A small kindness: feelings words and the message of a text
A story-like text has events, feelings and a message. To find the cause of a feeling, ask: What happened just before? The reason is often in the sentence before or after the feeling word, and it may be introduced with because, so or when. Writers also show a feeling with an action: his shoulders dropped means he felt sad. The message (or lesson) of a text is the idea the writer wants you to take away. It is bigger than one event. A good way to find it is to ask: What changed in the character, and what caused the change? Then write one sentence that starts with a kind action and says what it can do: A kind word, a note or a smile can … Do not copy a sentence from the text; say the message in your own words. Your book has a story-like text on page 25 about a girl and a neighbour. Read it after this lesson and ask the same questions.
| Question | How to answer |
|---|---|
| Cause of a feeling | Look at what happened just before the feeling. |
| Feeling shown by an action | Ask what a person feels when they do this. |
| What changed? | Compare the beginning and the end. |
| Message | Write one sentence in your own words. |
Hazem moved to a new school in October. In the first lesson nobody knew his name, and by break time he felt isolated. He walked slowly to the canteen, held his tray with both hands and looked for an empty table. His optimism, which had been strong in the morning, began to fade. Then a boy he did not know put a small paper note next to his tray. It said, “Sit with us. We have a spare chair.” Hazem looked up, and his face lit up. At the table, the boys talked about football and asked him which team he supported. By the end of lunch he was laughing. On the bus home he thought, “It was only a note, but it changed my whole day.”
Kindness diary. For two days write down one small kind thing that someone did for you or that you did for someone. Write what happened just before, how the person felt and what changed. Then write one sentence with a message that begins “A small kindness can …”.