Teaching reading is one of my favorite times of the day! We are in transition with our reading program. Currently, we use a reading series that includes two anthologies. We have created and added a lot of different resources to help support this program, but overall there are some really great stories and skills in the program. Since the social studies and science standards and curriculum is also changing, it has been important to support those subject areas during our reading block as well. As a result, we have had to do a lot of mixing and matching during our reading block. One way to do this has been to spiral through many of our reading skills in a variety of different ways. The first skill I want to share with you is teaching “character.”
A few years ago, I came across a FREE list of character traits on Teachers Pay Teachers. I always print out this Character Trait List for my students to have in their reading folders. This list has been a game changer when it comes to character traits. Once I introduce these words, students start to use them in their responses to literature, activities, projects, and best of all, they use these words in their writing. Throughout the year, we write all over our lists. Kids start words, highlight words, underline words, and even add words. It is such a great resource that elevates their thinking and their writing.
Some of the activities that I like to have students do throughout the year are character trait stick figures. My stick figures have morphed into complete people (also called a character map). This activities requires that students go back into the text to find specific examples to support the character traits that they choose. This can lead to using actions to make inferences when it is not explicitly written in the text. Once students finish with the writing part of the assignment, they can illustrate their character. These are great at a center, independent, and even in a small group for more practice with character traits! Students could do this on a piece of copy paper or the lined pages of a notebook. If you are interested in a template, I have one here in my character bundle.
Another great activity that I like to introduce to the class early in the year is Character Trading Cards. You can easily use your own template. Index cards work great, as does cut up paper. I have students draw the character on the front and add the character’s name. Then on the back, they have to list character traits about that character. Then they need to write about an example from the text that shows one of the character traits they listed. The kids LOVE this activity. They fold the card in half and put a dab of gluestick inside. Once I get a pile of them, I run them through the laminator. The kids like to make and collect them. I leave this out as a center throughout the year. When students finish their work early, I list “trading card” as one of the fast finishers.
So this is just a little snapshot of two quick ways that I am able to SQUISH in some character trait work that involves pulling evidence from the text. I hope you are able to try it out in your classroom!
~Heather
