English · Class 1

Active learning ideas

Identifying Real vs. Imaginary

Active learning works for this topic because young children learn best by doing, especially when they can touch, move, and talk. Sorting, drawing, and acting help them see the difference between real facts and make-believe right in front of them.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE: Distinguishing Real and Imaginary - Class 1
• CBSE: Reading Comprehension - Class 1

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Small Groups

Sorting Game: Real or Imaginary Cards

Prepare cards with book excerpts or images: talking rabbits for imaginary, real animal photos for factual. In small groups, students sort cards into two piles, discuss clues like "Once upon a time" or facts, then share one example per pile with the class. Display sorts on a board for review.

Can dragons really fly? Is that real or make-believe?

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Game, place the cards face-down on the table so students pick one at a time and explain their choice aloud before placing it in the correct tray.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a book title (e.g., 'The Little Red Hen', 'The Giraffe's Long Neck', 'A Dragon's Fiery Breath'). Ask them to write 'Real' or 'Imaginary' next to each title and draw a small symbol (like a star for imaginary, a leaf for real) to show their choice.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 30 min · Pairs

Role Play: Act It Out

Pairs choose a real event, like watching a bird fly, and an imaginary one, like a dragon breathing fire. They act both scenarios briefly, then explain to the class which is real and why, using senses observed. Teacher facilitates with props like feathers or toy wings.

Is this story about something that could really happen?

Facilitation Tip

During Role Play, give each child a simple prop like a feather or a toy dragon so they can connect real objects to the imaginary scene they are acting.

What to look for

Show two book covers: one of a factual book about birds and one of a storybook with a talking owl. Ask: 'What makes one book seem like it tells us real things, and the other like it's a made-up story? What words or pictures help you decide?'

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

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Individual

Draw and Label: My Pictures

Individually, students draw one real scene from nature, like a tree, and one imaginary, like a dancing flower. They label each with words like "real" or "make-believe" and simple reasons. Share drawings in a class gallery walk, pointing out differences.

What tells you this book is a made-up story?

Facilitation Tip

Before children Draw and Label their pictures, model how to use a Venn diagram on the board to compare real and imaginary features first.

What to look for

During a read-aloud of a story with fantastical elements, pause and ask: 'Could this really happen? How do you know?' Then, after reading a factual passage, ask: 'Is this something that happens in real life? What tells you that?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Whole Class

Story Circle: Share and Sort

In a whole class circle, each child shares a short real experience from senses, like smelling flowers, then a made-up story. Class votes real or imaginary, discusses clues. Record tallies on chart paper to visualise patterns.

Can dragons really fly? Is that real or make-believe?

Facilitation Tip

In Story Circle, ask each child to hold up their picture and say one clue that helped them decide, keeping the discussion short and focused.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a book title (e.g., 'The Little Red Hen', 'The Giraffe's Long Neck', 'A Dragon's Fiery Breath'). Ask them to write 'Real' or 'Imaginary' next to each title and draw a small symbol (like a star for imaginary, a leaf for real) to show their choice.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should start with clear anchor charts showing real versus imaginary features, using simple text and images. Avoid overloading with too many rules—focus on one or two clues at a time. Research suggests that when children explain their thinking out loud, their understanding deepens faster. Keep examples close to their daily life, like animals or weather, to make the concept relatable.

Successful learning looks like children confidently sorting cards into real or imaginary piles, explaining their choices, and using clear clues from texts and images. They should show they can tell fantasy from fact with reasons that make sense to others.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Game, watch for students who assume all animal stories are real because they know animals exist.

  Encourage them to look closely at the cards for impossible actions like animals talking or wearing clothes. Guide them to place talking animal cards in the imaginary tray and discuss why animals do not speak like humans.

• During Draw and Label, watch for students who think pictures alone prove a book is true.

  Have them label their pictures clearly with words like 'real leaf' or 'imaginary dragon' and ask peers to check if the labels match the drawing.

• During Role Play, watch for students who say imaginary stories teach nothing real.

  Ask them to add one real action to their play, like feeling the wind, and explain how this connects to real life while keeping the story fun.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Role Play