6 - Readers Get to Know Characters

There are many reasons to have students read books with a focus on character. This unit builds on readers’ natural instinct to imitate and role-play by asking them to watch their characters closely, in order to walk in the character’s shoes. Readers will take on many roles across the unit as they read and reread an abundance of narrative text which features relatable characters. It is supportive, but not necessary to supply readers with books in a series. In other words, readers may read numerous different text featuring varied characters during independent reading or they may study one character across numerous titles in that series. The route taken by teachers will most likely depend on resources available given reader’s reading levels.

Partnerships will play an essential role in helping readers to use their thinking, flagged pages and short jots to talk and role play with other readers. It is necessary to envision the partnership component running alongside the minilesson or any instructional moment during the reading workshop block of time. Teachers should consider what partnerships will look like and sound like each day and set readers up for successful meetings given the instructional components with a workshop.

The first concept, Readers use strategies to get to know their characters- asks readers to use many of the strategies they’ve been utilizing throughout the year to get to know their characters. Readers will use the cover, illustrations, and words on each page to infer what their character is feeling, thinking and saying. This string of lessons leans heavily on inference and envisioning seeing that book level complexities will be few and readers will rely on imagining their character’s actions and feelings based on limited words and pictures.

The next concept, Readers work with partners to imagine characters- will make readers see their characters in the scenes of their stories. Seeing the tiny details of the scene will help readers pay attention to the world of their character. Readers will pay attention to the entire story in an effort to understand “big events” and how these big events impact their thinking about the characters. Readers will imagine how characters sound and what their characters would say and do given the events in the story. Readers will continue to reread and reenact their character book reading with partners throughout this concept.

The third concept, Readers become experts on characters and perform their stories-sets readers up to organize mini-plays with their reading partners. Readers will read, reread and retell stories as they perform the stories as characters. Readers will grow their thinking beyond the texts’ pages and predict what might happen next given the storyline. These predictions will be evident in the role-playing and acting as readers perform their stories.

*This unit of study is purposefully focused on reading comprehension to get to know characters in narrative text. Teachers will continue to meet with strategy groups and conduct shared reading and guided reading groups with a focus on print strategies based on students’ needs.

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

UDL is a research-based framework that focuses on proactive design and delivery of curriculum, instruction and assessment. UDL provides opportunities for every student to learn and show what they know, with high expectations for all learners.

Each student learns in a unique manner so a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. UDL principles create options for how instruction is presented, how students express their ideas, and how teachers can engage students in their learning. (NY DOE)

© CAST, 2013

UDL
Universal Design for Learning

1. How do readers use strategies to get to know their characters?
2. How do readers work with partners to imagine their characters?
3. How do readers become experts about their characters?

Concept I: Readers use strategies to get to know characters

Session 1 Readers look at cover illustrations and ask, “What does this tell me about the characters?”

Session 2 Readers look at pictures to tell how characters are feeling

Session 3 Readers read and look at the pages to talk about the character’s setting

Session 4 Readers read and reread to retell the actions of their character

Session 5 Readers read and look at all the pages to say what they learned about their character

Session 6 Readers imagine what characters are thinking and saying

Session 7 Readers prepare to talk to partners about their characters by using all the strategies they know

Concept II: Readers work with partners to imagine characters

Session 8 Readers imagine what characters say and do by acting like them

Session 9 Readers use their voice and imagine how characters sound

Session 10 Readers role-play the big event from their stories

Session 11 Readers reread the story as partners role-play the characters

Session 12 Readers listen to different ideas about characters

Concept III Readers become experts on characters and perform their stories

Session 13 Readers organize mini-plays with reading partners

Session 14 Readers reread, retell and reenact stories

Session 15 Readers coach their partners to look and sound like their characters

Session 16 Readers study their characters by rereading and relooking at their story

Session 17 Readers imagine beyond the story and act out the parts that come after

Session 18 Readers chose a story to perform for others

Session 19 Readers perform their stories to celebrate all they know about their character