Readers Meet the Characters In Our Books

This month we have been learning all about the characters in our books.

We have been reading books such as:
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Cam Jansen and the Ice Skate Mystery by David A. Adler
Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea by Cynthia Rylant
Arthur's Teacher Troubles by Marc Brown

We are learning to think about the characters in our story as people.  We pay close attention to the things characters do, the kinds of people they are,and how their feelings change across the story, chapter or series. 

Questions you can ask:

• Retell the story (what happened first, next, then.... last)
• What lessons did I learn from this story?
• How is the character feeling?
• What type of character is he/she? (Nervous, clumsy, friendly)
• Based on what we know about the character, what do we predict he/she will do next?
• Think about the actions and decisions of the character.  Do you agree or disagree with them?
• Put yourself in your characters' shoes... Are the character's actions or decisions similar to or different than the ones you would make?