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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

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Three Little Pigs Example and Worksheets

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Third grade Lesson Character Motivation - The Three Little Pigs

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Finding the right words..

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6 Ways to Build Character Trait Vocabulary

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Ready to help your students move beyond “nice” and “mean” when describing characters? Here are 6 ways to build their character traits vocabulary!

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Before Teaching and During

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How to Teach Character Traits so All Students Can Master It

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It can be hard to figure out how to make reading comprehension skills - like character traits - approachable for all students without having to write 50 different lessons. Here are some suggestions

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Character Traits and Tech

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A character traits lesson plan is likely going to include students reading a fictional story and filling out a character trait graphic organizer. However, there are several easy ways to integrate technology into your character trait lesson plans and help bring your students into the 21st century.

One of my favorite ways to integrate technology while teaching character traits was to have my class create a "Character Traits Wordle." A Wordle is a word cloud that you can create using whatever words you want to include. Words that are used more frequently are bigger than the other words.

Divide your students into groups depending on the number of cameras you have available, and then assign each group several different character traits to photograph. (Use this Character Traits List for help coming up with different character traits.) Students will have to get creative thinking about ways to display different character traits in a visual way.

After groups are finished photographing, display the different pictures to the class and have them guess what character trait was being photographed. The better the students did at coming up with a visual way to represent a character trait, the easier it will be for the class to guess the character trait.

You could also have students use the pictures they took to create posters of the different character traits to display.

If you want to integrate technology while also building your students' character trait vocabulary, introduce them to an online thesaurus like thesaurus.com. Although it is important for students to know how to use a paper thesaurus, it is equally important for them to understand the many resources available to them online.

Assign each student a character trait and have them use the thesaurus to find synonyms for their character trait. They can then share these traits with the class or with a small group. Or, you can use these lists to create a Character Traits Word Wall.

Although using an online thesaurus is not an activity that will require much student creativity, it is an important skill for upper elementary students to learn. This is a tool that they will use throughout the rest of their education and possibly for the rest of their lives.

Upper elementary students should also be introduced to the thesaurus available in Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.

Teaching Character Traits? You Need This Freebie!

Character Traits free printable technology

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3 Easy Ways to Integrate Technology While Teaching Character Traits

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A character traits lesson plan is likely going to include students reading a fictional story and filling out a character trait graphic organizer. However, there are several easy ways to integrate technology into your character trait lesson plans and help bring your students into the 21st century.

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Kahoot

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Character Analysis Assessment

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Character Trait Assessment.pdf - Google Drive | Character trait, Reading comprehension, Traits

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Dec 8, 2013 - Google Drive is a free way to keep your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone, tablet, or computer. Start with 15GB of Google storage – free.

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Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Character Traits Activities Bundle | Character traits activities, Book companion, Character trait

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Mar 26, 2019 - Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Character Traits Activities Bundle (130+ pages & 40 slides in Boom Cards) includes 6 fun filled character traits activities products combined into one bundle! Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse activities will save you 40% off! It includes a variety of physical traits, cha...

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Graphic Organizers

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Support character analysis with 10 printable, editable, and digital character traits graphic organizers! Each organizer is editable, so you customize the text to meet your specific needs. Also, a digital version of each graphic organizer is included for use in your Google Classroom! Printable PDF and Google Drive versions are included.
This resource can be completed on paper or online with laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, or any device that supports Google Slides. The included Teacher's Guide includes access to the link that will allow you to make your own copy of the resource for use in Google Classroom/Google Drive. INCLUDED CHARACTER TRAITS GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS: Editing Directions:
This resource is an editable PDF. You do NOT need to purchase any additional software to use this resource. All you need to do is open the PDF (like you would open another other PDF), and start editing! Simply click on the editable text fields, add your text, and print! You can use the provided custom font, or change the font to meet your needs. *The highlighted text fields are for teacher editing purposes only. The organizers are not set up for students to complete as an editable PDF.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN: Reading Comprehension Graphic Organizers | Printable and Digital Writing Bundle - A Printable & Digital Graphic Organizer for Every Type of Writing! Root Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes Digital Unit Bundle Current Event Templates | Printable and Digital Want a FREE resource each month? Click HERE to follow Literacy in Focus, and you will be sent the monthly freebie!
Thank you!

