Physical

Descriptions of Characters in Narratives: Characterization and Word Choice

Objective: 4th grade students will be able use superior word choice to write physical
descriptions of a character in a narrative.

Common Core Standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details
in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

Continuum of Literacy Learning Goal:
Use descriptive language and dialogue to present characters/subjects who appear and
develop in memoir, biography and fiction.
Vary word choice to create interesting description and dialogue
Use memorable or vivid words

Day 1: Introduction of Physical Descriptions and Word Choice
Teacher:
o Read aloud excerpt from Matilda by Roald Dahl on page 26 multiple times so that
students can hear the physical descriptions
o Write down descriptions that you and the students notice in the passage.
o Write down words that stand out to the students from the passage
Students:
o Listen
o Participate in adding character descriptions to a character chart about
Trunchbull.
o Think Pair Share: What makes this passage so descriptive?
o Generate a list of words that stand out (examples: eccentric, bloodthirsty, sinewy,
obstinate)
Materials: Matilda, chart paper and marker

Day 2: Teacher Model of Physical Description and Word Choice
Teacher:
o Show teacher-crafted writing an model your brainstorming before you started
your write by filling out the Character Profile organizer below
o Read the model to the class multiple times
o Write down descriptions that you and the students notice as well as words that
stand out
o Explain why we need physical description/word choice and how it is useful in
writing.
Students:
o Listen
o Participate in coming up with descriptions and words for the chart paper
Materials: Teacher crafted writing (electronic or printed for showing on ELMO), chart
paper and markers

Day 3: Snapshots of Characters

Teacher:
o Read aloud expert from Charlottes Web by E.B. White a few times
o Explain, Snapshot: many books begin with a description of the character or
have the description some where in the text. A snapshot is like a picture made of
words.
o Do a shared write of a snapshot about another character that the class has read
about (i.e. Harry Potter or Annemarie Johansen from Number the Stars)
Students:
o Listen
o Participate in class write by generating the character to write about and adding
to the snapshot of the character.
Materials: Charlottes Web, chart paper or something to write the snapshot on.

Day 4: Using the 5 Senses in Snapshots of Characters/Brainstorm
Teacher:
o Read aloud the excerpt from The Witches by Roald Dahl multiple times
o Fill out 5 senses chart chart: How is the way Dahl uses characterization play to
your senses? What senses are engaged?
o Point out that there is no right way of describing a character.
Students:
o Listen
o Participate in the 5 senses chart making
o Start brainstorming character ideas for their own snapshot. They will create a
new character from a story that they will write later.
o 3-2-1: 3 possible ideas for your character, 2 reasons why we use a snapshot, 1
question you have for me about snapshots or your brainstorm
Materials: The Witches, Chart paper for 5 senses chart, students writers notebooks,
sticky notes for the 3-2-1

Day 5: Word Choice in Descriptions/Rough Draft
Teacher:
o Revisit the words chosen from the example texts. How are these words important
for the description? What do they add? How can we find better words to make
our snapshots more descriptive?
o Walk around and help students write their drafts. Monitor and answer questions.
Look for word choice.
o Hand out rubric and checklists and explain what you will be looking for in their
snapshot
Students:
o Participate in opening questions
o Write a rough draft of character snapshot
Materials: students writers notebooks, rubrics, checklists

Day 6: Revising Snapshots of Characters/Wrap-up of Physical Descriptions
Teacher:
o Read Matilda snapshots from pages 6, 7, 19 and 20.

o Continue to help students with their snapshots.

o Show students the rubric for their snapshot
Students:
o Listen
o Revise draft of snapshot and turn in a clean copy for grading
Materials: students writers notebooks, Matilda, and rubric for snapshot

Mentor Texts:

1. Charlottes Web by E.B. White
Page 29-30
Play? said Templetonand was abroad only after dark.

Page 36-37
As last Wilbur saw the creature. waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting.

Details:
I chose Charlottes Web because it was one of my favorite books growing up and I know a lot
of children have read it or have background knowledge of this title. The characters are set
up in a little bit different way than my other mentor texts so I thought it would be a good
book to add variety and show students that they can make snapshots in many different
ways. The way that they author describes Templeton in the first excerpt through his
dialogue with Wilbur we get the idea that he is a rat and is sneaky. Words like frolic and
glutton are rich description words. When the author describes Charlotte in the next
section he changes his way of using the snapshot. He talks about her size and color, even
using a comparison to show that she was the size of a gumdrop instead of just saying she
was big.

