Introducing Character Traits
Building a collaborative vocabulary bank of adjectives will support students in identifying words to attribute to characters. If you students need a refresh on adjectives, this free adjectives mini-pack will help with scaffolding instruction.
Introducing Character Traits
Next, choose a person or a character everyone in the class is familiar with. You could use yourself or the principal! Or, choose a familiar character from a book you have already read. We develop words to describe the character which we will use in several ways.
I just printed off a picture of myself and had students describe it using post its. Then, we sorted them by “inside” and “outside” traits.
Here we used Henry and Mudge because we read it the first week of school. I just projected a picture of Mudge on the Smartboard and I wrote the words around him. (Sorry the picture isn’t very quality!)
Guided Practice
Mentor Texts
Here’s a list with links to mentor texts mentioned above PLUS other fantastic books that are perfect for teaching character traits. You can click the link to grab a copy on Amazon. Or, check your school or local library!
- Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Ryland
- Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beatty
- Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
- Gooney Bird Greene by Louis Lowry
- The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
- Officer Buckle & Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
- Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan
- Mr. Tanen’s Tie Trouble by Maryanne Cocca-Leffler
For more resources to help teach understanding characters, check out my Common Core aligned reference posters and graphic organizers for teaching Understanding Characters.
Not sure where to begin when it comes to planning comprehension skill instruction? I’ve got you covered! I put together a scope and sequence including the Common Core Standards that align with each skill in a suggested order for teaching.
Grab this FREE Scope and Sequence + BONUS list of mentor texts to use for each reading comprehension skill to help you plan! —> FREE Comprehension Skill Scope and Sequence
Understanding characters is essential to comprehending a fiction text. Teaching the skills and strategies for identifying a character’s traits based on what they say, their actions and thoughts helps students more deeply interpret an author’s words.