©Literacy In Focus

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Character Traits Graphic Organizers | Editable PDF | Digital | Google Classroom

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Support character analysis with 10 printable, editable, and digital character traits graphic organizers! Each organizer is editable, so you customize the text to meet your specific needs. Also, a digital version of each graphic organizer is included for use in your Google Classroom! Printable PDF an...

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Finding Character Traits and Evidence From Text

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One Extra Degree: Inferring Character Traits! | School reading, Reading classroom, Reading lessons

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Oct 10, 2012 - I’ve been insanely busy, so I haven’t had much time to delve into creating any units lately, and my Debbie Diller book has been on hold until I know what grade I’m teaching next year and what subjects I’ll be teaching.  So, I’ve just sort of dabbled here and there.  I can’t wait to kick …

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ELL Character Analysis

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Glossary: Using Evidence to Analyze a Character | Worksheet | Education.com

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Use this glossary with the EL Support Lesson Plan: Using Evidence to Analyze a Character.

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First graders boost their reading and writing skills in this lesson plan that teaches learners how to analyze a character. Young readers will learn how to describe fictional characters by identifying internal and external traits and providing concrete evidence to support their thinking. After being guided to complete a character analysis using the book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, children will repeat the exercise using a fictional story of their choosing. In addition to improving fiction comprehension and critical thinking skills, this lesson is a great way to introduce learners to tools that will help them when writing realistic fiction.

The adjustment to the whole group lesson is a modification to differentiate for children who are English learners.

EL adjustments On Off

Hold up a familiar picture book (that you have read previously) such as Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, and ask your students how they would describe the main character, Miss Rumphius. Answers might include: "She is an old woman," "She loves flowers," "She traveled."

Explain that when you describe a character in a story you can use a special word called a trait. Say, "One way we can describe a character is by using words to tell how a character behaves or looks, called a trait. A trait is what makes the character unique or special. For example, we might say that Miss Rumphius loves beautiful things, like lupines. We might also describe her as a woman who is older and has long hair."

Say, "Today we are going to be looking at different characters to find their outside character traits (or what we can see about them) and their inside traits (or things you learn by hearing what they say or seeing what they do). When we are searching, we will be looking for evidence. Can anyone tell me what evidence is?"

Allow several students to share ideas. Reframe student comments as needed to share the definition that evidence means examples to prove something is true. For example, evidence that Miss Rumphius loved lupines could come from page 18 where it says, "'Lupines,' said Miss Rumphius with satisfaction. 'I have always loved lupines the best.'" You might find your evidence in the illustrations or the words of a book.

Beginning:

Pre-read the read-aloud text just prior to the start of the lesson.

Review the definitions for vocabulary words in both English and the student's home language (L1).

Intermediate:

Provide pre-written vocabulary cards and individual student glossaries for students to reference as you introduce new vocabulary.

Model finding additional traits and evidence from other familiar read-alouds.

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How to Analyze a Character | Lesson Plan | Education.com | Lesson plan | Education.com

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First graders boost their reading and writing skills in this lesson plan that teaches learners how to analyze a character. Young readers will learn how to describe fictional characters by identifying internal and external traits and providing concrete evidence to support their thinking.

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ELL Character Comprehension

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Kids need to be able to learn to read text for meaning ... (and ask themselves) "Do I know why I'm reading this? Do I know what information I'm looking for?" ... We're always delivering the curriculum in a way that draws on language and reading skills.
- Dr. Nonie Lesaux

Do you remember buying used textbooks in college? If you were lucky, you got one that was highlighted by a skilled student, giving you clues to key information from the book that you needed for your coursework. If you weren't lucky, you got a textbook that had practically all words highlighted on each page and you were looking at a sea of neon pink, yellow, or blue, which could be very distracting. My guess is that a lot of high school students head to college without ever having learned to interact effectively with non-fiction texts. Since books are a precious resource in K-12 education systems, students aren't allowed to highlight or mark in them, and may rely more heavily on the classroom instruction and peer interaction than their reading material to grasp the main idea of a lesson.

