Teaching character traits with picture books. It looks at how they are feeling These activities range from simply identifying the character based off of a picture or paragraph to explaining traits about a character. Mini-lesson: Readers ask powerful questions about characters Mini-lesson: Readers identify internal and external character traits Mini-lesson: Readers can identify how a character responds to challenges Mini-lesson: Readers identify their favorite book character and CELEBRATE the end of the unit with a favorite book character party! Discover effective strategies and activities for teaching character analysis in the primary grades. Feb 15, 2017 · Looking at how characters change throughout a story. I chose the following 6 books to teach character traits, character feelings, and character actions. 1. . Her accomplishments as a blind and deaf person helped to change perceptions of members of these communities and transformed in particular their opportunities for education. Teaching, the profession of those who give instruction, especially in an elementary school or a secondary school or in a university. Learn how to teach character traits to your elementary students in fun and engaging ways that gets them excited about reading comprehension! Aug 28, 2023 · Use these children's books as mentor texts to show character arcs, or character's growth from the beginning to ending of a story. The author doesn’t directly tell the reader what the character is like, which forces kids to have to learn to piece it together by […] Aug 12, 2024 · In this blog post I’m dropping all my secrets for teaching character traits—those descriptive adjectives that bring storybook characters to life! Understanding character traits not only helps students connect with literature but also sharpens their analytical skills as they explore the personalities of their favorite protagonists and antagonists. Mentor Text #4: Toot & Puddle Toot & Puddle is an adorable story of two pigs, Toot and Puddle. This can occur in a variety of ways, but a popular method is to use picture books and Teaching character analysis in upper elementary is one powerful way to help our students improve their reading comprehension. This teacher guide provides parents with the tools to nurture positive character development through literature. It includes exceptional picture book/mentor text recommendations, free teaching ideas, guided interactive reading questions, and pertinent information about each book. You’ll have everything you need The character trait links above provide free ideas, activities, and printables you can use when teaching character traits to your elementary students. Learn some easy activities you can implement for low investment and high return. When students understand the motivations, conflicts, and traits of the characters in a story, they can gain a deeper understanding of the plot, themes, and overall meaning of the text. Click above to receive 3 FREE charts to use when teaching character traits! Plus, you’ll get small ones that are the perfect size for student book boxes and bookmarks for students to use as well! 3. This poster is the perfect reference for teaching your students to distinguish between character traits and physical traits. Character traits are one of my favorite skills to teach in reading. A free lesson guide is included. Jul 27, 2020 · Are you looking for mentor texts to use with lessons on narrative writing, inferences, and character traits? This list of mentor texts includes a helpful guide with teaching points to use in both reading and writing lessons. You can now use one book, many ways. (Follow character development from initial conflict to story resolution) Choose a variety of related picture book stories to mix in. It's easy for kids to fall into "like" with a character in a book; often it's someone with whom they share some traits. These activities and graphic organizers for over 35 picture books make teaching character traits fun. Some activities have images and text related to th Learn how to teach character analysis in the primary grades. What Are Character Traits? Character traits 20 wonderful picture books to teach character traits. Why? Because character traits are concepts that can be hard to explain in words. Just choose your favorite, print, an Find unique and engaging activities, lessons, bulletins, and more as you teach cooperation character education in your classroom. Comparing characters. Books bring the Learner Profile to life as children learn what these attributes LOOK-SOUND-FEEL-ACT like. The class searches the text and illustrations for cues to character development and uses a graphic organizer to complete a structured analysis of character in the picture books. This skill helps readers understand the characters, which in turn helps them understand the story. A free downloadable list of over 100 mentor texts suitable for teaching reading and writing (6+1 traits). I’ve used these Upper elementary ideas to teach character traits and character conflict using anchor charts, interactive notebook templates, and task cards. Most of these books can be used for multiple character traits, so use these posts as a guide. Best Books for Teaching Good Traits Children's picture books are a great way to teach kids about good character traits, like honesty, respect, responsibility, self-control, and caring. These books for kids teach lessons about telling the truth / not lying, listening to conscience, not being deceitful. They provide a visual representation of various traits, making it easier for children to comprehend and connect with the concepts being taught. Sep 3, 2022 · Internal and External Character Traits A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon is a great read-aloud for teaching