Brandi J. Clark

THE BOOK

In the last post I talked about using a mental retrieval strategy as a text format from the book Three Things About Elsie. Today I want to take this idea into a reader response text format.  Students are expected to respond to characters in oral, print and other media texts.

THE PROBLEM

Teachers have a tendency to approach character studies at a basic level. Students need more rigor in their learning. Students  need to be challenged with more than just the answer to this question, “Who is the main character?”

THE CONNECTION

Curriculum points us in the direction of how each grade level develops the idea of character. Here is a selection of outcomes from the current Alberta Program of Studies.  You might be surprised at how far the outcomes take the idea of character. Remember that curriculum is the focus of our teaching, not a resource.

THE CURRICULUM

Kindergarten : talk about and represent the actions of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts

Kindergarten: identify the main characters in a variety of oral, print and other media texts

Grade 1: relate aspects of stories and characters to personal feelings and experiences

Grade 1: tell what characters do or what happens to them in a variety of oral, print and other media texts

Grade 2: express thoughts or feelings related to the events and characters in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 2: identify main characters, places and events in a variety of oral, print and other media texts

Grade 3: make inferences about a character’s actions or feelings

Grade 3: connect portrayals of characters or situations in oral, print and other media texts to personal and classroom experiences

Grade 3: describe the main characters in terms of who they are, their actions in the story and their relations with other characters

Grade 4: connect the thoughts and actions of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts to personal and classroom experiences

Grade 4: identify and explain connections among events, setting and main characters in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 5 describe and discuss new places, times, characters and events encountered in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 5: characters and situations portrayed in oral, print and other media texts to those encountered in the classroom and community

Grade 5: describe characters’ qualities based on what they say and do and how they are described in
oral, print and other media texts

Grade 5: identify and discuss the main character’s point of view and motivation

Grade 6: make connections between own life and characters and ideas in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 6: summarize oral, print or other media texts, indicating the connections among events, characters and settings

Grade 6: discuss the connections among plot, setting and characters in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 7: predict and discuss the consequences of events or characters’ actions, based on information in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 7: compare the choices and behaviours of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts with those of self and others

Grade 7: analyze how plot develops; the connection between plot and subplot; and the interrelationship of plot, setting and characters

Grade 7: discuss the connections among plot, setting and characters in oral, print and other media texts

Grade 8: interpret the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts, and examine how they relate to self and others

Grade 8: identify and describe characters’ attributes and motivations, using evidence from the text and personal experiences

Grade 8: identify and explain characters’ qualities and motivations, by considering their words and actions, their interactions with other characters and the author’s or narrator’s perspective

Grade 9: analyze how the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts provide insight into those of self and others

Grade 9: compare the development of character, plot and theme in two oral, print or other media texts

Grade 9: compare a main character in one text to the main character in another text from a different era, genre or medium

THE SOLUTION

Have students use the format Three Things About (character) as a first step to explore character .

THE EXAMPLE

Today let’s look at this format as a frame for a reader response on character.

Here is the video version of the story Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes.

1.  As you watch, notice the characters Mr. Slinger and Lilly.

What are Three Things About Them?

Here is a list of character traits that you can used to pick out some traits for those two characters.

PDF of Character Traits

Or students can focus on the characters habits, interests, etc.

2. Make a list for each character. Note: Students might some basic things about the characters. For example, they are mice, one is a teacher, one is girl etc. These are superficial things and are acceptable for the early grades but try to lead students towards character traits.

Here’s my list:

Mr. Slinger

-quirky

-fair

-understanding

Lilly

-loves to play teacher

-determined

-energetic

You can always make longer lists and whittle it down to three.

THE BONUS EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

3. We have now established three things about each character. The next step is to add the EVIDENCE from the text, how do we know that these are things? This is a HUGE step that I want all teachers, of all grade levels to add to their book discussions, “How do you know, what is your evidence from the text?” Evidence can come from what the characters say, think and do, depending on the book.

Here’s an example:

Mr. Slinger is quirky because he wears “artistic” shirts, colorful -day-0f-week classes and winked “howdy” at the kids every morning. 

Give Kids a character description with evidence

4. Choose a character from another book,

Mr Slinger is _______________ just like ___________ from ______________because _________

5. Choose a connection to your own life

Mr Slinger is ______________ just like I am because _________

6. Here is an idea for the older grades.  Compare characters over the course of the book – indicating character change.

For example: In the beginning of the book here are three things about (insert character) and at the end of the book here are three things about (insert the same character)

To take this further, have students again find evidence in the book to support the change(s) the character made between the beginning and the end of the book.

WHOA that is a lot!  Please let these ideas percolate and think about how these ideas apply in your classroom. As usual, update me if you are able to try it out.

Until Next Time.

Love Coach Clark

I love reading and writing nonfiction. While enjoying any book, I look for text formats that I can use with teachers and students.

THE BOOK

Recently I read, Three Things about Elsie, a fiction book for grown-ups. The title refers to a strategy in the book where a character engages her mind by trying to remember three things about someone. This format of summing up someone with three things works well for nonfiction writing too.

THE CONNECTION

On Monday,  I read this post about intentionally choosing facts to be included in children’s nonfiction books. As seen in the post, two books about George Washington are placed side by side. One book has everything there is to know about George Washington, the other book has selective information intended for children. 

THE PROBLEM

When we have students write nonfiction, we expect them to include most of the facts they find. Why do we do this? It’s too much information! This leads to students writing down a string of facts with no reflection. They are not writing in an engaging way because they have not engaged with the information.

THE SOLUTION

Have students be selective and intentional with the facts they choose to write about.

THE EXAMPLE

Let’s say I was going to write about octopuses. I brainstormed a list about octopuses from what I knew and from what information I discovered. (Note this is the correct plural form though Octopi can be used too.)

Octopuses

• Eight legs
• Live in the ocean
• Only live 1-2 years
• Swim along the ocean floor
• Swim in shallow waters
• Eat crabs, lobster and shrimp…and even sharks
• Seals and whales eat them
• Shoot ink to confuse predators
• Camouflage
• Change color to communicate
• Live alone
• Live in dens made of rock
• Move the dens with them
• Can make a door for their den
• 5 cm long to 5.4 m long

Sources:

National Geographic for Kids

Britannica

So, what are three things about an Octopus?

As you can see, there are some things that we already know.

Which three things would you pick?

Obvious ones….no, like having eight legs. That information can added in the final report through a labeled drawing or image.

Likely, you would choose the surprising things, the facts that are new to you or interesting to you. So instead perhaps the question to fill out is:

Three Things I Think You Should Know about Octopuses

rather than…

Three Things that are Most Popular or Common about Octopuses

YOUR TURN: 

Pick an historical figure, a science topic, a social topic, an animal/creature etc…it doesn’t matter.  

1. First make a list of all the things, you think you know.
2. Then find a reputable website and do a bit of research and add new information to your list.
3. Next select the three things (facts) from the list you think *people should know about (INSERT your TOPIC).    *Note: I must add that it is beneficial to choose your “people”. Who are you collecting this information for?  Is it for other teachers? Students that you teach? Just for yourself? Who are your people? (audience) Selecting an audience is an important step for determining your top three facts.  Choose facts that are interesting to connect with and explore further.

You now have your top three things. In a later post, I will develop this idea further and give you the next steps. If you like, please add your topic and top three things in the comments below.

Until Next Time,

Love Coach Clark