1 of 13

LESSON PLAN: EMOTIONS IN STORYTELLING AND EMPATHY

TOPIC: EXPLORING FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS THROUGH NARRATIVE: EMPATHY AND LOVE

GRADE LEVEL: 8TH GRADE

SUBJECT: LEISURE TIME. PETS

LESSON TOPIC: FEELING AND EMOTIONS.

TIME ALLOTMENT: 45-50 MINUTES

This lesson uses a compelling commercial to explore a range of human and animal emotions and feelings, focusing on storytelling, and the emotional impact on an audience. Aligning with Bloom's Taxonomy ensures a progressive learning experience, moving from basic recall to higher-order thinking skills like analysis, evaluation, and creation.

2 of 13

LEARNING OBJECTIVES �(ALIGNED WITH BLOOM'S TAXONOMY)

1. REMEMBER: IDENTIFY AND RECALL A LIST OF COMMON AND NUANCED EMOTION VOCABULARY WORDS (E.G., JOY, AFFECTION, DEVOTION, CONTENTMENT, LOYALTY, SADNESS, ).

2. UNDERSTAND: EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF VARIOUS EMOTIONS AS PORTRAYED IN A VISUAL NARRATIVE AND DESCRIBE THEIR PROGRESSION THROUGHOUT A STORY.

3. APPLY: UTILIZE EMOTION VOCABULARY TO ARTICULATE FEELINGS EXPERIENCED BY CHARACTERS IN THE VIDEO OR FELT PERSONALLY WHILE WATCHING.

4. ANALYZE: EXAMINE AND INTERPRET HOW EMOTIONS ARE CONVEYED THROUGH NON-VERBAL CUES (FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, BODY LANGUAGE, ACTIONS) AND NARRATIVE ELEMENTS (MUSIC, PACING, CAMERA WORK) IN A COMMERCIAL.

5. EVALUATE: ASSESS AND JUDGE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VIDEO IN EVOKING SPECIFIC EMOTIONS IN THE AUDIENCE, PROVIDING JUSTIFICATIONS.

6. CREATE: CONSTRUCT A SHORT NARRATIVE OR DIALOGUE EXPRESSING A RANGE OF SPECIFIC EMOTIONS, DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THEMES OF COMPANIONSHIP OR LIFE'S JOURNEY.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Cross-Curricular Skills

1. Critical Thinking: Analyze emotional development and feelings.

2. Emotional Intelligence and Self-Awareness: Recognize and describe personal feelings.

3. Creativity and Initiative: Express ideas through creative writing or speaking tasks. Use imagination in storytelling and visual tasks.

4. Lifelong Learning Skills: Learn, remember and use new vocabulary.

5. Problem solving Using grammar exercises and creation of future forms of the verbs

Materials: Whiteboard or projector, Markers/pens

Handout 1: Vocabulary List (General emotion words: joyful, excited, content, grateful, proud, confident, hopeful, relieved, offended, disappointed, nervous

Specific Video: "The Farmer's Dog: Forever 2023 Super Bowl Commercial" (YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAIo-pUDl0s)

3 of 13

LESSON PROCEDURE�INTRODUCTION & WARM-UP: �"FEELING CHECK-IN" (5-7 MINUTES)

OBJECTIVE FOCUS: REMEMBER
ACTIVITY:

TEACHER GREETS STUDENTS: "GOOD MORNING/AFTERNOON, EVERYONE! TODAY, WE'LL EXPLORE HOW STORIES MAKE US FEEL AND HOW CHARACTERS SHOW THEIR EMOTIONS. AT FIRST I WANT TO ASK YOU “HOW ARE YOU TODAY? ”
EXERCISE CHAIN USING THE VOCABULARY PRESENTED ON THE BOARD. [PICTURE 1] THINK ABOUT A TIME YOU WATCHED A MOVIE OR COMMERCIAL THAT MADE YOU FEEL STRONGLY. WHAT EMOTION DID YOU FEEL?" (TEACHER MODELS FIRST: "SOMETIMES I WATCH A TOUCHING STORY AND FEEL VERY EMPATHETIC.").
"EMOTION BRAINSTORM": "WHAT ARE SOME DIFFERENT EMOTIONS YOU CAN THINK OF? LET'S LIST AS MANY AS WE CAN!" (WRITE ON BOARD).

TEACHER ROLE: FACILITATOR, INTRODUCES TOPIC, ACTIVATES PRIOR KNOWLEDGE.

