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Students will have a map of the region that names states and capitals. They will also have a chart that names state, capital, and abbreviation. Students also will be making flashcards that have the state outline, state name, state capital and abbreviation that they will keep in a plastic study bag. Over the next few weeks we will be discussing the natural resources/products, climate, landforms, etc. from each state in the region. Please watch the videos, PowerPoint below and check out the games as extra study tools!For the quiz students must know:-State Names-State Capitals-State Abbreviations-Facts about economy, climate, products, resources, etc.

ALL MATERIALS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO YOUR CHILD!

5. Michigan - Lansing - MI7. Missouri - Jefferson City - MO8. Nebraska - Lincoln - NE9. North Dakota - Bismarck - ND10. Ohio - Columbus - OH Here you will find all the information relating to the Midwest region of the United States.
Students will be expected to know the 12 states, capitals and abbreviations of the Midwest.
1. Illinois - Springfield - IL
Kansas - Topeka - KS

6. Minnesota - St. Paul - MN

11. South Dakota - Pierre - SD
12. Wisconsin - Madison - WI

They should also know:
- Land and Water of the Midwest Region
- Climate
- Products and Natural Resources
- Landmarks
- Culture

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Students will have a map of the region that names states and capitals. They will also have a chart that names state, capital, and abbreviation. Students also will be making flashcards that have the state outline, state name, state capital and abbreviation that they will keep in a plastic study bag.

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It Says...I Say...And So | Worksheet | Education.com

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Use this graphic organizer to help guide your students through the process of drawing inferences.

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Point of view (POV) is what the character or narrator telling the story can see (his or her perspective). The author chooses "who" is to tell the story by determining the point of view. Depending on who the narrator is, he/she will be standing at one point and seeing the action. This viewpoint will give the narrator a partial or whole view of events as they happen. Many stories have the protagonist telling the story, while in others, the narrator may be another character or an outside viewer, a narrator who is not in the story at all. The narrator should not be confused with the author, who is the writer of the story and whose opinions may not be those written into the narrative.

II. Examples of Point of View

Sandra Cisneros wrote a story called "Eleven." The point of view is the perspective of 11-year-old Rachel. The story takes place at school during her birthday and is about her humiliation of receiving an old sweater. Throughout the story, she speaks in the first-person point of view, sharing her thoughts as events unfold.

"Only today I wish I didn't have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box. Today I wish I was one hundred and two instead of eleven because if I was one hundred and two I'd have known what to say when Mrs. Price put the red sweater on my desk" (Cisneros).

A fun activity is to rewrite the story from each character's point of view. What is the teacher thinking as she tries to get rid of this ugly red sweater in her classroom? Maybe it reminds her of her demanding mother! How does the sweater feel being tossed and pushed around, unwanted and unloved? Maybe some sweet old lady had knitted it with love for a granddaughter who now has rejected it. Why does Sylvia say it belongs to Rachel? Is she jealous of Rachel for some reason? Each character will have a slightly different story from his or her perspective.

III. Types of Point of View

First person: The example above with little Rachel is told in the first-person point of view, meaning that we are seeing events through the eyes of the character telling the story.

Second person: In second person, the narrator is speaking to YOU. This isn't very common in fiction, unless the narrator is trying to talk to the reader personally. We see second-person point of view mostly in poems, speeches, instructional writing, and persuasive articles.

Third person: With third-person point of view, the narrator is describing what's seen, but as a spectator. If the narrator is a character in the story, then we are reading what he or she observes as the story unfolds. This narrator has three possible perspectives.

Limited - In limited third-person, the narrator sees only what's in front of him/her, a spectator of events as they unfold and unable to read any other character's mind.

Omniscient - An omniscient narrator sees all, much as an all knowing god of some kind. He or she sees what each character is doing and can see into each character's mind. This is common with an external character, who is standing above, watching the action below (think of a person with a crystal ball, peering in).

Limited Omniscient - The limited omniscient third-person narrator can only see into one character's mind. He/she might see other events happening, but only knows the reasons of one character's actions in the story.

IV. The Importance of Point of View

Point of view is important in a story because it helps the reader understand characters' feelings and actions. Each character will have his or her own perspective, so whoever is telling the story will impact the reader's opinion of other characters and events.

As in the example above with Rachel and the red sweater, each point of view could be an entirely different story. Perhaps Rachel had embarrassed Sylvia horribly one day, so the sympathy we feel for Rachel in her perspective may change to sympathy for Sylvia if the point of view was switched.

Additionally, reading the story from a character in the story versus an external character changes the amount of information a reader has as the story unfolds. With an omniscient third-person, we can see everything before other characters do, which gives us forewarning about other events. With a limited third-person, we are not allowed to see other events until the narrator does so. This may leave us with more surprises as we read.

V. Examples of Point of View in Pop Culture

A very popular (and very old!) game is Mario Brothers. A gamer took the game and made a video of it in first-person point of view. It's almost a dizzying experience to see Mario catch coins and jump around from his viewpoint.

