A quiet table: reading and words for feelings
In a story-like text, feelings are often shown by actions and not only by feeling words. When a character looks at the door, pushes a plate or smiles, ask yourself what it shows. To answer a question about a feeling, find the sentence with the cause: Yara felt frustrated because … Always give the reason from the text. Some words to learn: a gesture is a small action that shows a feeling, such as a smile or a nod; it is meaningful when the other person understands the message. Silence is quiet with no talking, and it can feel heavy or calm. A distraction is anything that takes your attention away; to reconnect means to become close again. Notice the form frustrated (how someone feels) and frustrating (what makes you feel it): Yara was frustrated; the argument was frustrating. Your book has a story-like text about a family dinner on page 32: read it after this lesson and decide what each character feels and why.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gesture | small action that shows a feeling | A smile is a friendly gesture. |
| meaningful | has an important message | A thank-you note is meaningful. |
| silence | complete quiet | There was silence in the room. |
| reconnect | become close again | After the holiday they reconnected. |
Yara and Nada were best friends, but on Monday they argued about a group project, and now they sat at the same canteen table in silence. Yara felt frustrated because she had wanted to explain her idea, and Nada kept looking at the door as if she wanted any distraction. The silence felt heavy. After ten minutes Nada slowly pushed her plate of dates across the table. It was a small gesture, but it was meaningful, because it said, “I am sorry.” Yara smiled and said, “I wish I had listened to your idea.” Nada answered, “And I wish I had asked about yours.” Soon they were talking about the project again, and the two girls had reconnected.
Gesture cards. Write five situations on cards (for example, a friend is sad, a friend wins a prize). With a partner, show a gesture without words for each card. Your partner guesses the feeling and says why the gesture is meaningful.