Internal Character Traits Lesson Plan
Ariel Brisman
Grade: 4th / Subject Area: Reading
Type of Setting: 4th grade inclusion co-teach classroom
Date of Lesson: April 24th 2012
PURPOSE:
What are internal character traits?
What is the difference between an internal and external character trait?
How do we determine what a character’s internal traits are?
VOCABULARY & KEY TERMS:
SKILLS:
OBJECTIVES:
NEW YORK STATE LEARNING STANDARDS:
Common Core Standards:
READING
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
· Make predictions, draw conclusions, and make inferences about events and characters.
· Use specific evidence from stories to identify themes; describe characters, their actions, and their motivations; relate a sequence of events.
· Use graphic organizers to record significant details about characters and events in stories.
SPEAKING
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
· Describe characters, setting, and plot
· Make inferences and draw conclusions
PRE-ASSESSMENT:
LESSON PRESENTATION:
A. Set-Induction (3-5 minutes):
· The teacher will explain to the students that she is going to read to a few short sentences from Joey Pigza chapters they have already read and the students are going to have to pick out a word that describes Joey from what they heard (Teacher will read the students a few short excerpts in which the students will have to guess the character trait used to describe Joey).
· The teacher will explain that what the students just did was make an inference based on textual evidence from a book.
· The teacher will then ask the students if they know what an inference is.
· The students will share responses that will either be right or wrong. If the students volunteer a correct response the teacher will modify it to match their own definition. If the students are wrong the teacher will give their own definition after several incorrect responses (Inference: An idea based on experience, prior knowledge, observations and/or details from a text).
· Teacher will explain that today the students will use details from a text to describe the characters in the book.
B. Procedure (15-20 minutes):
· Teacher will recall the adjectives the students used to describe Joey.
· The teacher will then tell the students that these are terms known as internal character traits.
· The teacher will ask the students to take a guess at what they think internal character traits are (students should make guesses such as, “traits to describe a person internally,” “words to describe how a person acts,” etc).
· Teacher will then give their own definition (Internal character traits – A term used to describe a character’s inner attitude or personality).
· Teacher will reveal the pre-written definition of internal character traits that has already been written on the chart.
· Teacher will then reveal a few examples of traits the students might use (friendly, energetic, jealous, stubborn, bossy, etc.)
· Teacher will reiterate how these words would describe a person’s personality and not how they look therefore being INTERNAL character traits.
· Teacher will then explain that an author doesn’t always come right out and give a description of a character for you. Instead, they describe a character’s actions and from those actions a reader should be able to infer what type of person that character is.
· Teacher will ask students to define external character traits based off of what they know about internal character traits.
· Students should be able to determine that external character traits are how a person looks on the outside (A term used to describe a character’s physical appearance).
· The teacher will then reveal that prewritten definition on the chart.
· Teacher will then ask students to distinguish the difference (Student volunteers will be called on and should be able to tell that internal traits are the terms used to describe how a person behaves and the external traits are the terms used to describe how a person looks on the outside).
· Teacher will then explain that internal character traits are usually easy to determine from realistic fiction because the characters are most like us and easy to relate to.
· Teacher will then say that while Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is read aloud the students should be thinking about words they could use to describe Joey Pigza’s internal character.
· The teacher will then read to the students for about 8-10 minutes from the book asking questions periodically.
· Once the teacher finishes reading the students will be asked to turn and talk to their partner about what internal traits they think describe Joey and why they chose those traits. (Students will be given only about 3-4 minutes to do this).
· Teacher will refocus the students to go over their responses together.
· After the book is read the teacher will reveal an empty chart on the board that she expects the students to help her fill in.
· The students will be asked to volunteer internal character traits that they would like to share
· The chart will also ask students to give details from text that support their inferred character trait.
C. Closure (2-3 minutes):
· Once the chart is filled the teacher will explain that students will be given a graphic organizer very similar to the one they just filled out together to fill out after they read independently.
· Teacher will briefly go over the worksheet
· Teacher will tell the students that they will be receiving post-its to mark off pages in the book that have good textual evidence to support some of their answers for the graphic organizer.
· Just before the students are sent back to their seats the teacher will ask students to remind her what internal character traits are
· Teacher will read just a few examples and the students will have to say yes or no if the character trait is internal or not
· The teacher will then send students back to their seats to read independently.
**Students will then engage in 15-20 minutes of independent reading while teacher meets with the Skinny Bones book club.
· In the middle of the book club meeting and independent reading the teacher will hand out the graphic organizers for the students to fill out while they read for the rest of the period.
