Teaching Character Traits

Whether you're teaching second graders to simply identify and describe characters or you're having fifth graders compare and contrast characters between the beginning and end of the story or between two stories, they need to have a good grasp of character traits.

Like with any skill, repeated practice and exposure is the key to your students truly understanding and mastering the skill. As I'm planning for the week ahead, I'm racking my brain and resources for character traits ideas and activities. After coming up a wee bit short, I turned to Pinterest and the world wide web. What follows is simply a collection of resources, ideas, and activities I have found and plan on tweaking to meet the needs of my kiddos. I do NOT take credit for any of these great ideas, simply passing along some great resources in one location.

Starting with a Mentor Text

 At Lesson Plan SOS there is a great activity use the story Bad Case of the Stripes. Her blog not only contains info on this great idea, but also several other mini-lessons and activities using the same book. Here is a link to her Camilla Character Trait FREEBIE!!

Providing Hand-outs & Resources for Students

 Although you don't want students to become dependent on a list of traits, it is definitely a great thing to use in the beginning and to serve as a reference throughout the application of the skill. It's also a great writing resource to help them expand their vocabulary. 

Here is one such Character Trait list. It's from the blog Workshop Classroom, and I especially love this one because it breaks the traits up into categories and categorizes them. I think that this would be great for ELL students and those who need a little extra support. Here's a direct link to the FREEBIE.

 

Here is another list. This one is from Totally Terrific in Texas' blog. She includes the list and a character map via a google doc. (Also a FREEBIE!)

 Interactive Notebook Fold-able for Hands-on Practice

 One your kiddos have learned how to use a character's words, thoughts, and actions to infer a character trait, it's time for them to practice. We are currently reading the novel Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, so I am going to have my kids analyze the characters in the chapters we are reading. Instead of just giving them a worksheet, I'm going to have them do a fold-able to put in their interactive reading notebook. Here is an example of one possible foldable to use by Teaching in Wonderland. (Bonus: It's a FREEBIE!)

Fun "Skill to Self" Connection Activity

Over at Adventures of Room 129's blog, there's a super cute idea for kids to  create a frame that gives them the chance to display some of their own character traits. I' m thinking that after kids create their frame, I'll give them a chance to pick one trait that describes them to share with a partner and then give 'evidence' from their life to prove that it's an accurate trait to describe themselves. For further connection and rigor, kids can then think of a character from a story they have read that shares the same character trait. 

Do you have any other great ideas? I'd love to hear them and "borrow" them for my classroom :) Feel free to put them in the comments below.

Paper Tweets

So I've seen "paper tweets" various times on Pinterest and decided to give them a try today. I originally planned for it to be a fun and quick way to discuss the chapter they read yesterday, but it morphed into something much more.

Yesterday I had a Grade Level Data meeting, and my kids were left to read the first chapter of A Long Way From Chicago with the substitute. I just love the book and knew they'd get a real kick out of it, so I was a little bummed to not be there to read it with them. Anyways, so today when they came in, they each had up to 144 characters to write their reaction to the chapter they read yesterday (and of course they got to create a super creative #hashtag). We taped each one to the cabinet above the sink and counters.

 

 As I began reading them, I realized that many students were confused by the first chapter, and some were specific with the parts that confused them. I had never thought that they may be confused by the chapter. I had also never thought that reading the first chapter with the sub may not be the best idea. But, thanks to the tweets, I was able do a quick recap and provide extra support and discussion with chapter 2. By the end of the period, they were laughing hysterically and thoroughly enjoying the book.

After the kids left for the day, I went back and reread them all. I was suddenly hit with a brain storm, grabbed a pen and post-its and started commenting on some their tweets. I'm excited to see their reactions when they come in tomorrow and see post-it comments on their tweets! What started as just a fun way to have the kids talk about what they read, turned into a useful diagnostic tool and a springboard for further discussion.

A Peek at my Week

Again this week I'm going to give you a quick look at my week. Some day I hope to post it before the week has begun. One can dream, right?? (For more info on "A Peek at my Week", check out Jennifer's blog .)

I'm being quite ambitious with this project but am giving it a try, and so far, the kids seem to be really enjoying it and doing okay with it. We are reading the novel Out of My Mind, and in an attempt to get them reading some nonfiction and to get them make some connections with the novel, I've created a 'biography blogging' project. Students can choose between OJ Brigance and Stephen Hawking and then given pre-selected articles, interviews, and texts on him. (Both OJ and Stephen have ALS and have limitations and challenges very similar to the main character in the novel). After reading and taking notes, students write a blog entry (minimum 2 paragraphs) about OJ/Stephen's challenges and successes. They must write in complete sentences, include an introduction and conclusion sentence, and include the theme. I'll let you know how it turns out. But yes, my 5th graders are reading Stephen Hawking! How is that for rigorous texts, Common Core? (He just published a brand new autobiography/memoir called A Short History which is a little easier to read and understand although it is NOT all child appropriate.)