Reading Non-fiction with ELLs

See more great ideas in our related resource section on reading non-fiction with ELLs!

Of course it's not just a question of highlighting important information - it's a question of learning key concepts and vocabulary by becoming familiar with different kinds of text, by learning to use a textbook's tools and structure, and by monitoring one's own comprehension of non-fiction text. Without ever having developed these skills, students will have a tough time when it comes time for them to learn information independently in more advanced coursework and in college.

This is especially true for English language learners, who are challenged by learning a new language and new content in that language at the same time. Teachers can help prepare ELL students to successfully work with non-fiction, (or expository) text, however, in many ways - and the earlier the better. Starting early is important because if elementary school classrooms have a predisposition towards fictional stories and literature, students may struggle when they get to fourth grade and need to engage effectively with non-fiction texts in order to learn new content.

In Colorín Colorado's Reading to Learn: ELLs in Grades 4-6 webcast, featured panelist Dr. Nonie Lesaux addresses this transition:

There probably is a fourth-grade slump, but the question is whether we're just picking something up in fourth grade that's already been there for a lot of years for a number of kids, and/or whether, in fact, there are differences in the comprehension demands of the curriculum, and certainly that's a question ...(because by fourth grade) we have reading that cuts across a number of areas of instruction, so reading is not just relegated to reading instruction but rather we need to have good reading comprehension skills for math, for science, for other areas of the curriculum.

While some of those challenges relate to reading instruction in content areas, they also relate to improving the instruction non-fiction texts for ELLs so that students can work successfully with content-area material. In this article I will highlight components of non-fiction texts and effective strategies to help ELLs gain the skills needed to not only understand the content, but understand how the text structure works so they will be able to access content effectively throughout their education.

Introducing text

First, let's look at definitions of types of text:

Narrative: The main purpose of narrative text is to tell a story. Narrative text has beginning, middle and end, characters, plot or conflict, and setting. Usually, narrative texts are written from the author's imagination.

Expository: The main purpose of expository text is to inform or describe. Authors who write expository texts research the topic to gain information. The information is organized in a logical and interesting manner using various expository text structures.

To increase ELLs comprehension of non-fiction expository text, teachers need to provide:

1. explicit instruction on how expository text is structured.

2. models of "what good readers do" to get information from expository text.

3. opportunities for practice so that ELLs can identify and interact with the text

4. opportunities for peer interaction with the content of the text in order to increase comprehension.

Let's look at these steps in more detail:

1. Provide explicit instruction on how expository text is structured.

Teachers need to spend some time introducing students to the format of expository text. This is a lesson intended to teach students how to get information from non-fiction text rather than on the actual content of the text. That instruction can be done once students are familiar with the text format and structure.

Help students recognize the structure of expository text. Introduce the various parts of the text, such as the table of contents and the glossary. Discuss how these different parts are used for informational reading, how the text is organized, where different parts will be found in a textbook, and how they compare with one another.

For example, have students compare the index and the glossary, and discuss what they would use each section for. You might try asking a question such as, "If I want to know the definition of a word, will I look in the index or glossary?"

Elements that are important to introduce include:

Although it may seem very obvious to teachers, something as simple as finding bold words and identifying their definition in surrounding text may be new concepts to developing readers. As students are instructed to find different components of the text, ask questions such as, "What does this graphic tell us? Why do you think the author wanted to put that there?" Make it a thinking exercise so the students will internalize the knowledge.

Chapter walk

One way to help students become familiar with new kinds of books is through a chapter walk, which can be used with fiction or non-fiction text. Students preview the chapter before starting their first lesson in a new unit, looking for headings, graphics, pictures, important words, and key information. Students can discuss what they've noticed and what they think will be covered in pairs, groups, or with the entire class. Once students have become comfortable with a new resource, this exercise can be used to preview content for future lessons and activate background knowledge.

