Sunday, 21 October 2012
Creating a Character Trait Study
Studying the work of
various authors is an important component to my writing program. As a young
girl, I loved reading these little books written by Roger Hargreaves. Students
in my classroom enjoy them too! At first glance, the Mr. Men and Little Miss Series
of books appear to be geared toward primary students. However, they are perfect
for studying character traits with Grades Four and Five!
I decided to pass out a
basket of these books to each table group in my room. I wanted students to
browse, read through and enjoy sharing some of the stories with one another. I
needed to give them the time to discuss and familiarize themselves with these
stories before digging deeper. Next, I asked students to revisit the texts and
to think about the key features that make up a Mr. Men or Little Miss book.
Here is our class created anchor chart:
Students were required to
show how they would portray a specific character trait in a story. I decided to
give each table group a character trait and they had to create a web of
possibilities. The group below is sharing all the ways they could make a
character look, act and feel “miserable” in a story. They also shared a
possible problem that may arise and a solution to it.
This group experience helped
students understand how a character trait can be the focal point of a story. We
created a special chart in our Book Lover’s Books after each group shared their
web. I wanted students to be able to reflect back to this large group
experience and the chart would be a great reference tool.
Currently,
students are working on their individual stories. They are also sharing their
stories with each other to receive advice and feedback. Students will be
reminded to look back to our anchor chart to make sure they have included the criteria
needed to make a Mr. Men or Little Miss story. Revision is an important part of
the writing process. Slowing down to rethink, rearrange and reflect helps lift
the quality of writing.
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