IDENTIFYING CHARACTER TRAITS

Adapted from a printable of the same name on Read Write Think from the lesson Action is Character and from the Character Revision Bite from BBC KS3 Bitesize.

CHARACTERS DO THINGS.

They feel things.

They hear things.

They say things.

They think things.

They go places.

They can walk, run, leap, and jump.

They may sip tea in a chair.

They may just lie in bed, sleep, and dream.

But the important thing is that characters act.

friendly sad nosey happy love

struck confused angry inventive

And these actions show us what kind of people these characters are:

WHAT IS A CHARACTER TRAIT?

When we talk about character, we often describe that character in terms of character traits. Character traits are specific adjectives

that tell us the specific qualities of the character.

What is a character trait?

Active Rough Serious Selfish Mean Friendly Gloomy

Tall Clever Honest Sly Weak Brainy Polite

Examples of character traits

• Now take turns with your face partner, and tell him/her what 3 of these words mean.

We might use these same kinds of words to describe ourselves. Pick 3 words that describe you.

“Ms. Roberts is clever, funny, and bizarre.” Share them with a partner.

But, we can also use these to describe fictional characters.

What are character traits?

Answer these questions with your shoulder partner. Be prepared to share your answers with the class. What is a character trait? Name 3 character traits.

Stop and review!

HOW DO WE FIND A CHARACTER’S TRAITS?

The author may tell us these traits directly: Jim Wellings was not a man to be

glanced at. But nor was he a man to be stared at. To say he was a big man is like calling Buckingham Palace a big house. He was a man who filled whatever space there was. He wasn't fat, though; just big.

Tell your face partner what Jim is like. How do you know?

How do we find a character’s traits?

Stanley didn't have many friends at home. He was overweight and the kids at his middle school often teased him about his size. Even his teachers sometimes made cruel comments without realising it. On his last day of school, his math teacher, Mrs Bell, taught ratios. As an example, she chose the heaviest kid in the class and the lightest kid in the class, and had them weigh themselves. Stanley weighed three times as much as the other boy. Mrs Bell wrote the ratio on the board, 3:1, unaware of how much embarrassment she had caused both of them. 'Holes' - Louis Sachar

Tell your face partner what Stanley is like. How do you know?

How about this example?

BUT, more often, the author will show us these traits in action.

Our job as readers is to draw conclusions about the character’s traits (to infer them) from what the character:

How do we find a character’s traits?

• Says • Thinks • Does

Now we’re going to look at another extract from Holes. Stanley has just arrived at the prison camp.

Pay attention to what Mr. Sir (the man in the cowboy hat) says, does, and thinks.

We will use this to help us describe the character of Mr. Sir.

Some important phrases are in bold to help you.

How do we find a character’s traits?

A man was sitting with his feet up on a desk. He turned his head when Stanley and the guard entered, but otherwise didn't move. Even though he was inside, he wore sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He also held a can of cream soda, and the sight of it made Stanley even more aware of his own thirst.

He waited while the bus guard gave the man some papers to sign.

"That's a lot of sunflower seeds," the bus guard said. Stanley noticed a burlap sack filled with sunflower seeds on

the floor next to the desk. "I quit smoking last month," said the man in the cowboy

hat. He had a tattoo of a rattlesnake on his arm, and as he signed his name, the snake's rattle seemed to wiggle. "I used to smoke a pack a day. Now I eat a sack of these every week."

'Holes' - Louis Sachar

How do we find a character’s traits?

How can you find a character’s traits?Think about what you SEE

Statement – What is the observation about a character

Evidence – What proof is in the story to show you that the character deserves those traits?

Explanation – What do you know about people based on things you observe them doing?

He sat withhis feet up on the desk

Peoplewho are in charge can do what they want AND it kind of scares others when they do so

Mr. Sir wants to make an impression on you

He wears sunglasses and a cowboy hat inside

Dressing this way makes him stand out

Mr. Siris SELFISH and CRUEL

Hedoesn’t offer Stanley or the bus guard a soda

He doesn’t want to share the soda, so he’s selfish,

ANDhe’s really cruel for drinking it right in front of 2 very thirsty people

Statement Evidence Explanation

Mr. Sir likes to be in charge.

-Mr. Sir must be shorttempered

He stopped smoking recently

When people stop smoking, their bodies have to get used to not havingall those chemicals in their body, so they get cranky

Mr. Sir is a bully He has a rattlesnake tattooHe probably has a scary snake tattoo to try to scare other peopleinto being afraid of him

Mr. Siris disgusting He eatsa ton of sunflower seeds

He stopped a really gross habit, but he just replaces it with another one

Statement Evidence Explanation

So, Mr. Sir must be a disgusting, selfish, bad-tempered bully!

Quick! Think with your shoulder partner about other

ways to describe Mr. Sir.

All of our evidence from SEE just helps us pinpoint what characters say, do, and think.

So, let’s use SEE again!

But wait! There’s more!

Point Evidence Explanation

Mr. Sir likes to be in charge

He sat with his feet up on the desk

People who are in charge can do what they want AND it kind of scares others when they do so

Mr. Sir wants to make an impression on you

He wears sunglasses and a cowboy hat inside

Dressing this way makes him stand out

Mr. Sir is SELFISH and CRUEL

He doesn’t offer Stanley or the bus guard a soda

He doesn’t want to share the soda, so he’s selfish, AND he’s really cruel for drinking it right in front of 2 very thirsty people

Here’s your evidence!

Things Mr. Sir

does!

Point Evidence Explanation

Mr. Sir must be short-tempered

He stopped smoking recently

When people stop smoking, their bodies have to get used to not having all those chemicals in their body, so they get cranky

Mr. Sir is a bully He has a rattlesnake tattoo

He probably has a scary snake tattoo to try to scare other people into being afraid of him

Mr. Sir is disgusting He eats a ton of sunflower seeds

He stopped a really gross habit, but he just replaces it with another one

And some more evidence!

Things Mr. Sir

does!

Our evidence for Mr. Sir’s character was all about what he does.

Can you and your face partner name two other kinds of evidence about a character?

Pause to review!

Read this final excerpt from Holes. Think about how to SEE.

What statements about Stanley can you make?

What is your evidence? How would you explain the connection?

Write down your answers and be ready to share with the class.

How about another example?

Stanley and his parents had tried to pretend that he was just going away to camp for a while, just like rich kids do. When Stanley was younger he used to play with stuffed animals, and pretend the animals were at camp. Camp Fun and Games he called it. Sometimes he'd have them play soccer with a marble. Other times they'd run an obstacle course, or go bungee jumping off a table, tied to broken rubber bands. Now Stanley tried to pretend he was going to Camp Fun and Games. Maybe he'd make some friends, he thought. At least he'd get to swim in the lake.

'Holes' - Louis Sachar

How about another example?

Statement Evidence Explanation

Stanley is very lonely Stanley played games all by himself with his stuffed animals

It doesn’t say he had any friends to play with, and the toys seemed like his friends

Stanley can make a bad situation seem okay

Stanley thinks that maybe he can have fun and make friends at camp

The camp he is going to is a prison camp, but he still imagines something good could come out of it

Check your work!

What does SEE stand for? Why do we SEE?

Ticket out the Door