This strategy can also be used with fiction books by using illustrations and chapter headings or important words in the text.

Types of text

For older students, teachers can spend some time helping them understand the different types of text they will encounter, such as descriptive, sequence, and cause and effect. (See examples in this document and the graphics from the U-46 School District in Elgin, Illinois, featured on Reading Rockets.)

2. Provide opportunity for ELLs to practice interacting with the text and identifying key components of the text.

Giving the students to practice these skills will build confidence and offer many learning opportunities. Practice activities can be done to demonstrate how to get information from the expository text. For example, ask students to look for the main idea of a text, and then to explain what "clues" they saw that supported their answer. Students might say things such as, "The main idea is usually in the first paragraph." Or, "I saw the summary written on the side of the page." Engaging the class in discussion about these key components will give all students a chance to demonstrate learning.

Other strategies include:

Making predictions: One method is the Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA), which encourages students to be active readers. DR-TA is a process where the students listen to a brief summary of the text, review a few key words or pictures, and then make a prediction about the content of the text. As they begin to read the text, the teacher asks more questions about how their predictions match what they're reading.

Word splash: Students receive handouts with key words and phrases from the text "splashed" randomly across the page. The students spend some time making clusters of information that goes together. They can do this by circling groups of words, highlighting them in different colors, or drawing lines. The class discusses what they've learned from their clusters and what they predict they will learn from the text. Once again, when they begin to read the text they should make note of which parts of their prediction were correct and how they know that based on "evidence" in the text.

Practice highlighting: Students can practice highlighting text on worksheets or by using this method: Give each student a clear plastic overhead sheet and a "write-on/wipe-off" marker. Have the student paperclip the plastic sheet to a page in the textbook and work together to circle new vocabulary words and underline key points. The plastic sheets can be wiped off and used again.

Margin bookmark: One way to allow students to practice making notes is by using margin bookmarks. Prepare scratch paper "bookmark" strips that fit in the crease of the textbook and within the margin of the print, or that can be attached to the outside margin using a paperclip. Students can use these bookmarks to make notes in the margin. Give them specific tasks such as, "Write the definition of one of the bold words in your own words," or "Write one fact, one question, and one thing that is important for you to remember." Provide examples so that students see how they can interact effectively with expository text.

Define the important information: As evidenced by those textbooks full of highlighting I mentioned at the beginning of the article, if a student doesn't know what's important, then everything is important. I like to have the students do an activity I call "Pack the Suitcase" so that they can start identifying the most important information in the text. In order to do this activity, give the students a short text (no more than two paragraphs) and a small envelope with a picture of a suitcase drawn or glued on it. Pass out pieces of scrap paper and tell students that they need to:

1. review the text

2. write "an important point" on each piece of paper

3. "pack" them in their suitcase.

Students can use as many or as few pieces of paper as they want. When the students are finished, tell them they are going on a trip but that they packed too much - they must look in their suitcase and take out half of their items. Students will really have to decide which items (points) are most important to bring on the trip. Finally, have students "travel" to the other side of the room and sit with a partner and "unpack" the suitcases. See if they have the same points, and discuss any differences and how they identified what was important in the article.

3. Model "what good readers do" to get information from expository text.

As good readers, teachers sometimes forget how mystifying and overwhelming text can be for students. I can recall many years of math classes where I looked around at my classmates in puzzlement and wondered how they figured all the answers out! Looking at the textbook didn't help me because I didn't understand what I was looking for. I believe ELLs ofent have a similar experience, but if teachers model "what to do" when approaching expository text, ELLs will become more successful readers.

Here are some strategies to try:

Think aloud*: Read an introductory portion of the text to the class. Pause to model what you are thinking out loud, such as by describing what you know about the text. For example, a teacher may look at a chapter with a picture of a volcano and bold words in the text such as lava, magma, and geothermic. The teacher could say, "Hmmm ... I see this picture of a volcano and I notice bold vocabulary words. The words look very scientific and technical. I bet this will be a reading about science. I think I will learn facts about volcanoes and how they work."

