Objective:
To describe characters
Activity:
Write the following sentences on the board. Call on several volunteers to rewrite each sentence on the chalkboard, filling in the blanks. Have the students note how each rewritten sentence resulted in a different picture.
1. The girl’s ______ hair reached to ______.
2. Her ______ arms were framed by the _______ dress.
3. His ______ eyes seem to ______ every time he spoke to us.
4. His ______ legs easily cleared the high pole.
5. Her ______fingers untied the rope ______.
Procedure
After the students have done the activity, have them compare their responses to see how the descriptions of each face differed and how they were alike. After students have completed the assignment, ask different individuals to read their descriptions aloud without mentioning the quality they wish the description to convey.
Listeners should try to figure out what the the quality is from the description. Caution students that if they have named the quality in their descrip-tion to say the word blank instead of the quality when they read aloud. Ask the students to make up a character that might be unusually strong, or frightening, or another character of their choice. Then have the students write a detailed description of their character. Remind them to include details about the person’s looks and actions that will help develop the description.
