Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants

Active learning ideas

Who and Where: Characters and Places

Active learning helps young children grasp abstract concepts like character traits and setting by making them concrete and personal. When students physically become a character or explore a setting, they connect emotions and actions to the narrative rather than just observing pictures or text.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Comprehension
• NCCA: Primary - Appreciation of Language

• 20–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 20 min · Whole Class

Role Play: Character Hot Seating

A student or teacher sits in the 'Hot Seat' as a character from a familiar book. The rest of the class asks questions like 'How did you feel when...?' or 'Why did you...?' to understand the character's perspective.

Who are the characters in this story?

Facilitation Tip

During Character Hot Seating, prepare simple props or costumes to help students step into the role and focus their responses on the character’s feelings and actions rather than appearance.

What to look for

Provide each child with a picture from a familiar story. Ask them to draw a circle around one character and a square around the setting. Then, have them tell you one thing about the character or the setting.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Setting Swap

In small groups, students take a familiar story (e.g., The Three Little Pigs) and discuss what would happen if it were set in space or under the sea. They draw the new setting and share how the story might change.

Where does this story take place?

What to look for

After reading a story, ask: 'Who was in our story today?' and 'Where did our story happen?' Encourage children to point to pictures in the book to support their answers. Ask, 'How is the story's place different from our classroom?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Character Emotion Map

Place pictures of a character at different points in a story around the room. Students walk to each picture and use 'feeling words' to describe how the character is acting, discussing why their feelings changed.

How does the place in this story look different from our classroom?

What to look for

Hold up two different objects, one representing a character (e.g., a doll) and one representing a setting (e.g., a small toy house). Ask children to identify which is the character and which is the setting, and explain why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model questioning techniques that focus on character motivations and setting details beyond visuals. Avoid leading questions that only require yes or no answers. Research suggests that young children benefit from repeated exposure to the same characters and settings in different contexts to build deeper understanding.

Successful learning looks like children accurately identifying characters and settings, describing their traits or features with examples, and explaining how the setting influences the story’s mood or events. They should show empathy for characters through their discussions and role plays.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Character Hot Seating, watch for students who describe only a character’s appearance or clothing.

  Prompt students with questions like, 'What did the character do that showed they were kind?' or 'How did the character feel when they spoke?'. Use follow-up questions to shift focus from looks to actions and words.

• During Setting Swap, watch for students who treat the setting as decoration rather than a key part of the story.

  Ask groups to describe how the story would change if it happened in their swapped setting. Have them act out key moments to show the setting’s impact on the character’s behavior.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk