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Empathy
- Emotional awareness, regulation and communication
Brief Description:
In this stage, students rehearse their chosen emotional scenario using the robot they designed. One student plays the role of the child in need, another controls the robot’s actions and responses, while the rest of the team supports the scene. The focus is on demonstrating how the robot reacts empathetically to the emotion.
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
- Students simulate real-life situations where empathy is needed
- They must recognize and respond to emotional cues
- They practice offering support and comfort using their robot as a tool.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
- Students will demonstrate their understanding of emotional needs through acting and interaction
- They will apply their robot design to support someone empathetically
- Students gain confidence in expressing and responding to emotions in a safe setting.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
- Drama and role-play for emotional literacy
- Application of design thinking to real-life scenarios
- Reinforcement of IF–THEN logic through live demonstration.
Materials and tools needed for implementation
- Robot prototype
- Emotion scenario card
- (Optional) simple props or costume pieces to support role-play
Preparation notes
- Remind students that role-play is about trying out ideas, not about acting perfectly
- Encourage kindness and sensitivity during scenes
- Support shy students by allowing them to choose less exposed roles (e.g., narrator or robot operator).
Guided Questions
- ow does your robot help the person in this situation?
- How did it feel to act out that emotion?
- What did you notice about your partner’s reaction?
- Did the robot do something that would actually help in real life?
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- Was the robot’s response clear to the audience?
- How did your team work together to bring empathy to life?
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Some students may feel embarrassed – create a warm, encouraging environment
- Keep scenes short and focused to maintain engagement
- If needed, model a simple role-play first with the whole class.