Demonstrate how to figure out vocabulary: As you come to new vocabulary words, pause and think about how you can figure out what that word means. Show how you look for clues such as commas after the word that contain a definition, or show how the word is related to something else you know such as a root word or cognate in another language. Finally the teacher may want to demonstrate how to ask someone next to you for help with the word, or refer to your personal dictionary of new words that you've created for the unit.

Use a graphic organizer: Determine what you need to know in the text and show how to complete a graphic organizer. Talk about how the graphic organizer will help you remember the important information in the text. For example, if students need to determine the characteristics of an active volcano vs. an inactive volcano, the graphic organizer can follow a comparison outline and students fill in the correct information as related to the topic. Be sure to emphasize that this kind of activity can be used in any classroom and with any content. The student just needs to determine what they want to know and make an "organized picture" of the information so they will remember.

Model "fix up" strategies*: Proficient readers know when they "missed" something or what they are reading doesn't make sense. Developing readers tend to "just keep going" hoping that eventually it will all make sense. Of course, this makes it much more difficult to comprehend the content and it leads to frustration. Show students how you "double check" information when you don't understand it or it doesn't make sense. Read a section of the text aloud - especially a complicated portion - and stop to reflect. Say out loud, "What did I just read? That didn't make sense. Let me go back and read it again." If it still seems confusing, ask the students for ideas about how you could "check" your understanding of this information.

Determine if it's "In the Book" or "In my Head": In the Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy students are taught to identify if information is in the book (literal) or in their head (inferential). Teachers can demonstrate this by using questions to model how they figure that out. For example, a literal question might be, "What are three characteristics of an active volcano?" An example of an inferential question is, "Are volcanoes dangerous?" This can be a very important skill to develop because many developing readers spend a lot of time scouring the text looking for an answer that is not defined literally in the text.

*Strategies from, "7 Keys to Comprehension: How to help your kids read it and get it!" by Susan Zimmerman and Chryse Hutchins. See Hotlinks for further information.

4. Increase peer interaction with the content of the text in order to increase comprehension.

Giving students the chance to interact with their peers about new content will engage them and offer more opportunities to practice talking, writing, and thinking about what they have learned. You can do this with the following strategies:

Develop study guides to guide ELLs through content area textbook reading. Study guides will focus student attention on the major ideas presented, and can include graphic organizers as described above, key vocabulary, and guiding questions. These study guides can be very helpful in preparing for final exams and students can use them to "quiz" each other. More advanced students can develop their own study guides in partners or in groups.

Assign reading partners. Pair ELLs with friendly fluent readers. Ask partners to read aloud to each other, alternating sentences or pages. After the first student reads, the other student summarizes what they heard. Then the two partners switch roles.

Encourage student engagement. One strategy is the "Say Something" activity. Students take turns reading aloud, and following the reading, each student 'says something,' such as asking a question, making a comment, making a connection to something already read, or responding personally to the text. The exercise also engages students as readers and gets them thinking about the text. For ELLs, teachers may want to have a "phrase wall" displayed so they have a sentence structure to begin their comments. Examples such as, "That reminds me of..." Or "Do you know..." or "That's interesting because..."

Have students re-tell what they have learned. After students read a section of text, have them re-tell it to a partner or write a few summary notes in their notebook and switch notes with a partner. The partner can add notes, questions or comments to the author's notes.

For more tips on supporting reading instruction in the ELL classroom, take a look at our reading tips for teachers, as well as some reading comprehension strategies. You may also find some helpful tips from the AdLit.org Strategy Library.

