Christine A. Elmore
Materials: chart paper, black marker, a copy of the unit’s Readers Theatre play, character traits list
Objective: To identify the action clues of a character in the play to determine his/her character traits
Procedure:
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The teacher will refer to the first lesson, reminding students how they looked at the words a character said in the story to figure out what character traits the character possessed. Today they will look at the actions of a character, what he does and how he reacts to try to solve his problem.
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The teacher draws a large outline of a person similar to a gingerbread man showing a head and four limbs.
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The teacher labels the head area with the character’s name, writes the labels ‘behavior’ and ‘actions’ in the left and right arm respectively, ‘feelings’ in the figure’s midsection and ‘reactions’ in both leg areas.
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The teacher will start with the Prince of Morocco and read parts of the play where he is showing either action or reaction. The point of this lesson is really to help students realize that a person can change and this character does so in observable ways. This prince strides into the casket room confidently but he leaves that same room soon afterwards shocked and with a realization that he did not win because of his own limitations (fooled by trusting others’ judgment and by appearances). There is some resolution in his reactions to his failed attempt not just to lick his wounds but to change.
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The teacher can create such a chart for each of the four characters encouraging lots of discussion along the way and even asking the students to share times when they had to do a hard thing and how it made them stronger, or kinder or more cooperative.
