Character Words: Traits and Adjectives

When teaching students to describe characters or identify character traits shown in stories, simply having  a list of great adjectives is not always enough. While some students lack the verbal vocabulary necessary to be able to adequately describe characters, a majority of students are unable to recall word meanings or have never even heard many of the words on the list.

After a guided reading lesson “gone bad” where I directed students to read their book thinking about how they would describe the main character, I came up with the idea of providing students with the definitions and a picture clue for character adjectives.This would provide the scaffolding they needed while also exposing them to new word meanings. I prepare for my guided reading lessons or read alouds on this topic by picking out 5-10 words with a mix of ones that describe the character and ones that are obviously opposite of how the character acts. After reading the story, students and I sort the words discussing how they do or do not fit for the character.

Using this approach, you will soon find students pointing out examples of character adjectives/traits in your read alouds and their independent reading books. I have found that work with describing words (especially if you post them in the room) continues on long after my initial lessons because students want to use the vocabulary words.  

I have uploaded my 48 definition cards, a 9 pg activity packet, and a powerpoint file for using with the smartboard on teacherspayteachers. The activity packet includes: 

* a positive/negative character trait sort

* a "trait a week" recording sheet

* an antonym worksheet

* a synonym worksheet

* a response page for thinking about characters in independent reading books

* a Frayer-Model like sheet for focusing on one word at a time

* a character change worksheet (for analyzing characters at the beginning, middle, and end)

* "My Personality" trait worksheet

* independent reading character sort (see below)