5 of 13

II. VOCABULARY PRESENTATION & UNDERSTANDING: "EMOTION SPECTRUM" (10-12 MINUTES)�

OBJECTIVE FOCUS: REMEMBER, UNDERSTAND
ACTIVITY:

DISTRIBUTE HANDOUT 1: VOCABULARY LIST AND DEFINITIONS.
TEACHER PRESENTS EACH WORD, EMPHASIZING NUANCE:

PROVIDING A CLEAR DEFINITION.
ASKING STUDENTS TO GUESS THE MEANING OR PROVIDE SYNONYMS/ANTONYMS.

TEACHER ROLE: INSTRUCTOR, CLARIFIES MEANINGS, ENCOURAGES DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY.

6 of 13

Positive emotions

When you feel 1 joyful, you’re happy, perhaps because you’ve heard some good news. She felt joyful when she received the unexpected gift from her friend.
When you’re 2 excited, you’re happy because you’ re looking forward to something that is going to happen in the future. The children were excited about their upcoming trip to Disneyland.
If you’re 3 content, you’re not extremely happy, but you feel quite satisfied. After a satisfying meal, he went back to work, feeling content.
When you’re 4 grateful, you feel thankful for something you have or that someone has done. She was grateful for the support and kindness shown to her during difficult times.
When you’re 5 proud, you feel respect for yourself, often because of something you or someone close to you has achieved. He was proud of his daughter’s achievements in school.
If you’re 6 confident, you believe in yourself and are not worried about failure. With thorough preparation, she walked into the interview room feeling confident.
When you’re 7 hopeful, you have hope and believe that it is possible for something good to happen. Despite the challenges, she remained hopeful that things would improve.
If you’re 8 relieved, you feel pleased because you have avoided a difficult or unpleasant situation. After weeks of uncertainty, he was relieved to hear the good news about his health.

7 of 13

III. VIDEO VIEWING & APPLICATION: "STORY OF FOREVER" (10-12 MINUTES)�

OBJECTIVE FOCUS: APPLY
ACTIVITY:

"NUANCE EXPLORER": TEACHER POSES QUESTIONS TO HELP STUDENTS DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN SIMILAR EMOTIONS, ESPECIALLY THOSE RELEVANT TO THE VIDEO'S THEME.

"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'HAPPY' AND 'CONTENT'?"
"HOW IS 'SADNESS' DIFFERENT FROM 'MELANCHOLY' OR 'HEARTBREAK'?"
"CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT 'NOSTALGIA' MEANS IN THEIR OWN WORDS?"

INTRODUCE THE VIDEO: "WE'RE GOING TO WATCH A COMMERCIAL THAT TELLS A VERY POWERFUL STORY WITHOUT ANY SPOKEN DIALOGUE. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO HOW THE CHARACTERS (BOTH HUMAN AND DOG!) SHOW WHAT THEY'RE FEELING."
PLAY THE VIDEO: "THE FARMER'S DOG: FOREVER 2023 SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL" (HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=IAIO-PUDL0S) – PLAY THE ENTIRE VIDEO (APPROX. 1 MINUTE).
STUDENTS DISCUSSION:

"WHAT EMOTIONS DO THE CHARACTERS (THE GIRL/WOMAN AND THE DOG) SEEM TO FEEL IN THIS PART OF THEIR JOURNEY?" (USE VOCABULARY FROM HANDOUT 1).
"WHAT EMOTIONS DID YOU (THE VIEWER) FEEL WHILE WATCHING THIS PART?"
STUDENTS SHARE THEIR OBSERVATIONS ORALLY WITH THE CLASS.

TEACHER ROLE: GUIDE, ENCOURAGES OBSERVATION, FACILITATES DISCUSSION ON EMOTIONAL RESPONSES.