Arcades have had games with a first-person POV for years. You sit in the console to drive the car in a race, or use the pistol and fire at targets. Racing games are probably the easiest to play as a first-person. With most games, you control the character in a game, but almost from a second-person POV. You can see your character as you control it within the game space just as another character would.

VI. Examples of Point of View in Literature

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney has been cracking kids up since 2007, as the protagonist, Greg Heffley, details his experiences in his trusty journal; he claims it's NOT a diary. He even supplies stick drawings with bubble speech to illustrate special, usually devastating or hilarious, occurrences. Written in the first-person POV, we follow him through his days with his friends and family. Greg's dry sense of reality as he tells his sad tales leaves us giggling sympathetically - you can't help but feel sorry for him, and many kids can relate to his frustrations. There are nine books as of 2015, each one focusing on specific conflicts Greg must overcome as he makes his way through middle school and attempts to fit in with his family.

"First of all, let me get something straight: This is a Journal, not a diary. I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn't say "diary" on it.

Great. All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea" (Kinney 1).
http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html?ThisJournalDay=1&ThisPage=2

The book is so popular, that it was also made into a movie.

VII. Related Terms

Narrator: The narrator is the person who tells the story. There are different types of narrators, such as internal and external. Each narrator will have his or her own perspective or point of view as the story is told.

Viewpoint: Viewpoint is the perspective at which something is seen. If three people see an accident, each person will have his or her own version of what happened depending on where the person was at the time it happened.

VIII. Conclusion

Point of view is an important part of all writing. It makes stories interesting, gives research its serious tone, poems and persuasive works their personal tone, and allows readers to easily follow all writing. Keeping in mind the different types of POV and when to use them will make your writing stronger.

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Point of View: Definitions and Examples | Literary Terms

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Point of view (POV) is what the character or narrator telling the story can see (his or her perspective). The author chooses "who" is to tell the story by determining the point of view. Depending on who the narrator is, he/she will be standing at one point and seeing the action.

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Teaching character traits is a must. When students know what details to look for in characters in literature, they will better understand the text and will become better writers as well. This post provides student-friendly definitions. It also gives some teaching ideas with handouts to try out in the classroom.

Defining Characters

When writing a story, an author usually begins with physical descriptions of the characters. The author must then go a step further to describe the personality of each of the characters. The characters need to have both positive and negative qualities to make them seem realistic. Good authors do not simply list character traits. They show the personalities of the characters through actions.

Types of Characters

Protagonist vs. Antagonist

The protagonist is the main character. The character that causes conflict against the protagonist is called the antagonist.

Round vs. Flat

A round character is one whose personality, background, motives, and other features are fully described or explained by the author.

A flat character is one who is not fully described but is useful in carrying out some narrative purpose of the author. They tend to be minor characters.

To remember round and flat characters think of a basketball. The information you know about a character is like the air going inside the ball. If you know only a little, you would not be able to put much air inside the ball; therefore, it would be flat. However, if you know a lot of information you would be able to put a lot of air inside of the ball. The ball would become inflated and round. Therefore, if a character is round, readers know a lot about him/her.

Dynamic vs. Static

A dynamic character is one who goes through a personality change due to the events in the story.

A static character is one whose personality does not change throughout the story.

In most books, the main character is both dynamic and round.

Get the blog post handout with the definitions found here and printable activities.
Question Stems for Character

Who is the main character in this story?

Describe the main character's traits in this story.

How do the main character's actions help you determine his/her traits?

What did the actions of the character reveal in paragraph ___?

How does the main character change within the selection?

What can you tell by the character's response?

What do the character's thoughts show?

How does the character change from the beginning to the end of the story?

Teach Character Traits

Activity #1 - Character Silhouettes

This simple no-prep method is both engaging and fun for students.

Idea #1 - Silhouette with Rays

Students draw a silhouette figure in the center of their page. Out from the silhouette, students draw rays. In each shape formed by the rays, students write facts about the character.

Idea #2 - Silhouette Figure

Students choose one character from the book or story they are reading. They draw the character as a silhouette covering the entire piece of paper. On the body of the character, students describe the character. On the arms and legs, students list four actions.

Idea #3 - Inner and Outer Traits

Students copy the boy or the girl silhouette in the center of the page. Students then write a paragraph describing the character's physical features. This includes coloring - hair, eyes, etc.; size - tall, short, thin, muscular, etc.; and distinguishing features - mustache, curly hair, etc. on the left side of the figure. On the opposite side of the character, students describe inner character traits. This could be in the form of a paragraph or a list of adjectives such as absent-minded, disrespectful, humorous, immature, etc.

Idea #4 - Comparing Two Characters

Students create two overlapping character shapes to form a Venn Diagram. Students then compare and contrast the two characters by telling how they are different and alike.

Idea #5 - Silhouette House

Students draw a simple house structure. The house needs six windows. In each window, students answer Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? to explain how a specific character handled one situation in the story.

Activity #2 Animated Shorts

Teaching using animated shorts is always a hit with students. The animated short film Geri's Game is a fun way to teach about character traits as Geri "becomes" two characters in the film.

