Illustration of a student thinking of being nervous and excited
Art by Hannah McCaffery
Fiction,

Big Feelings Day

How was your day, Ella? That is what people ask me. I did not know what to say today. I had a lot of feelings.

By Janice Behrens
From the September 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Children identify a character’s feelings at different points throughout a story.

Lexiles: 270L
Guided Reading Level: F
Featured Skill: Main Idea,
Topic: SEL,
Common Core Standards
  • Social and Emotional Learning Focus: Emotional awareness Emotion words ELA Focus Character traits Common Core Standards RF.1.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print RL.1.2 Retell stories RL1.3 Describe character and setting using key details RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events RL.1.10 Read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade
TEKS Standards
  • Health (3) Mental health and wellness--social and emotional health. The student identifies and applies strategies to develop socio-emotional health, self-regulation, and healthy relationships. The student is expected to: (A) identify their own feelings and emotions; (E) describe ways to build and maintain friendships; (G) identify feelings and emotions expressed by others.

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Think and Read

As you read, think about what Ella is feeling.

I had to walk to class all by myself.

I felt uh-oh.


A boy was in my spot.

I felt grr. 

PAUSE AND THINK: What does Ella mean by “uh-oh”? What does she mean by “grr”?

I did not have a friend at lunch.

I felt ugh.


Another kid looked for a spot. 

He did not have a friend either.

He said, “Ugh.”

PAUSE AND THINK: What do you think Ella should do next?

“I feel the same way,” I said to him.

“I am Min,” he said. 

We ate lunch together.

He likes pickles. So do I.

“Want to go on the swings later?” Min asked.

PAUSE AND THINK: What happened when Ella met Min?

How did I feel about that?

Not uh-oh. Not grr. Not ugh. 

I felt woo-hoo! I felt happy.

PAUSE AND THINK: Why does Ella feel happy now?

I had so many feelings today. This one was the best. Whee!

video (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

About the Story

English Language Arts Focus

Sequencing

Cause and effect

Character traits

Social and Life Skills Focus

Emotional awareness

Emotion words

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

Whole Group: Literacy block read-aloud; Small Group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “I Spy Emojis”
  • From the Storyworks archive: “Early Reader Fiction: My Name Is Zahara,” September 2022
  • Suggested book: The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

Before-Reading Resources

  • Video: All Kinds of Feelings (4 minutes) Build vocabulary around emotions and make personal connections.

Suggested Reading Focus

Emotional Awareness (20 minutes)
  • Ask students to take a “picture walk” through the article, paying attention to Ella’s facial expression at different points in the story. Students can share their predictions about how Ella will feel.
  • Read the story out loud while students follow along in their magazines, or have students read a sentence or page at a time.
  • Model summarizing the section and asking comprehension questions at each Pause and Think.
  • Finally, discuss how Ella’s feelings changed throughout the story. What parts of her day caused positive or negative emotions?
  • Write the ways Ella expressed her feelings (grr, ugh, etc.) on chart paper and have students list feelings that could match each of those moments in the story.

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: SEL practice, writing/labeling, story sequence (15 minutes)

Extension Social and Life Skills Activity

Skills: Emotional awareness (15 minutes)

  • Make a classroom chart of emotions that students feel throughout the school day. If helpful, separate them into negative/positive feelings or lower/higher energy (The Ruler Mood Meter, developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, may be useful. The Mood Meter is available online.)

Text-to-Speech