Too Many Toys

As a part of our David Shannon author study, we read Too Many Toys. The students retold the beginning, middle, and end. They also completed story maps to explain the characters, setting, problem, and solution. As an extra lesson, the students created a character traits template about the book's main character, Spencer. They described what he looked like, important information about him, and what they would do if they were him.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

We read the How The Grinch Stole Christmas to work on several reading skills. The students first retold the story to a partner and then individually completed a story map to identify the story elements. Then we discussed how the Grinch changed throughout the story. As we discussed the character traits, we talked about better vocabulary to use when discussing emotions. We charted the vocabulary and the students took notes about the Grinch's character traits at the beginning of the story and the end on Deanna Jump's handout from her Grinch unit. The students then created their own Grinch and wrote at least one way they could make the Grinch smile. We have been working on making connections to text as well.

Auntie Claus

We read one of my favorite Christmas books, Auntie Claus, to analyze character traits. As a class we created a Flow Map to retell the story with an emphasis on how the main character, Sophie Kringle, changed throughout the book. After reading, the students made a connection to the message of the story - that it is better to give than to receive. Each student made a "gift" to write at least three things they can give that do not have to be bought (hugs, affirmations, etc.)

Character Traits: Too Many Toys

After reading Too Many Toys by David Shannon, the students wrote about the main character, Spencer, on a person template. They wrote how he acts, what he feels, and what they would do if they were him. They then colored the template to look like Spencer.

Character Traits: Alice The Fairy

After reading Alice the Fairy by David Shannon, the students wrote about the various character traits of the main character on a person template. They wrote about what she looks like, how she acts, some things she did in the book, and then if they would want to be a permanent fairy or a temporary fairy. They then colored the person template to look like her.

Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine

In reading we read Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine to work on comparing character traits. After reading the book the class created a Double Bubble Map to compare the two main character's traits and then they created a graphic organizer for one of the characters.

David: Character Traits

Before Christmas break we read David's Christmas and discussed David's behavior. It was a good way to remind the students that although the break was coming up soon, they still needed to behave. The students then used a character trait template to answer questions about David such as what he looks like, how he behaved, what they would do if they were David, etc. They then colored the template to loo like David.

To Make the Grinch Smile

We recently read How the Grinch Stole Christmas to discuss how the main character changed over time. The students used the pattern from Deanna Jump's Grinch Unit to create their own Christmas Grinch. They then wrote about one way they would make the Grinch smile.

Auntie Claus

In reading we have been learning about character traits. We recently read Auntie Claus to discuss how the main character, Sohpie Kringle, changed over time. After reading, the students retold the story on a Flow Map. As they retold the story, I introduced vocabulary to describe Sophie's character which we highlighted on the Flow Map. Later the students made connections to the lesson in the story which is that "it is better to give than to receive." They made presents out of scrapbook paper to write down four things you can give to someone that does not have to be bought.

To Make the Grinch Smile...

This is an idea that I got from Deanna Jump. In her Grinch Unit, she has several activities based off of the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This book goes perfectly with our character trait lessons. As we read, we stopped to talk about how the Grinch was acting and why he was acting that way. We also discussed how his character changed over time. Following our character trait lesson, the students created their own Grinch and then wrote about how they would make the Grinch smile.

It's Christmas, David!

Today we read It's Christmas, David! by David Shannon to discuss character traits. After reading and discussing David's behavior in the story, we created a class Story Elements Map to define the characters, setting, problem, and solution. The students then answered questions about David's character on a graphic organizer of a boy. The students wrote about what David looks like, how he acts, and what they would do if they were him. They then colored the template to look like David. (Fellow teachers, I do not have an electronic copy of this template because I received it from a former student intern. I love when the interns bring new and exciting things into the classroom!)

Auntie Claus: Character Traits of Sophie Kringle

One of my favorite Christmas books is Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera. The story is great to use for analyzing character traits. It is also a good reminder for the students to be on their best behavior to avoid being on the BB&G list (you know, the "Bad Boys and Girls" list...). After reading the story about Sophie and her adventure to the North Pole, we created a class Flow Map to retell the story with an emphasis on how Sophie felt and how those feelings changed over time. We also discussed why her feelings changed. As we created the Flow Map, I spiraled in some mini-lessons on new vocabulary words such as complaining, relieved, and selfless. After creating the Flow Map, we discussed the importance of being selfless and giving to others when possible. We talked about the lesson Auntie Claus was trying to teach Sophie: "It is better to give than to receive." The students then created gift boxes as graphic organizers to write four things that they could give to others without having to actually buy anything.

The Memory String

As a way to analyze character's feelings and make connections, we read The Memory String by Eve Bunting. The story is about a little girl whose mother had passed away and reflects on the relationship between a daughter and step-mother during a conflict. After reading, the students verbally identified the characters, setting, problem, and solution in the story and made connections to the story. They then wrote the story elements on a four-part chart. You can download this story elements chart for FREE at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Franklin's Bad Day

This week we are reading and learning about different types of emotions and feelings. We are also learning about characters and how they change. Yesterday we read Franklin's Bad Day to learn about how character's feelings can change in a story. As we read, we thought aloud about how Franklin was feeling. The students determined that at the beginning of the story Franklin felt mad but they were unsure why. We practiced using the picture clues to help us know how the character was feeling. As we continued reading, the students determined that Franklin was now feeling sad because his friend had moved. We discussed that this could be what was really upsetting him in the beginning of the book. At the end of the book the students determined that Franklin was feeling better. After discussing how and why his feelings changed, the students created a three part foldable to write and illustrate the changes.