Your next great Lessn starts here.

Exploring Character Emotions and Traits – Understanding story characters – Characters are the people or animals in stories. – Defining emotions and traits – Emotions are feelings; traits are personality features. – The role in storytelling – They make characters relatable and stories interesting. – Examples in popular tales – Harry Potter: brave, Hermione: intelligent, Simba: courageous | This slide introduces the concept of character emotions and traits, which are essential for students to understand in order to grasp the depth of storytelling. Emotions are the feelings characters experience, like happiness or sadness, while traits are the distinguishing qualities or characteristics, such as bravery or kindness. Discussing why these aspects are important in storytelling will help students see how they contribute to a character’s actions and the story’s outcome. Use familiar characters from books and movies to illustrate these points, and encourage students to think of other examples. This will set the foundation for deeper analysis of characters in literature and help students improve their own storytelling skills.

Identifying Character Emotions – Understanding emotions – Emotions are feelings we experience. – Examples: Happy, Sad, Angry, Excited – Happy like when you get a surprise gift, sad like losing a toy, angry when someone is unfair, excited for a birthday party. – Clues to characters’ feelings – Look for facial expressions, actions, and words in the story. – Expressing emotions in writing – Use descriptive words to show, not just tell, how characters feel. | This slide introduces students to the concept of emotions and how they are expressed by characters in stories. Begin by explaining what emotions are and how we all experience them daily. Provide relatable examples for each emotion to help students connect with the feelings. Discuss how authors give us clues about a character’s emotions through their actions, dialogue, and situations. Encourage students to think about how they can describe emotions in their own writing, using vivid language to ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’. This will enhance their narrative skills and ability to empathize with characters.

Exploring Character Traits – Understanding character traits – Traits are qualities that describe a character’s personality. – Examples: Brave, Curious, Honest, Sneaky – Brave: facing danger without fear, Curious: eager to learn, Honest: truthful, Sneaky: doing things secretly – Traits influence actions – A brave character might rescue others, while a sneaky one might hide or steal. – Traits shape stories – The traits of characters drive the plot and create a rich story. | In this slide, we introduce the concept of character traits to the students, helping them understand that these are the qualities that define a character’s personality in a story. Provide examples of traits and discuss how they can be identified through a character’s actions and words. Explain that a character’s traits affect how they behave in different situations, which in turn affects the events in the story. Encourage students to think of characters from books they’ve read and identify their traits. This will help them understand the importance of character traits in storytelling and character development.

Show, Don’t Tell: Revealing Emotions – Understanding ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ – It means to describe scenes so readers can see and feel them. – ‘Show’ emotions with details – Use sensory details to express feelings. – Compare ‘showing’ vs. ‘telling’ – ‘Her hands trembled’ shows us she’s nervous without telling. – Practice with examples | This slide introduces the concept of ‘Show, Don’t Tell,’ a technique used in writing to make stories more vivid and engaging. Instead of simply telling readers that a character is experiencing a certain emotion, writers should show this through the character’s actions, words, and body language. For example, instead of saying ‘She was nervous,’ a writer could show this by describing how the character’s hands trembled. Encourage students to think of their own examples and to practice turning ‘telling’ sentences into ‘showing’ descriptions. This will help them become more descriptive writers and improve their storytelling skills.

Describing Characters in Books – Find emotions and traits in familiar characters – Think about how characters in your favorite books feel – Discuss how authors reveal character details – Authors use actions, thoughts, and dialogue to show personality – Read a passage as a class – Choose a vibrant passage with rich character description – Identify descriptive details together – Look for words that tell us what the character is like | This slide is aimed at helping students understand how to identify and describe characters’ emotions and traits in literature. Start by asking students to think of characters from books they’ve read and discuss the emotions and traits these characters exhibit. Explain that authors use various methods, such as a character’s actions, thoughts, and dialogue, to convey these attributes. Select a passage with clear descriptive details for a class reading. After reading, work together to pinpoint specific words or phrases that provide insight into the character’s personality. Encourage participation and guide students to make connections between the text and the character’s traits and emotions.

Writing Exercise: Describing a Friend – Think of a friend’s traits – Consider their personality and looks – Write ‘showing’ sentences – Instead of ‘happy’, write ‘smiling with bright, wide eyes’ – Use descriptive details – Describe using senses: sight, sound, touch – Share your descriptions | This slide introduces a writing exercise aimed at helping students understand how to ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ in their writing. Encourage them to think about their friend’s unique characteristics, both physical and emotional. Guide them to write sentences that paint a picture of these traits using descriptive language, involving the senses where possible. For example, rather than saying ‘my friend is funny’, they could write ‘my friend’s jokes always make me laugh out loud’. After writing, students should be prepared to share their sentences with the class, fostering a supportive environment for creative expression.

Class Activity: Emotion Charades – Act out an emotion or trait – Classmates guess what it is – Discuss clues used for guessing – Was it a smile, a frown, or crossed arms that gave it away? – Reflect on the activity – Think about what made some emotions easier or harder to guess | This interactive activity is designed to help students understand character emotions and traits through a fun game of charades. Each student will take a turn acting out an emotion or trait without using words, while their classmates try to guess what it is. After each round, lead a discussion on the descriptive details and body language that helped them make their guesses. Encourage students to reflect on how certain emotions or traits were easier to express and recognize than others. This will help them understand the importance of descriptive details in conveying character emotions in writing. Possible emotions and traits for the activity could include happiness, sadness, bravery, shyness, excitement, and curiosity.

Wrapping Up: Emotions & Traits in Stories – Recap: Emotions & Traits – Remember, characters have feelings and personalities. – ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Technique – Use actions and words to express character feelings. – Homework: Write a Story – Create a story with characters who show their emotions and traits. | As we conclude, remind students of the different emotions and traits that characters can exhibit in stories. Emphasize the importance of ‘showing’ rather than ‘telling’ to make stories more engaging and vivid. For homework, students should write a short story where characters clearly show their emotions and traits through their actions and dialogue. This exercise will help students practice their descriptive writing skills and understand characters better. Provide examples of ‘showing’ vs. ‘telling’ to help them grasp the concept. Encourage creativity and individual expression in their stories.