MATERIALS:
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY/ASSIGNMENT:
Students are already being asked to fill in a graphic organizer independently about the characters in their independent reading books. In addition to filling out this chart independently the students will be able to demonstrate their ability to identify a character’s internal traits during book club discussion. The students are always given question asking to describe how a particular character feels at a specific point during the story. This will give them both collaborative and independent practice.
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
I will be able to assess the students understanding by looking over their completed graphic organizers. I will be able to tell by the traits the students chose and the textual evidence given whether they truly understood the concept and has the ability to identify traits on their own. As a guide to the book clubs I sit in and facilitate discussion as well as write the questions the students must answer each week. Based on student discussion and response I will be able to determine through speaking which students understand the concept of internal character traits and which students do not.
DIFFERENTIATED:
The classroom is already split up into three groups, which already differentiates the lesson for different level students. In addition to the parallel co-teach set-up the lesson is also differentiated to accommodate a multitude of learning styles.
**3 reading groups:
RESOURCES:
Grade: 4th / Subject Area: Reading
Type of Setting: 4th grade inclusion co-teach classroom
Date of Lesson: April 24th 2012
PURPOSE:
What are internal character traits?
What is the difference between an internal and external character trait?
How do we determine what a character’s internal traits are?
VOCABULARY & KEY TERMS:
- External character traits – Terms that describe a character’s physical appearance.
- Internal character traits – Terms that describe a character’s inner qualities or personality.
- Inference – A connection or idea based on experience, prior knowledge, observations and/or details from a text.
SKILLS:
- Define internal character traits
- Differentiate between internal and external character traits
- Infer what a character’s internal traits are
OBJECTIVES:
- Students will demonstrate their ability to define internal character traits.
- Students will demonstrate their ability to differentiate between internal and external character traits.
- Students will demonstrate their ability to infer what a character’s internal traits are.
NEW YORK STATE LEARNING STANDARDS:
Common Core Standards:
READING
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
· Make predictions, draw conclusions, and make inferences about events and characters.
· Use specific evidence from stories to identify themes; describe characters, their actions, and their motivations; relate a sequence of events.
· Use graphic organizers to record significant details about characters and events in stories.
SPEAKING
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
· Describe characters, setting, and plot
· Make inferences and draw conclusions
PRE-ASSESSMENT:
- Students have previously been taught a lesson on character traits in general not specifying between internal and external traits.
- Students have had practice identifying character traits of characters in their books during book club discussions.
- Students have been given a list of character traits to refer to when trying to label traits to certain characters (the majority of this list is internal traits).
- Having a lesson on internal character traits will allow students to determine the difference between describing a character’s physical appearance versus their attitude and personality.
- Students have had experience making inferences while reading while studying other story elements
- After this lesson students will be able to infer internal character traits while reading independently or with a group.
LESSON PRESENTATION:
A. Set-Induction (3-5 minutes):
· The teacher will explain to the students that she is going to read to a few short sentences from Joey Pigza chapters they have already read and the students are going to have to pick out a word that describes Joey from what they heard (Teacher will read the students a few short excerpts in which the students will have to guess the character trait used to describe Joey).
· The teacher will explain that what the students just did was make an inference based on textual evidence from a book.
· The teacher will then ask the students if they know what an inference is.
· The students will share responses that will either be right or wrong. If the students volunteer a correct response the teacher will modify it to match their own definition. If the students are wrong the teacher will give their own definition after several incorrect responses (Inference: An idea based on experience, prior knowledge, observations and/or details from a text).
· Teacher will explain that today the students will use details from a text to describe the characters in the book.
B. Procedure (15-20 minutes):
· Teacher will recall the adjectives the students used to describe Joey.
· The teacher will then tell the students that these are terms known as internal character traits.
· The teacher will ask the students to take a guess at what they think internal character traits are (students should make guesses such as, “traits to describe a person internally,” “words to describe how a person acts,” etc).
· Teacher will then give their own definition (Internal character traits – A term used to describe a character’s inner attitude or personality).
· Teacher will reveal the pre-written definition of internal character traits that has already been written on the chart.
· Teacher will then reveal a few examples of traits the students might use (friendly, energetic, jealous, stubborn, bossy, etc.)
· Teacher will reiterate how these words would describe a person’s personality and not how they look therefore being INTERNAL character traits.
· Teacher will then explain that an author doesn’t always come right out and give a description of a character for you. Instead, they describe a character’s actions and from those actions a reader should be able to infer what type of person that character is.
· Teacher will ask students to define external character traits based off of what they know about internal character traits.
