Looking for a short film that sparks big discussions? One Small Step by Taiko Studios is a heartfelt animated short that tells the story of Luna, a young Chinese American girl chasing her dream of becoming an astronaut. With almost no dialogue, the film unfolds through expressive animation, emotional music, and carefully crafted scenes that draw students in immediately—making it a powerful tool to teach mood and character growth through visual storytelling.
This resource-rich lesson plan uses One Small Step to guide students through a powerful exploration of mood and character development. It helps students identify the filmmaker’s tools—from lighting and music to symbolism and transitions—that shape emotional storytelling. And it offers print and digital tools to support literary analysis, group collaboration, and reflective writing
Be sure to get the handout. It includes the printables you need to complete the activities mentioned in the post.
About the Film
One Small Step (7:40 – 3D animation)
Luna is a spirited young girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. After receiving space boots for her birthday, she launches into an imaginative lunar mission filled with wonder and joy. But as she grows up, Luna faces a series of setbacks—academic failure, rejection from an astronaut program, and the heartbreaking loss of her father. Grief dims her determination, until memories of her childhood dreams and her father’s support reignite her purpose. Through hard work, Luna ultimately earns her place in the Astronaut Candidate Program and fulfills her dream of walking on the moon, carrying both her ambition and her father’s memory with her.
Free Classroom Resources
Download everything you need to teach this lesson:
- Full Lesson Plan – includes step-by-step instructions, discussion strategies, writing extensions, and group activity instructions
- Video Link Page – a teacher-friendly page for safely accessing the film
- Luna’s Character Change Organizer – Track Luna’s emotional and personal growth through key life events.
- Mood Timeline Worksheet – Identify and explain the mood in five major scenes using visual and auditory clues.
- Answer Keys – helpful for modeling expectations or grading responses
- Google Slides Version – ideal for digital learning or interactive notebooks
Teach Mood and Character Growth Lesson Plan
Step-by-Step Lesson Strategy
The outline below offers a condensed version of the detailed lesson plan included in the downloadable handout.
1. Group Film Study – Scene-by-Scene Mood Analysis
Divide the class into five small groups. Assign each group one of the following focus areas:
- sound and music
- lighting and color
- facial expressions and body language
- close-ups and repetition
- symbols and transitions
Watch the film in 5 parts, pausing after each major scene. Groups analyze their assigned element and record how it contributes to the mood using the provided Mood Timeline chart.
2. Writing the Analysis
Each group turns its findings into an analytical paragraph describing how their assigned element shaped the film’s mood. Students can complete this writing collaboratively or individually.
3. From Paragraphs to Essay
Model how these paragraphs combine into a full literary essay. The sample essay included in the download provides a ready-to-use example, along with discussion questions that help students understand the structure and purpose of literary analysis.
Extension Activities
- Mood to Message Writing Prompt:
- How does the changing mood in the film help communicate its message?
- Use the included organizer to plan and write a short constructed response.
- Individual Essay Project
- After watching One Small Step and modeling how to write an essay, have students repeat the process with another film, such as Hair Love, Float, or Piper.
Teach Mood and Character Growth Through Film
Looking for a meaningful way to teach mood? This lesson blends visual literacy, group collaboration, and writing in a format students love. With printables, scaffolded writing support, and visual materials, One Small Step makes it easy to guide students through the emotional arc of a story—and helps them understand how filmmakers evoke emotions through every frame.
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If you are looking to add some high interest activities to your lessons, try using animated shorts to teach reading and writing skills. This packet contains graphic organizers covering many Common Core skills. $Save$ when you purchase this mega bundle which includes all 12 units.
1 comment
Thank you so much!! My kids love these! Have an awesome week!! 🙂