English · Class 1

Active learning ideas

Drawing and Storytelling

Drawing and storytelling are powerful tools for young learners to express their imagination. Active learning methods allow students to actively construct meaning by creating their own narratives and visual representations, moving beyond passive reception of information.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE: Visual Literacy and Picture Reading - Class 1
• CBSE: Creative Expression - Class 1

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Plan-Do-Review
• 30 min · Individual

Story Sequence: Picture Cards

Provide students with a set of blank cards. Ask them to draw a simple story, dedicating one card to the beginning, one to the middle, and one to the end. They then arrange their cards in order and tell their story aloud.

What story does your drawing tell?

Facilitation Tip

During the Project-Based Learning phase for the Collaborative Mural, ensure each group has a clear understanding of their section's role in the overall story, prompting them to consider how their part connects to the preceding and succeeding scenes.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Plan-Do-Review
• 25 min · Pairs

Character Feelings: Emotion Faces

Introduce basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised). Students draw a character and then draw different emotion faces for that character on separate small papers. They can then use these to act out parts of a story.

Can you draw what happens at the beginning, middle, and end?

Facilitation Tip

For the Story Sequence: Picture Cards activity, during the Think-Pair-Share, observe pairs discussing the order of their drawn cards, prompting them to articulate the 'why' behind their sequencing choices.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Plan-Do-Review
• 45 min · Whole Class

Collaborative Mural: Story Scene

As a class, decide on a simple story. Divide a large sheet of paper into sections representing the beginning, middle, and end. Students work together to draw elements of the story in the correct sections, creating a shared visual narrative.

How does the character in your drawing feel?

Facilitation Tip

In the Character Feelings: Emotion Faces activity, as students draw, circulate and ask individuals to point out specific visual cues they used to convey happiness or sadness, reinforcing the link between drawing choices and emotional expression.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by valuing the process of creation as much as the final product. Encourage experimentation with different drawing tools and styles, and provide ample opportunities for students to share their work and explain their thinking. Avoid imposing rigid artistic standards; instead, focus on how drawings communicate ideas and emotions.

Students will be able to sequence a simple story visually, represent character emotions through drawing, and collaborate on a shared narrative. Success looks like students confidently articulating the beginning, middle, and end of their drawn stories and explaining the emotions of their characters.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Character Feelings: Emotion Faces, watch for students who draw generic faces without clear emotional indicators.

  Guide students to specifically add details like eyebrows, mouth shape, and even body posture to their drawings to clearly communicate emotions, referencing the provided emotion faces as examples.

• During Story Sequence: Picture Cards, observe students who struggle to create a logical flow between their drawn cards.

  Encourage students to verbally narrate their story card by card, prompting them to identify what needs to happen next to connect the events, and suggesting they add transition elements in their drawings if needed.

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Methods used in this brief

• Plan-Do-Review