· Students should be able to determine that external character traits are how a person looks on the outside (A term used to describe a character’s physical appearance).
· The teacher will then reveal that prewritten definition on the chart.
· Teacher will then ask students to distinguish the difference (Student volunteers will be called on and should be able to tell that internal traits are the terms used to describe how a person behaves and the external traits are the terms used to describe how a person looks on the outside).
· Teacher will then explain that internal character traits are usually easy to determine from realistic fiction because the characters are most like us and easy to relate to.
· Teacher will then say that while Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is read aloud the students should be thinking about words they could use to describe Joey Pigza’s internal character.
· The teacher will then read to the students for about 8-10 minutes from the book asking questions periodically.
· Once the teacher finishes reading the students will be asked to turn and talk to their partner about what internal traits they think describe Joey and why they chose those traits. (Students will be given only about 3-4 minutes to do this).
· Teacher will refocus the students to go over their responses together.
· After the book is read the teacher will reveal an empty chart on the board that she expects the students to help her fill in.
· The students will be asked to volunteer internal character traits that they would like to share
· The chart will also ask students to give details from text that support their inferred character trait.
C. Closure (2-3 minutes):
· Once the chart is filled the teacher will explain that students will be given a graphic organizer very similar to the one they just filled out together to fill out after they read independently.
· Teacher will briefly go over the worksheet
· Teacher will tell the students that they will be receiving post-its to mark off pages in the book that have good textual evidence to support some of their answers for the graphic organizer.
· Just before the students are sent back to their seats the teacher will ask students to remind her what internal character traits are
· Teacher will read just a few examples and the students will have to say yes or no if the character trait is internal or not
· The teacher will then send students back to their seats to read independently.
**Students will then engage in 15-20 minutes of independent reading while teacher meets with the Skinny Bones book club.
· In the middle of the book club meeting and independent reading the teacher will hand out the graphic organizers for the students to fill out while they read for the rest of the period.
MATERIALS:
- Pre-made chart with definitions already written in and empty graphic organizer to fill out together.
- Post-its to give to students for independent read
- Marker to use to write on chart throughout the lesson
- Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
- Graphic organizers to hand out to students
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY/ASSIGNMENT:
Students are already being asked to fill in a graphic organizer independently about the characters in their independent reading books. In addition to filling out this chart independently the students will be able to demonstrate their ability to identify a character’s internal traits during book club discussion. The students are always given question asking to describe how a particular character feels at a specific point during the story. This will give them both collaborative and independent practice.
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
I will be able to assess the students understanding by looking over their completed graphic organizers. I will be able to tell by the traits the students chose and the textual evidence given whether they truly understood the concept and has the ability to identify traits on their own. As a guide to the book clubs I sit in and facilitate discussion as well as write the questions the students must answer each week. Based on student discussion and response I will be able to determine through speaking which students understand the concept of internal character traits and which students do not.
DIFFERENTIATED:
The classroom is already split up into three groups, which already differentiates the lesson for different level students. In addition to the parallel co-teach set-up the lesson is also differentiated to accommodate a multitude of learning styles.
**3 reading groups:
- Main group (the majority of students starting from a level O and representing all levels after that). This group is targeted using this lesson plan.
- Small group (has about 4-5 students). These students are lower than a level O and need this lesson to be presented to them in a different way. These students benefit from more individualized attention.
- ESL group (4 students). These students speak only or mostly Spanish and are on very low reading levels because of this. These students will not be working on the same lesson but will be working on basic reading and comprehension strategies.
- Visual learner – These learners will benefit from the chart and being able to look at the definitions posted and the chart organizing the different internal character traits and the evidence and support from the text. These students will also benefit from the use of the graphic organizer being able to visualize the organization of their thoughts.
- Auditory learner – These learners will benefit from the read-aloud and the group discussion during the lesson. The turn and talk will benefit these students as well because they will be able to listen to ideas other than the teachers.
- Intrapersonal learner – These learners will benefit from filling out their own graphic organizer independently. These learners will also benefit from being able to think individually about Joey Pigza’s character traits during the read-aloud before the turn and talk. They will benefit from forming their own responses.
- Interpersonal learner – These learners will benefit from the opportunity to volunteer responses during the lesson as well as from the turn and talk after the read-aloud. The students will most likely be the first the raise their hands and volunteer to share their answers.
RESOURCES:
Graphic Organizer for High Level Students
Graphic Organizer for Middle Level Students
*Developing level students were not given this graphic organizer as they were doing this lesson with the co-teacher and had a different assignment created for their level