Activity #3 Teaching Character Traits with Interactive Notebooks

I like students to keep a journal-type notebook. The notebook is divided into sections for each novel study. Students write reactions to the story, answer constructed response questions and other novel-specific activities. This is a great place for students to write character descriptions. Below are ideas to make this activity more fun for students.

Idea #1 - Cards

This simple idea can be used with any novel. Take a piece of colored copier paper and cut it in half vertically, so you have two 8.5 by 5.5-inch rectangles. Fold each of these in half creating a card. Students draw a character on the front and write a description inside. This is great when the novel has many characters that are difficult to remember.

Idea #2 - Pop-Ups

For this activity, students draw characters from the waist up on heavy-weight paper or cardstock. Next, they write descriptions on index cards or rectangle pieces of heavy-weight paper or cardstock. The drawings and the descriptions are glued onto a notebook page so the character can 'stand up' or 'fold down' when put away.

This activity is a fun way to teach inner and outer character traits.

Students illustrate the character on one face of the pyramid. On the next, they write a physical description. On the final triangle, students list inner traits.

This pyramid folds down flat for storage.

Activity #4 Teaching Character Traits with Printable Organizers

In the handout, you will find 3 printable organizers for students to write character descriptions.

Activity #5 Teaching Character Traits with Anchor Charts

How easy is this? With just 2 or 3 minutes of preparation, you can have this activity ready to go.

Draw an outline character on a large piece of paper. As students name character traits, write them around the outline character shape.

This anchor chart size Venn diagram is found in the printable along with detailed instructions on how to print it in the large picture size shown here.

Click on these buttons to go to other posts in this series.

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Teaching Character Traits with Graphic Organizers | Book Units Teacher

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Teaching character traits is a must. When students know what details to look for in characters in literature, they will better understand the text and will become better writers as well. This post provides student-friendly definitions. It also gives some teaching ideas with handouts to try out in the classroom.

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4.2 Main vs Theme +Compare and Contast Song Lyrics

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4.2 Main vs Theme +Compare and Contast Song Lyrics

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Main Idea Vs. Theme with Song Lyrics - Teaching with a Mountain View

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My most popular post is teaching about Main Idea vs. Theme together. It has changed how students think about main idea and theme statements.

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4.2 Graphic Organizer for Theme vs Main idea Song Lyrics

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4.2 Graphic Organizer for Theme vs Main idea Song Lyrics

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Multiple Graphic Organizers on ONE Sheet

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Multiple Graphic Organizers on ONE Sheet

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Compare details presented in two texts on the same topic. (EE.RI.4.9)

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Compare details presented in two texts on the same topic. (EE.RI.4.9)

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Identify one or more reasons supporting a specific point in an informational text. (EE.RI.4.8)

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Identify one or more reasons supporting a specific point in an informational text. (EE.RI.4.8)

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Answer questions about information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively. (EE.RI.4.7)

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Answer questions about information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively. (EE.RI.4.7)

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Compare own experience with a written account of the experience. (EE.RI.4.6)

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Compare own experience with a written account of the experience. (EE.RI.4.6)

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Identify elements that are characteristic of informational texts. (EE.RI.4.5)

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Identify elements that are characteristic of informational texts. (EE.RI.4.5)

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Determine meaning of words in text. (EE.RI.4.4)

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Determine meaning of words in text. (EE.RI.4.4)

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Identify an explicit detail that is related to an individual, event, or idea in a historical, scientific, or technical text. (EE.RI.4.3)

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Identify an explicit detail that is related to an individual, event, or idea in a historical, scientific, or technical text. (EE.RI.4.3)

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Identify the main idea of a text when it is explicitly stated. (EE.RI.4.2)

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Identify the main idea of a text when it is explicitly stated. (EE.RI.4.2)

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Identify explicit details in an informational text. (EE.RI.4.1)

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Identify explicit details in an informational text. (EE.RI.4.1)

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Compare characters, settings or events in stories, myths or texts from different cultures. (EE.RL.4.9)

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Compare characters, settings or events in stories, myths or texts from different cultures. (EE.RL.4.9)

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Make connections between the text representation of a story and a visual, tactual, or oral version of a story. (EE.RL.4.7)

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Make connections between the text representation of a story and a visual, tactual, or oral version of a story. (EE.RL.4.7)

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Identify the narrator of a story. (EE.RL.4.6)

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Identify the narrator of a story. (EE.RL.4.6)

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Identify elements that are characteristic of stories. (EE.RL.4.5)

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Identify elements that are characteristic of stories. (EE.RL.4.5)

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Determine the meaning of words in a text. (EE.RL.4.4)

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Determine the meaning of words in a text. (EE.RL.4.4)

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Print off Prefixes and Suffixes wordlist for students

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Use details from the text to describe characters in the story. (EE.RL.4.3)

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Use details from the text to describe characters in the story. (EE.RL.4.3)

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Identify the theme or central idea of a familiar story, drama or poem. (EE.RL.4.2)

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Identify the theme or central idea of a familiar story, drama or poem. (EE.RL.4.2)

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Theme/Centeral message

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Use details from the text to recount what the text says. (EE.RL.4.1)

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Use details from the text to recount what the text says. (EE.RL.4.1)