Closing Thoughts

Spending time working with text structure and guiding ELLs in how to access expository content effectively will have huge benefits for your students now and in the future. Textbooks are like other classroom tools, such as microscopes or computers. Without the proper introduction and practice, the student will only get a fraction of the information the teacher hopes they will gain. As teachers work with students to discover the secrets to using expository text for learning, they will be rewarded by deeper discussions and learning in the classroom. Most importantly, having learned these strategies, your students will be equipped to interact with a multitude of academic texts throughout the rest of their education.
Text Features: Non-Fiction Printed Page vs. Website Format
This chart from ReadWriteThink.org gives students a reference for comparing non-fiction textbook or printed material to website content features.
Colorín Colorado Webcast: Reading to Learn in Grades 4-6
This Colorín Colorado webcast features Dr. Nonie Lesaux, and addresses the challenges facing English language learners - and their teachers - in grades 4-6.
Colorín Colorado Webcast: ELL Comprehension
This webcast featuring Dr. Cynthia Lundgren and Kristina Robertson discusses effective reading comprehension strategies for teaching English language learner students.
Colorín Colorado: How to Help ELL Students Leap to Success
This article offers suggestions for helping teachers guide ELLs through the critical transition between third and fourth grade.
AdLit.org: Strategy Library
This resource offers comprehensive list of strategies for each phase of the comprehension lesson - before, during, and after reading.
West Ed: Reading Apprenticeship Framework
Website for the Reading Apprenticeship Framework that describes the elements of the framework and includes links to articles.
Text-Mapping Project
Step-by-step lesson plan on how to map text with students.
What's Special About Non-fiction?
This lesson plan from Scholastic offers ideas about ways to introduce students to nonfiction texts.
Time for Kids
Time for Kids offers a great range of informational text for different grade levels and related activities.
Education Oasis: Graphic Organizers for Vocabulary Development
Links to vocabulary development graphic organizers.
Vocabulary Activity: Prediction and Confirmation
An activity for vocabulary prediction and confirmation featured on the Florida Center for Instructional Technology website.

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Increasing ELL Student Reading Comprehension with Non-fiction Text

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Kids need to be able to learn to read text for meaning … (and ask themselves) “Do I know why I’m reading this? Do I know what information I’m looking for?” … We’re always delivering the curriculum in a way that draws on language and reading skills. — Dr. Nonie LesauxDo you remember buying used textb…

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WH Questions

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Teaching comprehension skills to students with disabilities is often a very challenging concept to teach. We all know that comprehension is the reason we read. We aren't really reading without understanding what we read. I have come across many students in my years of teaching that have excellent word calling or decoding skills, but extremely limited comprehension skills. It is often easy to assume that students who can read words are understanding what they read. I have had more children that are excellent word decoders or word readers than I have had kids who have good comprehension in my special education classes. How do we help them?

Today I want to start a series of posts on comprehension skills in the special education class. Today I thought we'd start where I usually start with my students - the WH questions, WHO, WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE.

Here are 3 things I do when teaching WH questions.
1)
First, start working with pictures then gradually move to simple sentences using the WH questions. I always start with a simple picture. Select a basic picture without extraneous activity in it. Can the student express in some way what is happening in the picture? Who is in the picture? What are they doing? Using a picture that depicts a common activity in the student often takes part in is very useful. A picture of student saying the Pledge of Allegiance or playing outside at P.E. What is happening in the picture? Where is the person in the picture? These are also good questions to pose and can all lead you to determining where the student is functioning in comprehension. By eliminating the text and using pictures, you are focusing just on the basic information.
2) Use of a visual prompting card for the information you are asking is often beneficial. If you were asking about who is in the picture then a card with the word who and pictures of people might help them to understand what type of information you want them to give you. If you were asking about WHEN something is happening in the picture for instance if it is a picture of somebody eating breakfast then on the prompting card you might have a calendar or a clock or an hour glass in order to queue them in a little bit better regarding what information you're asking for. Here is an example of one I have used.

For the WHAT question I use a visual of things such as desk, pencil, backpack. For the WHEN Question I use a visual of a clock, a calendar, a watch to symbolize that when answers are going to address time.

You can get your copy here

3) Use picture cue cards for answers to the questions that you're asking for the comprehension. For instance, if you're asking who is getting on the bus for a picture of a person getting on a bus then you might have 2 or 3 choice cards from which the student can select the correct answer. This is extremely helpful when you have a student with limited verbal ability or often with students who have issues with extended processing time.

