Analyzing Inner Feelings

This worksheet helps students in Grades 5 and 6 strengthen reading comprehension, inferential thinking, and character analysis skills by examining a narrative passage about Darren waiting by the library steps. Learners analyze actions, setting details, and subtle behavioral cues to infer Darren’s emotional state and understand why he avoids his usual routine, focusing on how authors reveal feelings indirectly.

Learning Goals

• Inferring Emotions from Actions & Setting (Grades 5-6)
  Students determine a character’s feelings by interpreting behavior, environment, and context clues.
• Evidence-Based Character Interpretation
  Learners support emotional inferences with specific details from the text.
• Analyzing Mood & Atmosphere
  Students examine how setting contributes to emotional tone and meaning.
• Understanding Character Behavior
  The activity reinforces linking actions and choices to internal emotional states.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with upper elementary ELA comprehension and analysis standards.
• Focused Narrative Passage
  A single, reflective scenario allows students to practice deep inference without distraction.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for guided reading, literacy centers, independent practice, assessment, or homework.
• Encourages Thoughtful Explanation
  Questions prompt students to explain why they think a character feels a certain way.

This printable worksheet helps students move beyond surface-level reading to understand how emotions are conveyed through setting, action, and subtle cues. By analyzing Darren’s behavior and supporting conclusions with evidence, learners build stronger inference skills, emotional comprehension, and confidence in interpreting narrative text. It’s a meaningful, no-prep resource that works well in both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our Character Analysis Worksheets collection.