Sarah Jacobs Lesson Plan 2 Readers/Writers Workshop Subject/Topic: Readers Workshop Objective: The students will be able to infer

character traits by analyzing the characters actions in a story. Common Core Standards Applied: 3.RL.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. Procedure: Mini-Lesson: Connection: Sometimes as readers we judge a book were going to read by the cover. This not only happens with reading but sometimes we make first impressions of others without even talking to them. Yesterday, I was walking to my car and dropped a few items. A woman who happened to see picked them up for me and brought them over to me. She didnt say anything and walked away. Right away I was so thankful that the lady brought my belongings back. She was so thoughtful, nice, and helpful! I am going to teach you that good readers get to know their characters by observing and analyzing how their character acts. Listen to me as I think aloud about the characters actions and create an inference about the character as a person.

Teaching: The teacher will read aloud a part from the story they are reading in class, Because of Winn Dixie. She will pull a specific example from the story and discuss how she used her background knowledge as well as reading and learning to make an inference about the character. The teacher

will discuss how the character Opal, in the book, Because of Winn-Dixie, claims the dog even though it does not belong to her. Opal decided to take the dog home because the dog was a stray and she did not want to anyone to call the pound. I feel that Opals actions display that she is the type of person who is very caring and helpful. I came to this conclusion by using my background knowledge, reading and learning new information from the chapter which lead me to make my inference. As the teacher, I would also demonstrate how to take notes while giving my example. The teacher will demonstrate note taking by using her post-its and notebook and will jot down important notes while reading aloud to the class.

Active engagement: Now, I would like everyone to take out their books and try to analyze your main characters actions. Try to make an inference about the type of person your character is using the knowledge you gained from reading and based upon the characters actions. The students will be given 10 minutes to work on this independently. After the 10 minutes have passed, the students will then be asked to move into their book club group and share their different views points and inferences with one another. The students will be comparing the similar and different inferences they each made about their character. Each student will share their thoughts and share their evidence from the text on why they inferred this about the character.

Link: Reading and understanding a character is just like seeing and

understanding a friend, classmate, or family member. Sometimes people do not express how they are feeling but by watching their actions we can almost always have an idea of how they might be feeling. By linking everyday life experiences the students will have a better understanding on how to determine a character trait while reading.

Time to Confer: During the student teacher conference the teacher will work with the student individually and discuss their book and work on the strengths and needs the student displays. The teacher might ask a question to make a connection and help the student understand what they are looking for. The teacher may also ask a question to get the student to be actively thinking while trying to understand their character. The teacher can also make a positive comment to bring the whole class together when a student had a good idea or used a good technique when finding their characters traits.

After the workshop Share: Once the workshop is completed and the students have worked on identifying the main character from their book club books, each group will then share their findings with the class. The groups will also discuss any differences when going over their inferences they may have encountered within the group. The teacher will close the workshop by reminding the students to always infer character traits by analyzing the characters actions in a story.

Assessment: The students will be asked to read independently and once they have a thought or an idea about the character based on their action they will be asked to stop and jot down their findings. As the students are reading the teacher will call specific students/groups to meet one on one for a conference. The students will be assessed throughout the lesson by conferencing and viewing their notes.

Management/Transition: The students will be seated with their book club groups ahead of time. All materials such as extra paper, post-its, and writing utensils will be placed on the center table before the lesson. Students should already have their own supplies but if they are needed during the workshop still will be permitted to come up and grab what they need. Differentiation: Each student is reading a book according to their academic reading level and are placed in book club groups with peers according to learning level. For students who are more advanced learners they will be asked to not only focus on the main characters and their traits but at least two other characters in the story. The students will jot down notes on the actions or evidence from the story proves their inference on each character. The students who may struggle with this lesson or have an IEP with specific accommodations will be given a work sheet with prompts to help guide the students on what to look for when trying to find out the characters trait. The

worksheet is very specific and has an example shown on the top of the page for the students to look at as a guide.

Name ______________________________________________ Date__________ Think of 3 words that describe the main characters personality. For each word, give an example from the book of the character demonstrating that trait. Example: Book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Main Character: Charlie Personality Trait: Kindness Example from the book: Charlie shows kindness when he shares his birthday chocolate bar with his family even though he only received one chocolate bar. Book Title:______________________________________________________ Main Character___________________________________________________

1.Personality Trait _________________________________________________ Example from the book (Page #):_____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

2.Personality Trait _________________________________________________ Example from the book (Page #):_____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

3. Personality Trait ________________________________________________ Example from the book (Page #):______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________