 This week I'll be starting A Long Way from Chicago (by Richard Peck) with my GT group. Since we've been reading a collection of short memoirs, I'm excited to get them reading some fun & happy fiction. (Memoirs tend to be quit depressing. They keep begging me to read something happy :))

Take a Peek at My Week

I will be completely honest; I am totally procrastinating. It's only Monday, but it feels like this week has been going on forever already. To aid in my procrastination, I am joining Jennifer over at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings to participate in "Take a Peek at My Week".
Below is a quick look at some of what I've got planned this week.

Today we had a lesson at introducing how authors use 'pace' and 'time' in memoirs. I started by playing music to get them thinking about pace. We started off with some slow Nora Jones to which they declared, "It's so boring!" After a brief discussion, we listened to 'Sigh No More' (Mumsford & Sons) which led to a good discussion about pace, timing, and why artists choose to use different pacing and timing at different times. It led into a smooth transition into discussing pacing and timing in memoirs. 

 Okay, so I actually this lesson today. The goal was to teach the kids about inferring themes from a novel. I knew it was going to be a lofty goal, I just didn't know how lofty. First, since we have been doing tons of hands-on and collaborative activities, they were simply not used to sitting, listening, and learning. After what seemed like forever, the majority of them finally started to get with the program, and we were able to do the fun-ish activity: listening/watching the theme music & opening of the classic 'Full House' (an idea I got from I'm Lovin Lit) and then using a graphic organizer to determine the theme of it. They did seem to enjoy this part and do a fairly good job at the skill, so I guess it was a win... kind of.

Our current reading theme is 'Personal Transformation'. One of my classes is reading Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (wonderful, touching book). In an attempt to get them reading, comprehending, and working with nonfiction texts and giving them a chance to apply the skills of blogging, writing, and inferring theme, I am in the midst of creating a project for them. Don't judge me as it's still in the planning stages... They will have a choice between OJ Brigance and Stephen Hawking (both have physical limitations similar to the main character in our story). They will read preselected articles on the person they select, write an informative blog entry about him, and discuss the themes that can be learned from him. I'll let you know how it turns out :)

Teaching Theme (w/ a FREEBIE!)

Teaching theme is one of those skills that everyone seems to teach slightly different. Some accept one word as an acceptable theme and others accept themes with story specific information. As I embarked on teaching my 5^th graders theme, I wanted to make sure that I taught them correctly, so I did some research…. and checked with a middle school English teacher :)

 

Since theme is the life lesson or message, it’s important that the theme is written in a statement. The one word concept (ex. friendship, individuality, loyalty) is the thematic topic. The theme is a sentence or statement about the topic. Remembering that the theme is a universal lesson, it should not be story specific. A strong theme is woven throughout the entire text and is supported by the text, but the theme is something that is implied and inferred by the text. (Ex. Love is all you need, Earn respect by giving respect, etc.)

After looking at several different graphic organizers but not finding one that was “just right” for my purposes, I decided to create my own. I used the idea of a tree from the blog I'm Lovin' Lit, but changed the order around.

First, have students determine the topic and write it in the center, in the “knot”. Next, students write the theme, statement about the topic, on the leaves of the tree. At the bottom where the roots are, students write the details from the story that support the theme. 

This graphic organizer is a great way for students to learn and practice this skill or use as a guide when writing or having a discussion about the theme of a story. To get your FREE copy, click here.

My Biggest Pet Peeve Eliminated!

One of my biggest pet peeves as a teacher is when I discover a student's work is missing, I ask them about it, and they reply with, "I was absent. You didn't give it to me." As I am trying to control my temper and not turn into the Incredible Hulk and throw chairs (and quite possibly the student) across the room, I ask, "Did you ask me for it?", to which I am met with silence no matter how many times I ask the question.

How to handle work for absent students has been a constant question for teachers since the beginning of time. But never fear, I have a cheap AND easy solution! Ready for it??

• Buy a few colored baskets from Dollar Tree.
• When students are absent, place a basket on their desk. It collects not only worksheets and assignments from the class, but also any papers that are handed back or need to go home. 
  
• It requires very little training to put kids in charge of this task. They know that if their neighbor is absent, grab a basket and set it on their desk. They also make sure to put any handed out papers in it.
• When the student returns, they find all of their work and papers neatly collected on their desk. If they are absent for multiple days, the basket continues to collect. They simply remove their papers and return the basket.
  
