Understanding Characters and Their Traits in Stories
Understanding Characters and Their Traits in Stories Objective: Students will be able to describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described in a story.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the narrator or speaker in a story.
- Describe how the narrator’s point of view affects the story.
- List character traits based on details from the story.
- Explain how the narrator’s perspective influences the way events are described.
Materials Needed
- A short story appropriate for 5th grade (printout or book)
- Paper and pencils
- Character trait chart (printable or drawn)
- Colored pencils or markers
Key Vocabulary
- Narrator
- The person or character who tells the story.
- Point of View
- The perspective from which the story is told.
- Character Trait
- A quality or feature that describes what a character is like.
Detailed Activities
Reading and Identifying the Narrator
- Read the chosen short story aloud together or have the student read it independently.
- Discuss who is telling the story and what point of view they are using (first person, third person, etc.).
- Ask the student to explain how the narrator’s point of view might affect how events are described.
Character Traits Exploration
- Create a character trait chart with the student’s help, listing main characters and space for traits.
- Return to the story to find details that describe the characters’ actions, feelings, or words.
- Fill in the chart with these traits, discussing how the narrator’s point of view helps us learn about the characters.
Discussion and Reflection
- Have the student explain how the story might be different if told from another character’s point of view.
- Encourage drawing or writing a short paragraph about their favorite character and why.
- Review and summarize how the narrator’s perspective shapes the story.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on understanding how the narrator’s point of view affects the story, which is a key skill in reading comprehension.
- Encourage your child to think about how the story might change if told by a different character for deeper understanding.
- Keep the discussion light and fun, allowing your child to share their thoughts freely.
Assessment Questions
- Who is telling the story? What clues helped you figure that out?
- What point of view is the narrator using?
- Name two character traits of the main character and tell where you found them in the story.
- How does the narrator’s point of view change the way events are described?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child write a short story or a diary entry from the point of view of a different character in the story.
- Read another story with a different narrator’s point of view and compare how the events are described.
- Draw a comic strip showing the same event from two different characters’ perspectives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with simple examples, like ‘I’ and ‘he/she’ in sentences. Use everyday examples like telling a story about what happened at school from your own view and then from a friend’s view.
Focus on the basic idea that stories are told by someone, and that this affects what we learn. Use the vocabulary definitions provided and discuss them in simple terms.
Yes, younger children can focus on identifying who is telling the story, while older children can analyze more complex points of view and character motivations.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse the narrator with the author; clarify that the narrator is a character or voice within the story.
- Some students might think point of view is only about first or third person, but it also includes how much the narrator knows or feels.
- Students might focus only on plot events without connecting them to the narrator’s perspective.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use simpler texts with clear first-person narration.
- Provide sentence starters or graphic organizers to help identify point of view.
- Use audio recordings of stories to support understanding.
For Advanced Students:
- Have them compare multiple narrators in different stories.
- Encourage writing their own story from different points of view.
- Explore how unreliable narrators influence the story.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend 10-15 minutes reading and discussing the story.
- Allocate 15 minutes for character trait exploration and chart completion.
- Use the remaining time for discussion, reflection, and assessment questions.
- Adjust timing as needed based on your child’s engagement and understanding.
Standards
- 5.RL.6 — Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Printable Worksheet
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