both internal and external character traits. When we teach character analysis, our students have an accessible skill they can apply to increasingly complex texts, growing in their ability to make claims and support them with evidence and commentary. These simple character analysis strategies will help you teach character traits and changes so that students finally master these tricky skills! FREE Christmas Booklist! Get this free resource that includes a categorized list of heartwarming holiday picture books that beautifully illustrate specific character traits you can emphasize and discuss as a family leading up to Christmas Day. This comprehensive guide includes examples of graphic organizers and engaging activities to help students analyze characters in literature. However, novels can help students dig deeper into character development. ) Utilize Read Alouds Read aloud a variety of picture books that lend themselves to lessons on teaching character traits. The posters are offered in different colors and with different clipart kids. Find out how I helped my students better understand how characters change across time using the book Charlotte's Web, and grab some free resources. The reader in me must love learning about characters – their thoughts, actions, and words. Feb 10, 2024 · A well-written children’s book can not only engage its readers with entertaining stories but also help them understand and develop positive character traits. Introducing Character Traits Of course, you can tell just them what character traits are, but where’s the fun in that? Picture books are an essential part of teaching and learning. Men and women saw themselves becoming committed to a career in teaching and therefore sought to make this career more personally and socially satisfying. As the reader follows Camilla’s ever-changing physical features throughout the book, they get a good lesson from how she also is changing on the inside and the relief she feels when she finally gets to be true to herself. Teaching character traits in 4th grade is the best! 4th-grade students can begin to think deeply about characters and themselves, so their connections are authentic and helpful. Consequently, teachers can incorporate teaching character traits while reading the same read-aloud texts they have already planned within their curriculum. By engaging children through storytelling and vibrant illustrations, picture books create a memorable learning experience and help children internalize the This list of 10 essential character analysis mentor texts will help you narrow down the plethora of picture book options and start planning your lessons! Mar 10, 2014 · As we teach characterization, we typically focus on the characters thoughts, feelings, actions, and words to determine character traits. Feb 5, 2020 · Focusing on character trait vocabulary in elementary school is essential. Plus it can help kids understand their feelings. Some activities have images and text related to the boo Apr 10, 2022 · Grab yours today. These character traits activities are designed for your students to delve deeper into picture books while analyzing how characters affect the story. Mar 7, 2020 - Explore Roxanne Gunter's board "books that teach characters traits" on Pinterest. Have students discuss what they think the words mean in that context. Apr 20, 2025 · That’s why having a Character Traits and Synonyms reference list can make such a big impact. Once you have a character trait in mind, here’s what we suggest: Select a chapter book that illustrates the character trait. The list of books below work well for identifying character traits because the characters in each story change as the story progresses, giving students an opportunity to identify character traits at the beginning and end of the Using impactful picture books, classic literature, and carefully chosen read-alouds, this engaging curriculum helps families explore essential character traits like kindness, integrity, courage, and empathy. Character Traits Books for 4th Graders chapter • 264 Pages loyalty William Shakespeare family problems chapter • 112 Pages Jun 3, 2024 · Character traits are the personality or qualities that make a character in a story unique or interesting. Here are 10 mentor texts to help teach character traits. Students explore the concept of character development through focused experiences with picture books. For many students, this skill builds vocabulary knowledge too. Oct 22, 2019 · Picture books can be great mentor texts to teach skills like character change. Jul 30, 2022 · Teach your kids about godly character traits using this fantastic curriculum from Beautiful Feet Books! You'll be teaching character with living books! Aug 15, 2024 · Use picture books to teach IB Learner Profile traits: curiosity, empathy, integrity, and more. Using picture books to teach character traits helps your students identify a deeper understanding of characters, even if the author doesn’t specifically state them. The text focuses on the first day of kindergarten for two little girls. 