• If your students switch classes throughout the day, the basket can either 'travel' to the next class (with another student) or the basket is moved to the counter to wait for the student to return. (I have 'the neighbor' write the student's name on the top paper so we know whose basket it is.) 

Not only does this solution keep the hair in your head and guarantees your sanity for another day, it helps students learn responsibility and holds them accountable for completing work they miss.

Making Inferences About Characters

Whether students are just starting second grade or in the last days of fifth grade, students need instruction and practice with making inferences. In upper elementary inferencing can be combined with other objectives and activities like analyzing characters and novel discussions.

My students are currently reading Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. To build on our work with inferences yet diversify the standard making inferences graphic organizer & activity, I came up with an interactive, group activity in which students make inferences about characters in a particular chapter. It's super easy to adapt to any novel or story and to tweak things to meet the needs of your students.

1. Select three or four characters from a particular chapter.
    I chose Melody, Mom, and Dr. Hugely from Chapter 4.

2. On a large piece of bulletin board paper (or chart paper), write each character's name across the top. Approximately six inches under each character, glue/tape a large picture of a book (represents text clues). About six inches below each book, glue/tape a large picture of a light bulb (represents inferences).

3. Split students into groups of 3 or 4 and assign each a different character. Students return to the chapter and find facts/details about their character. They record their facts on post-its and post them on the book icon under their character's name.

4. After listing several facts, students use the facts and their prior knowledge to make inferences about the character in that chapter. They record their inferences on post-its and post them on the light bulb icon. 
For groups that needed scaffolding, I gave them some questions to guide their inferences. (For Melody- 'How was she feeling about the testing?', 'How do you think she felt about school?', 'What was her opinion of Dr. Hugely?'; For Dr. Hugely- 'What was his opinion of Melody's intelligence?', 'What was his reactions to her answers?')

5. The activity can end with students making the inferences or it can be a spring board for a small group or whole class discussion.


The beauty about this activity is that if you use an index card to write the characters' names, the large graphic organizer is reusable. Also, if multiple groups are doing the activity, you can take the post-it notes and stick them on a piece of construction paper and label them with the group's name so you can check their work at a later time and know whose work it is.

Smenters???

With the implementation of Common Core comes the directive to do more small groups. Small groups for reteaching, small groups to facilitate genuine conversations, small groups to provide differentiation, small groups to encourage collaboration, small groups to provide hands on activities.... I do see the benefits of small groups, but one of my biggest concerns is the time that students spend working independently while the teacher is meeting with other groups. Although small groups are supposed to be flexible, engaging, and rigorous, they can all too easily fall into the old school "Blue Bird Reading Group" model.

Since last year I have been working to find a way to do small groups without having students miss out on valuable instruction and to limit the "busy work" students often get while the teacher is meeting with other groups. The solution I developed over much trial and error was.... drum roll.... Smenters. It's a combination of centers and small groups. (Yes, it's been a long year, and we're only on week 3.)

Just like with 'traditional' centers, students rotate through set activities in a group. The activities may be a group activity or an independent activity. The big difference is that the teacher is at one of the rotations/stations and teaches/facilitates that station. It still provides students with the opportunity to receive differentiated instruction that meets their needs and strengths, yet provides engaging and purposeful activities while they are not meeting with the teacher.

Because each activity is limited to a specific amount of time, it helps students stay on task, and the movement of moving from one center to another is great for students who need a chance to get the wiggles out once in a while. Kids usually enjoy and are motivated by working in small groups, and it tends to encourage participation by all students.

Although centers can definitely require a lot of teacher prep and organization, they don't necessarily have to. The beauty of my "smenters" is that they employ the idea, organization, and flow of centers, but the teachers main task is still similar to what it would be in a traditional small group.

Here's an example of the "Smenters" I did with my group of twenty-six fifth grade students today. I had two groups of nine and one group of eight, all heterogeneous and randomly grouped. We are currently reading the novel Out of My Mind and working on the skills of memoirs, inferencing, analyzing characters and reading non-fiction texts. Students were in each center for 20 minutes.
  - CENTER #1: Working with a partner on a laptop to research Cerebral Palsy. (The main character of the novel has CP.) I put shortcuts to three websites in a folder for easy access. Pairs spent time reading and browsing the three different sites and then took notes on a provided note outline.
  - CENTER #2: Independently reading Chapter 6 of the novel.
  - CENTER #3: **teacher facilitated center** Participate in an Analyzing Characters & Inferencing activity.