2. Matilda by Roald Dahl
Page 26:
Normally Miss Honey was terrified of the Headmistress She looked, in short, more like a
rather eccentric and bloodthirsty follower of the stag-hounds than the headmistress of a
nice school for children.

Page 6:
Mr. Wormwood was a small ratty-looking man whose front teeth stuck out underneath a
thin ratty moustache. He liked to wear jackets with large brightly-coloured checks and he
sported ties that were usually yellow or pale green.

Page 7:
Mrs. Wormwood sat munching her meal with her eyes glued to the American soap opera on
the screen. She was a large woman whose hair was dyed platinum blonde except where you
could see the mousy-brown bits growing out from the roots. She wore heavy makeup and
she had one of those unfortunate bulging figures where the flesh appears to be strapped in
all around the body to prevent it from falling out.

Page 19:

Their teacher was called Miss Honey, and she could not have been more than twenty-three
or twenty-four. She had a lovely pale oval madonna face with blue eyes and her hair was
light-brown. Her body was so slim and fragile one got the feeling that if she fell over she
would smash into a thousand pieces, like a porcelain figure.

Page 20:
Miss Trunchbull, the Headmistress, was something else altogether. She was a gigantic holy
terror, a fierce tyrannical monster who frightened the life out of the pupils and teachers
alike. There was an aura of menace about her even at a distance, and when she came up
close you could almost feel the dangerous heat radiating from her as from a red-hot rod of
metal. When she marched Miss Trunchbull never walked, she always marched like a
storm-trooper with long strides and arms aswinging when she marched along a corridor
you could actually hear her snorting as she went, and if a group of children happened to be
in her path, she ploughed right on through them like a tank, with small people bouncing off
her to left and right.

Details:
I chose Matilda also because I loved it but additionally I love the way Roald Dahl uses
description. He does a fantastic job of showing instead of just telling. He also uses his
descriptions throughout his book so it shows the students that although snapshots can be
used to start a story they can be used any where in a book. My favorite description is that on
page 26 of Miss. Trunchbull. Dahls word choice is so vivid. He uses words like formidable,
sinewy, bull-neck, obstinate, massive, eccentric and bloodthirsty that would be great
mentor words for the students to look at. The way that Dahl explores Trunchbulls outfit as
well as her physique is just another great example of how students could arrange their
writing. The descriptions on page 6 and 7 of Matildas parents are short and to the point.
This gives students an example of something that is shorter and could be used for more
minor characters. Words like ratty-looking, mousy-brown, and bulging are good examples
to show the students. The other description of Miss Trunchbull on page 20 gives you insight
in how this woman walks and sounds. I love the comparison to a storm-trooper who
marches down the hall and a tank. Words to point out would include menace, radiating,
ploughed and tyrannical. I think the whole second sentence in that blurb is outstandingly
descriptive.

3. The Witches by Roald Dahl
Page 58-9 :
That face of hers was the most frightful and frightening thing I have ever seen. Just looking
at it gave me the shakes all over. It was so crumpled and wizened, so shrunken and
shriveled, it looked as thought it had been pickled in vinegar. It was a fearsome and ghastly
sight. There was something terribly wrong with it, something foul and putrid and decayed.
It seemed quite literally to be rotting away at the edges, and in the middle of the face,
around the mouth and cheeks, I could see the skin all cankered and worm-eaten, as though
maggots were working away in there It rasped. It grated. It scraped. It shrieked. And it
growled.

Details:
I chose this mentor text also because Roald Dahl wrote it. His descriptions in this excerpt

are gruesome yet wonderfully vivid. This shows students how an author can use a snapshot
just to focus on one specific part of a character. He just describes the face but he does so in
many different ways that give us a complete picture. Some words to point out are frightful,
shrunken, ghastly, putrid, decayed, cankered, mesmerized, metallic, grated and rasped. The
part about her face being pickled in vinegar is a great description that gives students
something to reference. I also like the repetition of how the witchs voice sounded at the end
of the section. For the 5 senses I can see the ugliness of her face, I can feel the shriveled
texture, I can smell the rotten decay and I can hear her horrible grating voice.