5 Reasons Teachers Love Our Pumpkin Book Report Project Focusing on building quality character in your kids is easy, fun and educational when you use this list of 100+ books that build character! Teaching Character’s Perspective Through Interactive Read-Alouds Elementary teachers looking for lesson plans and activities for teaching character’s perspective will find this post helpful. Let's explore character traits activities perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders! These materials and mentor texts will help you plan effectively! Learn how to locate and teach the top writing skills in popular picture books for teaching the 6 Traits of Writing. May 3, 2021 · But while our discussion is important, it's the hands-on activities that really help my students grasp character traits. Aug 31, 2021 · This book is designed to give children a visual example of what it means to develop positive character traits, while capturing their interest through experiences they relate to. Studying the characters within the most commonly-read picture books read per grade (K-6), Manyak identified the character qualities that the familiar characters possess. You can certainly use picture books to teach character traits, but I recommend using books your students are into. These are some of my favorite skills to teach in my first grade classroom! I wanted to share some of my go-to read aloud books for teaching these skills! When I teach character changes I love using: Julius, The Baby […] Sep 7, 2022 · Looking for a list of Children's books about Integrity? These books for the classroom teach kids about being trustworthy and fair. These character trait activities are some of my favorite and they are great to use with any story or book. Completing a character study. There are so many beautiful books to help build positive character traits that we'd like to share with you. Over the years however, I keep returning to a few that I feel reinforce those profile traits really well. Jul 25, 2022 · So how do you teach character traits in a way that’s enjoyable and engaging? Here are some practical tips and fun character traits activities that will help you steer those promising, little detectives in the right direction. If you’re looking for a structured way to teach character traits and support student writing with stronger Nov 26, 2014 · Here's a list of over 30 children's character education books to use at home or in the classroom, to teach kids positive character traits. This kind of modeling gives students a glimpse of how character’s actions and choices impact other characters in the tale. Feb 19, 2023 · 1. Read a new title throughout character education responsibility month. Model With Mentor Texts Using mentor texts to model your thinking about characters is helpful. What would be the best book to do this with third graders? Thanks in advance! The books on the list showcase different elements of teamwork, from being a leader, to working together on a project, to being a good team player. SECONDARY TEACHERS: The character trait examples list ends at grade 6 Jul 1, 2025 · Scholastic presents 99 of the best books to build character and help students learn compassion, kindness, tolerance, courage, honesty, and responsibility. View the Character Traits Collection collection on Epic plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids. Here are just a few of my favorite activities to use when teaching character traits to my students. The activities included will work best for 3rd grade and 4th grade, although many of the activities could be adapted to reach younger (2nd grade) or older (5th grade) students. Big list of the best picture books with lessons on honesty and trustworthiness. 4 days ago · He took on many roles there, including teaching canon law and serving as a parish priest, prefect of the diocesan seminary in Trujillo, and judicial vicar of the Trujillo archdiocese. Click the link below to get your FREE Christmas Read-Aloud Guide. Characterization: Word Bank Once you explain characterization to students, it is best to start simply. For our younger kids, I focus on describing a character and then finding evidence to support our reasoning. Beloved children's books that teach lessons in social emotional learning, values, good character traits. The Best Picture Books for Teaching Character Traits Some children have a hard time understanding what character traits are because they are abstract. They all have plenty of character trait activity, plus much more. This set of posters includes color and black/white choices. Find and save ideas about picture books for character traits on Pinterest. Picture books serve as powerful tools to introduce and reinforce character traits in children. It's equally as fun when you're teaching character traits with picture books! This article is about the 9 Best books for teaching character traits. Oct 23, 2022 · Both of these books are great for teaching character traits and how to identify them in a story. If you give students the task to list the inner and outer character traits, they can do so easily as long as they’ve read enough of the book to interpret the Jan 16, 2021 · Use these ideas for teaching characterization to middle and high school students with any short story, novel, or drama. Each of these picture books make great read alouds and mentor texts for teaching character traits. These five novels are my tried and true favorites to use for character traits in fourth grade. You can find activities for the following picture books on the list. (Cover more ground on the topic with folk tales, myths, picture books, etc. May 21, 2020 · My favorite thing to teach is Character Traits. If you are reading a chapter book with your class, practice identifying the characters and story elements in that book. Being able to identify these traits is a common reading comprehension skill. Apr 8, 2008 · Hello, How does one teach in depth character traits? I would like to read a story and discuss a character. Picture books are short and, for the most part, self-contained stories. Pair it with my favorite book and I am in heaven! When I teach character traits, I also like to tie it in with my writing workshop time so students get more exposure to developing a character's identity. Jun 27, 2025 · Helen Keller (1880–1968) was an American author, educator, and advocate for blind and deaf communities. Whether you’re reading a picture book together or supporting students in narrative writing, this tool gives