Using Dialogue to Understand Characters in Stories
Using Dialogue to Understand Characters in Stories Objective: Students will learn to use dialogue in stories to better understand characters and how they contribute to the story.
Learning Objectives
- Identify dialogue in a story.
- Explain how dialogue helps reveal a character’s feelings or thoughts.
- Describe how characters change or stay the same using their spoken words.
Materials Needed
- Short story with dialogue (print or digital)
- Paper and pencil
- Chart paper or whiteboard
Key Vocabulary
- Dialogue
- The words that characters say to each other in a story.
- Character
- A person, animal, or figure in a story.
- Story
- A description of real or imagined events told to entertain or inform.
Detailed Activities
Read and Discuss Dialogue
- Read a short story aloud together with your child, pausing to point out dialogue.
- Ask your child who is speaking and what they think the character is feeling based on the dialogue.
- Write down some dialogue lines on chart paper and discuss what they tell us about the characters.
Role Play Dialogue
- Choose two characters from the story and read their dialogue lines aloud with your child.
- Take turns acting out the characters, paying attention to their feelings and tone.
- Discuss how saying the dialogue out loud helps understand the characters better.
Draw and Write
- Have your child draw one of the characters from the story.
- Ask them to write a sentence or two about what the character might say or feel using clues from the dialogue.
- Share and talk about the drawing and writing together.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- Focus on making the reading experience fun and interactive to keep your child engaged.
- Encourage your child to think about how characters express their feelings through words.
- It’s okay if your child needs help reading or understanding parts of the story; support them gently and praise their efforts.
Assessment Questions
- What is dialogue in a story?
- Can you tell me what a character said and how it made you feel about them?
- How did the character change or stay the same based on what they said?
Extension Ideas
- Create a short story together where your child writes simple dialogue for characters.
- Watch a children’s show or read another story and identify dialogue and character feelings.
- Use puppets or toys to act out dialogues and explore character emotions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Break down the dialogue into small parts and ask simple questions about what each character might be feeling. Use tone of voice and facial expressions to help explain.
Yes, but choose a story with clear dialogue and simple language suitable for your child’s reading level.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Children may think dialogue is just talking and miss how it shows feelings.
- They might confuse dialogue with narration or description.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use simple, short dialogues and read together.
- Provide visual supports like pictures to represent characters and emotions.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage writing longer dialogues with more details.
- Ask them to create dialogue that shows a problem and solution.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend extra time reading and discussing dialogue if your child is new to this concept.
- Allow breaks between activities to keep focus during the 45-minute lesson.
Standards
- 3.W.2d — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequences, including dialogue to show character and advance the story.
Printable Worksheet
Plan Your Own Lesson
Looking for a custom lesson plan? Try our Lesson Planning Generator — create standards-based plans for any topic, instantly!
Common Core Aligned Lesson Plans
Looking for another common core lesson? See all of the lesson plans here.
More Free Lesson Plans
We’re adding more every week! Check back soon or explore all our lesson plans here.
Leave a Reply