Differentiation:
When the students brainstorm, I can let students draw pictures instead of writing out
their ideas. This would be especially helpful with ELL students. I could also let them
describe their ideas orally if they need to.
Giving students a brainstorming organizer, would help some struggling students
organize their thoughts as well as give them structure.

I use Think, Pair, Share in day one so that students can work collaboratively and scaffold
each other.
For students who may need to see the text, I can give copies of the mentor text excerpts
for them to follow along.
Students may also be given more time to complete the project, such as time at home.
We are also doing a lot of whole group work so the students can listen to peer ideas and
be helped out by the students around them.

For an extension students may write a longer piece or use more difficult words. They
can also write more than one Snapshot.
Another extension would be to start writing their story that goes with their character
and adding more snapshots throughout.

Assessment:

For an informal assessment I plan on using the 3-2-1 slips from day 4. This will help me
gauge where my students are and if I need to change anything about my lesson for the next few
days. The students are responsible for writing their own Snapshot on any made-up and original
character that they like. I will assess them based on the rubric below and the students will be
given the checklist below so that they can self assess their work before they turn in their
writing.
Self-assessment checklist:

Do I have everything I need in my Snapshot?

At least one original character who is physically described

Superior and vivid descriptive words

At least 10 complete sentences
1 or fewer grammatical errors

Snapshot Rubric:
Criteria
1
Physical
Description

Word
Choice
Sentences
Grammar

No character is
described in detail or
the character isnt
original. There are
few to no strong
detailed physical
characteristics
described.

At least one original

character is
described in some
detail. A few physical
characteristics are
included that may
help you picture the
character but they
arent strong details.
Weak words are used. Strong words are
Words arent varied
used. Words arent
throughout Snapshot. varied throughout
Snapshot.
Less than 4 complete At least 7 complete
sentences are present. sentences are
present.
There are more than 4 There are 2-4
grammatical errors
grammatical errors
present.
present.

Teacher
Notes

At least one original

character is described
in detail. Strong
physical
characteristics are
included that help you
picture the character.
Vivid and superior

words are used.
Words are varied
throughout Snapshot.
At least 10 complete

sentences are present.
There are one or
fewer grammatical
errors present.




Teacher Crafted Writing
Silvia sank into the warm embrace of the large armchair and let out a sigh of relief. Her
creaky old bones settled into place as she picked up her knitting needles. Silvia Waters had
stormy gray hair. Delicate glasses perched on the end of her crooked nose, magnifying her
bright, intelligent blue eyes. Laugh lines wrinkled her face, showing the many joys that she had
experienced in her long life. Silvias arthritic and wrinkled hands worked the needles slowly.
Her gnarled hands struggled and eventually she gave up rubbing her sore fingers gently. The
musty smell of mothballs permeated the air around Silvia. From her pink robe she extracted a
cough drop, which she plopped in her mouth. Silvia reached down by her pink fuzzy slippers to
pet her little tabby cat as she rubbed against her leg. Her back stiffened and she slowly
straightened back out. Just as she was reaching for her worn copy of Wuthering Heights, the
doorbell rang. Who could that be, Silvia wondered. No one ever visited the petite elderly lady.
With a deep breath she steeled herself to stand.

Reflection:

I had a hard time getting started. I brainstormed first and had a few ideas but had a hard
time deciding what I wanted to write about. I eventually found that Googling pictures of
random people helped get me started. I was just scrolling through when I found a cartoon
picture of an elderly lady knitting. Something drew me to that picture and so I just started
listing out ideas of what the lady could look like. Then I started writing. Once started, the ideas
followed smoothly. I then went back and changed some words and rearranged and added
sentences. I thought it was interesting that I roughly followed the writing process without even
realizing.







References:
Dahl, Roald, and Quentin Blake. Matilda. New York, N.Y.: Viking Kestrel, 1988. Print.
Dahl, Roald, and Quentin Blake. The Witches. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983. Print.
Pinnell, Gay Su., and Irene C. Fountas. The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades 3-8: A Guide
to Teaching. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007. Print.

White, E. B., and Garth Williams. Charlotte's Web. Print.