Christine A. Elmore
Materials: chart paper, black marker, a copy of the unit’s Readers Theatre play, a simple list of character traits (found in Section 3)
Objective: To find four quotes made by a character in the play and infer what character traits are suggested.
Procedure:
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Teacher creates a large chart on which she draws a large stick figure surrounded by four speech bubbles. Under it is the question: Look at the character’s words. What kind of person is he/she like? Room on this chart after this question is left for recording the students’ ideas.
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The teacher asks the class to choose one of the four characters from the play: Portia, Bassanio, the Prince of Morocco or the Prince of Arragon and writes that name above the stick figure.
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The teacher then reads different quotes in the play made by that character and writes them in the speech bubbles.
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The teacher rereads each quote again and then asks the students to help come up with character traits (found on a list the class is given and is familiar with) that can be inferred by the words and tell what kind of person the character is.
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The teacher will encourage students to offer their own opinions. This will encourage a more rich discussion. The traits will be written in the space provided on the chart.
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The same can be done with each of the four characters in the days ahead.
