AC9EFLE02 • Foundation English

responding to stories

I can say what I think or feel about story events and characters.

Topic GuideClassroom ViewWorksheetPracticeTest
Key vocabulary
  • character — a person, animal or imagined being in a story
  • event — something that happens in a story
  • response — what you feel, think, say, draw or write after a text
  • feeling — an emotion such as happy, worried, surprised or relieved
  • thought — an idea or opinion in your mind
  • story clue — a story word, action or picture detail that supports a response
Key concept

I can say what I think or feel about story events and characters.

Learning goal: I can say what I think or feel about story events and characters.

I am ready when I can

  • I can name an important event and the character involved.
  • I can share my own feeling or thought about that event.
  • I can support my response with a word, action or image clue from the story.
  • I can respond through talk, drawing or beginning writing.
  • I can listen respectfully when another reader has a different supported response.
See it, then try it

See the skill in action

In a story, Niko loses a red boot in the rain. A neighbour finds it and returns it.

Worked example 2: explain a thought about a character

A character gives the last piece of fruit to a hungry friend.

The reader may speak, draw or begin to write this response. The meaning matters more than the response mode.

See the skill in action

In a story, Niko loses a red boot in the rain. A neighbour finds it and returns it.

Worked example 2: explain a thought about a character

A character gives the last piece of fruit to a hungry friend.

The reader may speak, draw or begin to write this response. The meaning matters more than the response mode.

Australian Curriculum elaborations

E1: Express a response through drawing or early writing

A drawing, label, mark or beginning sentence can show a personal response to a story, poem or film.

Think: Choose one meaningful moment. Draw the character and action clearly. Add or dictate a complete response: I felt relieved because the boot came back.

Try: Which part of your drawing shows the moment, and what was your response?

A strong answer: Complete the modelled response and show this evidence in your own example: The learner's drawing or early writing represents a recognisable text moment and a connected response.

Check: The learner's drawing or early writing represents a recognisable text moment and a connected response.

If you are stuck: Offer the event picture to trace or point to, then scribe the child's own words beside it.

E2: Discuss characters and events through personal connections

Talking about a character or event becomes clearer when the reader links it to something they know or have experienced.

Think: Name the character and event. Share a connected personal experience. Explain how the connection shapes the response.

Try: Has something like this happened to you, and how does that help you understand the character?

A strong answer: Complete the modelled response and show this evidence in your own example: names both the story event and a relevant personal connection.

Check: The learner names both the story event and a relevant personal connection.

If you are stuck: Use two mats labelled Story and My life so the child places each event in the right place.

Common misconceptions
  • Naming the character's feeling instead of the reader's response — Use two speech bubbles labelled Character may feel and I felt or thought, then answer in the correct bubble.
  • Giving a feeling with no story clue — Return to the pictured event and model a complete link, such as: I felt worried when the boot went missing.
  • Believing a response only counts when it is written — Accept drawing, speaking, gesture or beginning writing, then ask the child to explain the link to the story.
Explain and apply

Name the moment

Choose one event from a story before saying a feeling or thought. For example: The fox finds the gate open.

Answer and teaching guidance

Young learners often jump straight to a feeling. Naming the event first makes the response traceable to the text.

Feeling plus clue

Say: I felt ____ because ____. The because part must use a story clue, not a guess about a different story.

Answer and teaching guidance

Accept a range of feelings when the evidence fits. Two readers can respond differently if each uses a relevant clue.

Thought about a character

Finish: I think the character is ____ because they ____.

Answer and teaching guidance

The second blank should be an action from the story. This separates a supported character thought from a simple preference.

Respond in more than one way

Draw, act or tell the same response. Make sure the event, feeling or thought, and clue are all included.

Answer and teaching guidance

This makes the task Foundation-friendly while still requiring evidence. The response can be oral if writing load would hide the literature thinking.

Try these
  1. Pause and respond — Pause after an important event. Children choose a feeling face, then point to the event that caused that response.
    Feeling faces beside one pictured story event
  2. Character clue detective — Show two thoughts about a character. Children choose the thought supported by the character's action and explain the clue.
    Character action card linked to a thought bubble
  3. Draw, say, explain — Children draw one moment that made them think or feel something, then dictate or say a complete reason.
    Drawing box with a complete response: I felt relieved because the boot came back
Check your understanding

Quick checks

  • The puppy finds its lost owner. Which response connects a feeling to the event?
  • A character shares lunch with a friend. Which response is about the character?
  • The bear loses its hat. Which response fits the event?
  • A character keeps trying to climb after falling. What might you think?

Mastery evidence

  • The puppy finds its lost owner. Which response connects a feeling to the event?
  • A character shares lunch with a friend. Which response is about the character?
  • The bear loses its hat. Which response fits the event?
  • A character keeps trying to climb after falling. What might you think?
  • The learner's drawing or early writing represents a recognisable text moment and a connected response.
  • The learner names both the story event and a relevant personal connection.
Resources
Open Classroom ViewPrintable WorksheetPracticeTest
🎥 Optional Video Lesson

The SkillrHub lesson remains the primary learning resource. This optional video reinforces the explanation; you can complete the lesson and practice without watching.

Back to the lesson

Before you watch:

  • Pause after each worked example.
  • Try the examples yourself.
  • Return to the SkillrHub lesson before continuing.
Recommended: How to Learn about Characters | Reading Comprehension

Khan Academy Kids — Using a character clue to talk about feelings and actions.

As you watch: What does the character do that helps you understand them?

Load video player Loads YouTube in this lesson. See the video notice below.

Try it: Choose a character from a story you know. Tell an adult how you feel about one thing the character did.

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