Fourth Grade English Language Arts Reading Lesson on Characterization

Fourth Grade English Language Arts Reading Lesson on Characterization 

Big Ideas- Effective readers use appropriate strategies to construct meaning. An expanded vocabulary enhances one’s ability to express ideas and information.     

Essential Questions- How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text? Why learn new words? 

PA Academic Standard(s) – 

CC.1.3.4.C Describe in depth a character, setting or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text. 

CC.1.3.4.F Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade level text, including figurative language.

Competency(ies)- Students read, understand, and respond to literature – with emphasis on comprehension, making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence.

Objectives – Fourth grade students will be able to correctly write 3-character trait descriptions. Fourth grade students will be able to correctly identify 2 out of 3 character traits. 

Materials needed: White Boards, Create-a-Character Sheet, Crayons and pencils

Lesson Outline:

Motivation (Anticipatory Set) – 

-Ask students to collectively generate a list of character traits and write them on the board in positive and negative categories.

-Positive examples: clean, neat, caring, active, grateful, nice, kind, helpful, giving, honest, enthusiastic

-Negative examples: messy, dirty, mean, selfish, lazy, ungrateful, mean, awful, selfish, greedy, sneaky, bored/boring. 

-Take time to talk about a few of the character traits that the students listed. 

-Transition: It is important that we are able to identify the character traits of the characters in our stories. It allows us to relate better to the characters and make predictions about how they will behave. It also allows us to better understand ourselves and other people. This is what we are going to talk about today. 

Development of the Concept or Skill (Information Activity) 

-Assigning character traits activity: Go through a list of popular characters (and the characters the students came up with) and ask the students to name character traits for the characters that are mentioned. Some characters, like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, are complex and have opposing character traits. Point this out and mention the process of character development. 

-Implicit and Explicit character traits: 

*Sometimes character traits will be extremely apparent because they are explicitly stated. Example: Cinderella was kind and caring towards everyone who she encountered.   

*Sometimes character traits will not be directly stated but can be inferred. Example: Whenever a new guest came into the house, Max would run away and hide.  

*Characters can be revealed through explicit or implicit: Descriptions, Actions, Speech and thoughts, Thoughts and words of other characters

-Practice identifying implicit and explicit character descriptions using descriptions on PowerPoint. 

*White Board Activity: Assign half of the class to implicit descriptions and the other half to explicit descriptions. Allow them to make up either an implicit or explicit description and write the statement on their white boards.  

Conclusion (Application Activity)- 

-Create-Your-Own-Character Activity: Each student is going to create their own character description. A template will be provided to ensure that all of the information is included. A recap PowerPoint slide will be available to remind students of the different types of descriptions. An example will also be provided. Students will answer the following:

*Select 3 character traits and write them on the sheet. This bottom flap of the sheet will then be folded behind the front of the sheet so that the traits are not visible. 

*Reveal the traits in 3 written ways (Description, Action, and Speech or Thoughts)

*At least 1 implicit and 1 explicit method must be used. Explicit or implicit will be circled by the student for each of the 3 descriptors. 

*A space for drawing the character is provided on the back flap for when the student is finished. 

*After all of the descriptors are finished, students will trade characters with a partner and each will attempt to determine the 3 character traits of their partner’s character. 

Evaluation of Learning- post-assessment

-Students will be evaluated on their ability to create 3 character descriptions and on their ability to select 2 out of 3 character traits.