Objectives:
To compare story characters with people you know and write about it.
To choose a story character and, using a report card format, grade him/her on different subjects.
Materials:
Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco, journals, loose-leaf paper, pencils, rulers.
Procedure:
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1.
Begin by reading and discussing
Mrs. Katz and Tush
.
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2.
Begin a discussion of how story characters may remind us of people we know. Ask students to give examples they think of.
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3.
Ask the students to open their journals and using a ruler, help them to divide the page into three columns, the first two about 2 inches wide leaving the last column considerably wider. Ask them to label the first column, ‘Character’, the second one ‘Someone I Know’ and the third, longer one, ‘How are they alike?’.
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4.
On large chart paper following the same format, the teacher then models a character comparison (ideally from a well-known story), writing to familiarize the students with how it is done.
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5.
Students are then instructed to select a character from Polacco’s story and write a comparison. As students write, teacher circulates, giving assistance and direction as needed. Allow 20-25 minutes for writing.
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6.
Students are then called to sit in a large circle bringing their journals with them. Here volunteers read aloud their character comparisons.
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7.
Such discussion of the qualities of the story characters help lead us into our next activity which is making a report card for a main character in this story. We begin by listing the qualities or abilities of the characters that can be judged.
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8.
To prepare the report card divide a sheet of loose-leaf paper into three columns entitled ‘Subject’, ‘Letter Grade’, and ‘Comments’. The character’s name, of course, is written at the top of the paper.
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9.
A report card may look something like this:
Character—Larnel
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Subject
|
Letter Grade
|
Comments
|
|
Kind
|
A
|
Larnel brings Mrs. Katz a kitten to keep her company
|
|
Determined
|
A
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Larnel keeps searching for Tush.
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|
Helpful
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B+
|
Larnel sometimes helps Mrs. Katz get ready for celebrations.
|
|
Open
|
A
|
Larnel is willing to try new foods.
|
|
Listening
|
A
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Larnel loves to listen to Mrs. Katz’s stories.
|
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10.
Such report cards could initially be displayed on the bulletin board and later bound together and made into a class book.
