This study introduces a novel methodology for examining affective experiences in the classroom. The general procedure is to make auditory and visual recordings of a particular child during a normal classroom period. That child is then immediately taken from the class and placed in a private room where the recordings are replayed. The student is instructed to relive the situation, stop the tape anytime that a feeling was experienced, and then report that emotion. In this manner, qualitatively distinct affects are assessed and there is a differentiated analysis of emotional life. This procedure was used with 32 fourth and fifth graders, the majority of whom reported affects that were achievement-related and negative (the most prominent being characterized by the words angry, unhappy, anxious, and bored). In addition, the emotional reports did not interact with such demographic variables as sex or ability. Reasons why the affective experiences in the classrooms involved in this study (and in other studies) are primarily negative are explored and suggestions for further research are offered. (Author/JN)