8 of 13

IV. USING ENGLISH GRAMMAR (FUTURE TENSES: CONSTRUCTIONS “TO BE GOING TO” “PRESENT CONTINUOUS”, “FUTURE SIMPLE” AND “THE FIRST CONDITIONAL”)�

YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GOOD BOY – IS USED IN ENGLISH TO EXPRESS FUTURE ACTIONS, SPECIFICALLY PLANS, INTENTIONS
I AM VISITING A PET SHOP TOMORROW AT 10 O’CLOCK – IS USED TO EXPRESS FUTURE ACTIONS WHEN THEY ARE PLANNED OR ARRANGED
WE WILL GO FOR WALK AT THE BEACH – TO INDICATE FUTURE EVENTS OR ACTIONS, OFTEN EXPRESSING CERTAINTY, WILLINGNESS, OR PREDICTIONS.
IF YOU ARE FULL, WE WILL SPEND ALL TIME TOGETHER – FIRST CONDITIONAL

9 of 13

ANALYSIS & EVALUATION: "UNPACKING THE FEELINGS" (10 MINUTES)

OBJECTIVE FOCUS: ANALYZE, EVALUATE
ACTIVITY:

"NON-VERBAL & NARRATIVE CLUES": LEAD A DISCUSSION: "HOW DID THE VIDEO MAKE US FEEL? WHAT SPECIFIC CLUES DID THE FILMMAKERS USE TO SHOW US THE CHARACTERS' EMOTIONS AND MAKE US FEEL THOSE EMOTIONS?" (BRAINSTORM: DOG'S WAGGING TAIL, OWNER'S SMILE, SAD EYES, THE MUSIC, PACING OF SCENES, LIGHTING CHANGES, CLOSE-UPS).
"EMOTIONAL IMPACT EVALUATION":

"DO YOU THINK THIS COMMERCIAL WAS EFFECTIVE IN MAKING YOU FEEL SPECIFIC EMOTIONS (LIKE LOVE, WARMTH, OR A LITTLE BIT SAD)? WHY OR WHY NOT?" (EVALUATE)
"WHAT WAS THE MOST POWERFUL MOMENT IN THE VIDEO FOR YOU, EMOTIONALLY? ANALYZE WHY THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT HAD SUCH AN IMPACT." (EVALUATE/ANALYZE)
"HOW DOES UNDERSTANDING THESE EMOTIONS IN A STORY HELP US UNDERSTAND PEOPLE BETTER IN REAL LIFE?" (ANALYZE)

TEACHER ROLE: FACILITATOR, PROMPTS CRITICAL ANALYSIS, CONNECTS VIDEO TO BROADER CONCEPTS OF EMPATHY.

10 of 13

V. CREATION & WRAP-UP: "MY EMOTIONAL SCENE" (5 MINUTES)�

OBJECTIVE FOCUS: CREATE
ACTIVITY:

"YOUR CHALLENGE IS TO CREATE A VERY SHORT (2-3 SENTENCES) SCENE DESCRIPTION OR A BRIEF DIALOGUE BETWEEN TWO CHARACTERS (HUMAN OR ANIMAL!) THAT USES ALL OF THESE EMOTIONS. THINK ABOUT HOW THEIR ACTIONS OR NON-VERBAL CUES WOULD SHOW THESE FEELINGS."

TEACHER ROLE: MOTIVATOR, PROVIDES A CREATIVE PROMPT, OFFERS POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.

11 of 13

LESSON SUMMARY

"AMAZING WORK TODAY, EVERYONE! WE'VE SEEN HOW POWERFUL EMOTIONS ARE IN STORIES AND HOW THEY CONNECT US. REMEMBER TO KEEP OBSERVING EMOTIONS IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU – IN BOOKS, MOVIES, AND IN PEOPLE, TOO!"

12 of 13

ASSESSMENT (FORMATIVE)
OBSERVATION: MONITOR STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN DISCUSSIONS, ESPECIALLY THEIR USE OF EMOTION VOCABULARY AND ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE USAGE OF FUTURE TENSES AND FIRST CONDITIONAL.
ACTIVITY CHECK: REVIEW EXERCISE 1 (VOCABULARY UNDERSTANDING) AND EXERCISE 2 (GRAMMAR PRACTICE).
CREATION TASK: QUICK CHECK OF THE MINI-SCENES FOR APPROPRIATE EXPRESSION OF TARGET EMOTIONS.
HOMEWORK (OPTIONAL)
CHOOSE A SCENE FROM A BOOK, MOVIE, OR TV SHOW YOU ENJOY.
WRITE A SHORT PARAGRAPH (5-7 SENTENCES) DESCRIBING THE MAIN EMOTIONS FELT BY THE CHARACTERS IN THAT SCENE AND HOW THOSE EMOTIONS WERE SHOWN (E.G., THROUGH DIALOGUE, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, BODY LANGUAGE, OR MUSIC). USE AT LEAST 3-4 NEW EMOTION WORDS FROM OUR LESSON.