Next Comprehension skill:
Sequencing with first, next, last

Thanks for dropping by.
Hope to see you next time

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Teaching comprehension skills to students with disabilities is often a very challenging concept to teach. We all know that comprehension is the reason we read. We aren't really reading without understanding what we read. I have come across many students in my years of teaching that have excellent word calling or decoding skills, but extremely limited comprehension skills.

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Hi there! It's Deb Hanson from Crafting Connections, and I'm going to share a free character traits lesson with you today. This lesson is based on one I did a few years ago for a formal observation. My principal at the time loved the lesson... I hope you will, too! If you do decide that you want to try this activity with your students, be sure to click on the following image. Everything you need for this lesson is FREE! (Well, almost everything... you'll have to provide your own anchor chart paper and cups!)

Part 1: Anchor Chart

I almost always start my ELA units with a PowerPoint presentation to introduce the topic. Therefore, the lesson I am describing would occur on Day 2 of our character traits study. Prior to class, I would create the base of my character traits anchor chart. To start the lesson, I would use the anchor chart to review how good readers analyze clues provided by the author in order to infer character traits.

Next, I would read four short passages, and ask students to determine whether the character trait clue provided by the author was an example of a character's feelings, actions, dialogue, or thoughts. After gluing (or taping) the passage onto the anchor chart, students would infer a character trait for the character described in each passage, and this sentence would be written on the anchor chart below each passage.

Part 2: Sorting Activity

The next component of this lesson is my favorite part! I would present six plastic cups by spreading them across a table or chalkboard tray. As you can see, the cups have been labeled with various character traits. (I chose these particular traits because many young adult chapter books include characters with these traits, and I wanted to introduce my students to more advanced vocabulary.) I also have the small strips of card stock printed and cut apart. These strips contain very short reading passages.

After discussing the meanings of the words printed on the cups, I would tell students to listen as I read aloud one of the strips. (I would also use a document camera to display the strips so my students could follow along.) Students will need to match the story to one of the character traits. To make sure everyone remains engaged, I would instruct students to display each answer by holding up fingers... 1 finger for optimistic, two fingers for pessimistic, three fingers for insensitive, etc. After inferring each character trait, I would ask the students to determine whether the clue was an example of a character's feelings, actions, dialogue, or thoughts. Then, the strip would be dropped into the cup. Once the strips have all been classified, your cups will look like this:

Part 3: Interactive Notebook

Finally, I would have my students add the following foldable to their reading notebooks. Students can refer to the anchor chart as they label the foldable. After gluing the foldable in their notebook, students will use a book that they are currently reading or have finished reading recently, and write under each flap how they were able to use that label (dialogue, for example) to infer a character trait. They will write down evidence from the text to support their answers. Providing the following sentence frame may be necessary for some students, especially English Language Learners: I inferred that (character's name) is (character trait) because (text evidence).

If you are looking for additional resources for teaching character traits to your upper elementary students, feel free to check out the following resources.

Thanks for stopping by today!

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Character Traits: A Lesson for Upper Elementary Students

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Teach upper elementary students about character traits by having them analyze their characters' feelings, actions, thoughts, and dialogue within the story. This blog post contains everything you need for a complete character traits lesson... for free! The reading passages on the anchor chart, the sentence strip activity, and the interactive notebook foldable are all free!

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KWL Charts

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This video is a great example of how to use this strategy in a math classroom. This instructor does an excellent job of thinking aloud and modeling the construction of the K-W-L chart in math for her students. This would be highly essential when introducing students to the strategy.

I included this video because the instructors keep students engaged with various media, particularly the Smart Board, iPad, and paper versions of the content. They're appealing to multiple types of learners in this lesson and they're actively working with students throughout the lesson.

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This video is a great example of how to use this strategy in a math classroom. This instructor does an excellent job of thinking aloud and modeling the construction of the K-W-L chart in math for her students. This would be highly essential when introducing students to the strategy.