Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants · The Power of Oral Language · Autumn Term

Feelings in Stories

Students will analyse how authors use language, imagery, and character development to convey complex emotions and psychological states in literary texts.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle English - Reading - Understanding and Interpreting
• NCCA: Junior Cycle English - Language - Literary Devices

About This Topic

Feelings in Stories guides Junior Infants to recognise emotions in simple picture books and oral narratives. Children listen to read-alouds, spot clues like smiling faces, slumped shoulders, or words such as 'happy' or 'sad.' They respond to questions like 'How does the character feel at the beginning of the story?' and 'What makes the character happy or sad?' By mimicking these feelings with their own expressions, they build confidence in oral language and emotional vocabulary.

This topic from The Power of Oral Language unit supports NCCA Foundations of Language and Literacy standards for understanding texts and early literary devices. Students connect character feelings to causes in the story, such as a friend sharing a toy bringing joy. This fosters empathy, sequence comprehension, and personal links, preparing children for deeper text interpretation.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. When children act out emotions, draw faces, or use props in role-play, they experience feelings firsthand. These kinesthetic methods make abstract ideas tangible, encourage peer sharing, and create joyful classroom moments that strengthen memory and expression.

Key Questions

1. How does the character feel at the beginning of the story?
2. What makes the character happy or sad in this story?
3. Can you show on your face how the character is feeling?

Learning Objectives

• Identify specific words and phrases authors use to describe character feelings.
• Demonstrate a character's emotion through facial expression and body language.
• Explain how events in a story cause a character to feel a certain way.
• Compare the feelings of different characters within the same story.

Before You Start

Introduction to Oral Language

Why: Students need to have developed basic listening and speaking skills to engage with stories and respond to prompts.

Recognizing Basic Emotions

Why: Prior exposure to identifying simple emotions like happy and sad in real-life interactions is helpful.

Key Vocabulary

Happy	Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. A character might feel happy when they receive a gift or play with a friend.
Sad	Feeling or showing sorrow or unhappiness. A character might feel sad if they lose a toy or a friend moves away.
Angry	Feeling or showing strong annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. A character might feel angry if someone takes their toy without asking.
Surprised	Feeling or showing surprise because something unexpected has happened. A character might feel surprised by a sudden noise or a visitor.
Scared	Feeling fear or anxiety; frightened. A character might feel scared of the dark or a loud thunderclap.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Characters feel the same emotion throughout a story.

What to Teach Instead

Stories show feelings change with events; sequence role-plays in small groups help children act out shifts, like from sad to happy, clarifying cause-and-effect through movement and discussion.

Common Misconception

Feelings come only from words, not pictures or actions.

What to Teach Instead

Young readers rely on visuals; guided picture hunts in pairs during read-alouds reveal facial and body clues, building multimodal interpretation skills.

Common Misconception

Story characters' feelings differ completely from my own.

What to Teach Instead

Emotions are universal; personal sharing circles after acting scenes connect children's experiences to texts, fostering empathy via active peer talk.

Active Learning Ideas

Whole Class: Emotion Echoes

Read a picture book aloud and pause at key emotion moments. Have the whole class copy the character's face and body pose together. Follow with a quick share: 'Who felt like that today?'

25 min·Whole Class

Pairs: Mirror Feelings

Partners face each other; one describes a story character's feeling (e.g., 'scared in the dark'), the other mirrors the face and pose. Switch roles after 30 seconds, then discuss story clues.

20 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Story Puppets

Provide paper bags or socks for simple puppets. Groups retell a story scene, using puppets to show changing feelings. Perform for the class and note what caused emotion shifts.

40 min·Small Groups

Individual: Feeling Drawings

Children draw a character's face at two story points (e.g., sad then happy). Label with one word and a sentence about why. Display and class votes on most expressive.

15 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Actors in plays and movies use their voices and bodies to show how characters feel, helping the audience understand the story. Think of characters in children's television shows who might look sad when they lose something or excited when they find it.
• Therapists and counselors help children and adults understand and talk about their feelings. They might use picture cards showing different emotions to help people express themselves, much like we do with story characters.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Read a short passage from a picture book. Ask students to point to the picture that shows how the character is feeling and say one word to describe that feeling. For example, 'Look at the character's face. How do you think they feel? Happy, sad, or surprised?'

Exit Ticket

Give each child a drawing of a simple face. Ask them to draw eyes and a mouth to show a specific emotion (e.g., 'Draw a happy face'). Then, ask them to hold up their drawing and say the feeling word.

Discussion Prompt

After reading a story, ask: 'What happened in the story that made [character name] feel [emotion]?'. Encourage students to use complete sentences. For instance, 'The character felt sad because their balloon popped.'

Frequently Asked Questions

How to teach feelings in stories to Junior Infants?

Start with familiar picture books featuring clear facial cues and simple emotion words. Use key questions to pause and discuss: 'What makes the character sad?' Model expressions first, then invite children to mimic. Build to retells with props. This scaffolds from listening to oral response, aligning with NCCA oral language goals. Track progress via drawings of feelings.

What are common misconceptions about emotions in stories for young children?

Children often think characters stay one emotion or ignore picture clues. Address by acting sequences in groups to show changes and hunting visuals together. These active steps correct ideas through experience, not just talk, and link to personal feelings for relevance.

How can active learning enhance understanding of feelings in stories?

Active methods like role-play, mirroring, and puppetry let children embody emotions, making them personal and memorable. Whole-class echoes build safety before pairs practice nuance; groups encourage collaborative retells. This multisensory engagement boosts retention, oral skills, and empathy far beyond passive listening, fitting NCCA's child-centered approach.

How does this topic align with NCCA standards for Junior Infants?

It targets Foundations of Language and Literacy in reading comprehension and oral expression. Children interpret texts via emotions (understanding and interpreting standard) and notice basic devices like repeated words for feelings. Key questions promote talk; activities ensure active participation, developing literacy foundations through joyful, relevant story work.