Lesson Plan | Socioemotional Learning | Discuss story characters and roles

Objectives

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of this objectives step is to set a clear direction for the lesson on story characters and roles, providing students with a tangible focus as they engage in discussions. By outlining specific objectives, students can connect emotionally with the story's characters, which enhances their comprehension and encourages the development of empathy. This foundation allows for a deeper understanding of self and others, promoting growth in both cognitive and socioemotional competencies.

Main Objectives

1. Identify the main characters in a selected story and describe their roles.

2. Explore the motivations and emotions of each character to foster understanding of their actions.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

Emotional Warmup Activity

Journey into the Character's World

Guided Visualization of Characters

1. Begin by asking students to sit comfortably in their chairs, with their feet flat on the floor and hands resting on their laps.

2. Invite students to close their eyes and take deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

3. Encourage them to imagine a story they love, focusing on the characters within that story.

4. Guide them through a visualization by saying, 'Picture the first character you think of. What do they look like? How do they feel? What is happening around them?'

5. Prompt students to think about the emotions this character might be feeling and what could cause those feelings, encouraging them to connect with the character on an emotional level.

6. After a few minutes, gently bring them back to the room by saying, 'Now, take a deep breath in and slowly open your eyes when you are ready.'

7. Ask a few students to share their experiences, focusing on the emotions they felt and what they learned about their character.

Content Contextualization

Understanding story characters and their roles is not just about knowing who is in the tale; it's about connecting with their emotions and motivations. Just like in real life, the people we meet have their own challenges, dreams, and struggles. For example, think of a time when you encountered a friend who was upset. Understanding why they felt that way helped you to support them better. In stories, characters often face dilemmas or conflicts that mirror our own experiences, making it essential to recognize and empathize with their feelings. By exploring these characters, students can develop their emotional intelligence, which will aid them in friendships, family relationships, and even in challenging situations at school.

Development

Duration: (60 - 75 minutes)

Theory Guide

Duration: (20 - 25 minutes)

1. Characters in a story are the individuals who drive the plot and whose motivations help to create emotional connections with the reader.

2. Main Characters vs. Supporting Characters: Main characters are central to the story, while supporting characters help to develop the main characters and the plot; for example, in 'The Lion King', Simba is the main character, and characters like Timon and Pumbaa serve as supporting characters.

3. Character Motivations: Understanding a character's motivation—what they want and why they act the way they do—helps the reader to empathize with them. For instance, if a character is trying to save their village, students can relate to the importance of community and bravery.

4. Emotional Impact of Characters: Characters' emotions might influence their decisions, and understanding these emotions can lead to a deeper comprehension of the story. For example, if a character reacts with anger due to loss, students can discuss how loss affects people in real life.

5. Character Development: Characters often evolve throughout the story. Discussing how a character grows or changes can lead to discussions about personal growth and the various experiences that shape individuals in their own lives.

Activity with Socioemotional Feedback

Duration: (25 - 30 minutes)

Atividade de Papéis dos Personagens

Students will engage in a collaborative activity where they will select a story or book they know well and work in small groups to identify the main characters and their roles. Each group will choose a character to focus on and use role-playing to explore that character's emotions, motivations, and actions. Students will create a 'Character Emotion Map' where they detail what emotions the character experiences at different story points, what motivates those emotions, and how these emotions influence the character's actions. This will allow them to connect deeply with the character and understand their complexities while fostering empathy.

1. Divide students into small groups of 4-5.

2. Each group selects a story or book they are familiar with.

3. In their groups, students identify the main characters and their roles.

4. Choose a character to focus on and discuss their motivations and emotions.

5. Create a 'Character Emotion Map' on a large piece of paper, detailing emotions experienced by the character and what influences those feelings.

6. Prepare to role-play their character, demonstrating some of the emotions and decisions made in critical moments of the story.

7. Present their findings and role-plays to the class, allowing for questions and discussions.

Discussion and Group Feedback

After the role-play presentations, guide a discussion using the RULER method to help students reflect on their experiences. Start by encouraging students to recognize the emotions they observed in their peers during the role-plays (Recognize). Then, facilitate a conversation about the causes of those emotions and their potential consequences in the story context (Understand). Have students label the emotions they recognized in each character accurately (Label). Encourage them to express their feelings about what they saw and how it relates to their own experiences (Express). Finally, guide students in reflecting on how they could regulate similar emotions in themselves and others in real-life situations (Regulate). This dialogue not only reinforces their understanding of the characters but also deepens their emotional intelligence.

Conclusion

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

Reflection and Emotional Regulation

To facilitate a meaningful reflection, the teacher can lead a discussion where students share their thoughts on the challenges they faced during the character exploration activity. The teacher should encourage students to express their feelings about the role-play and the emotions they observed in their peers. This could take the form of a circle where each student shares one thing they found challenging and one way they felt proud of managing or expressing their emotions during the lesson. Additionally, students can be prompted to think about how the characters' emotional journeys mirrored their own experiences, providing opportunities for deeper emotional insight.

Objective: The objective of this reflection exercise is to help students engage in self-assessment by identifying the emotional challenges they faced during the lesson and recognizing effective strategies they utilized to navigate those feelings. This process encourages awareness of their own emotional responses and fosters emotional regulation skills, thereby enhancing their overall emotional intelligence.

Glimpse into the Future

To connect the lesson to their personal and academic lives, the teacher can guide students in setting specific goals based on their learnings about character emotions. Each student can write down one personal goal, such as 'I will be more aware of my friend's feelings and ask them how they are doing', and one academic goal related to literature, like 'I will pay close attention to character motivations in the stories we read this term'.

Setting Goals:

1. Increase empathy towards peers by being attentive to their emotional states.

2. Develop better understanding of character motivations in future stories.

3. Practice effective communication about feelings and emotions in discussions.

4. Set personal emotional regulation techniques, such as deep breathing when feeling overwhelmed. Objective: The objective of this closing activity is to reinforce students' autonomy in applying their emotional understanding to real-life situations while also encouraging ongoing personal and academic development. By setting goals, students are prompted to take ownership of their emotions and learning, which fosters a continuous journey of self-improvement.