students the vocabulary they need to describe characters clearly and thoughtfully. Apr 15, 2012 · Then we put a picture of the book up under that theme. I typically start with fiction picture books, but using fairy tales and non-fiction books with real Books for Teaching the IB PYP Learner Profile There are so many wonderful books for helping to teach children about the character traits of the IB Learner Profile. Jul 19, 2020 · Of all the reading strategies that students need to learn, character traits are one of the most fun for me to teach. Bring your Character Education month of courage up a notch with empowering reads like these! I love incorporating picture books into my Character Education months because it gives us a jumping-off point for discussion, as well as provides examples for my students to refer to. These come ready-made in Google Slides and Seesaw. Check out one of my previous posts here. It is believed that the exact copying of scripts was the hardest and most strenuous and served as the test of excellence in learning. But in order to bake the traits into your daily instruction, we first need to introduce the traits of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions to students. Inferring character traits can be fun for upper elementary students. Our resource is compatible with any novel, storybook, or film, ensuring flexibility in your teaching approach. I also talk about the character's feelings, how a character's feelings or traits affect the events in the book, and character changes. Teaching, the profession of those who give instruction, especially in an elementary school or a secondary school or in a university. Measured in terms of its members, teaching is the world’s largest profession, with about 80 million teachers throughout the world. Pick a good book to teach character traits You can use a lot of different books, but ones that provide different points of view would be an easy place to start. Explore effective resources for analyzing characters, such as anchor charts, graphic organizers and other scaffolds to enhance understanding. Apr 9, 2021 · There are character trait, sequencing, cause & effect, vocabulary and more fun digital activities that are now part of this book study unit. The Six Traits of Writing provide a research-based framework for how to teach writing, regardless of your grade level. Knowing, doing, teaching, and learning were for many centuries—and in some societies are still today—indistinguishable from one another. Jul 28, 2025 · A 2022 study found that 83% of teachers surveyed in Switzerland agreed that “dissection is a valuable part of teaching biology in schools,” while 70% disagreed that “alternatives are just as good as animals or animal parts for teaching biology. We have tried our best to discuss the character traits books. Apr 11, 2023 · Since motivation drives all characters’ actions, you can practice with any book – or even video! For any book (or video) you choose to use, think about analyzing the motive of all the characters in the story. It is critical to recognize that character traits are the foundation of a person’s personality. Check out five of my favorite books to use to focus on character traits along with a few ideas for independent Tips for Teaching Characters and Story Elements Practice during read aloud time. Jun 11, 2024 · Since identify character traits requires students to use inference skills, I like to start with shorter picture books. Plus, get some great ideas for what character trait words match with the books you already have in your classroom library. Nearly all students could select a hero How to Teach Students Character Mapping and Analysis Take a closer look at characters with these exercises and activities. You can have your students find character traits for those characters and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. Naming Character Oct 11, 2018 · For that reason, inspiring my students with positive character traits in these stories, the same way Jackie influenced Steve positively in The Hero Two Doors Down, was an easy teaching decision. As you have students look for character traits, stop at a couple of tier 2 words that have clues to the meaning within the text. Here are just a few of my favorite character traits/themes and books that I use to teach them with my class: Integrity Koa’s Seed by Carolyn Han This is one of my all-time favorite books and favorite character traits to teach! Jan 13, 2025 · Character analysis is something all our students can do, so it’s the perfect focus for close reading activities. Jun 28, 2021 · You want to squeeze in vocabulary instruction on days where you’re reviewing character traits or not teaching it for the first time. Three must-do mini-lessons in your upper elementary classroom to teach character and character traits. Oct 4, 2015 · Are your students learning to compare and contrast? Grab some picture books and look for similarities and differences with the characters. The combined efforts of educational reformers and teachers’ organizations were required to fashion the beginnings of a profession. I used these quote sorts to point out character traits of the main characters in both books. This is a great book to use as a mentor text when teaching a unit focused on character traits such as kindness and empathy. View the Character Traits - Grade 3 collection on Epic plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids. Jul 15, 2025 · Methods of teaching and learning were memorization, oral repetition, copying models, and individual instruction. The list is organised into genre and year level and includes teaching recommendations. Help teach characterization with these 5 unique character mini lesson ideas! Plus grab the free printout to take the ideas with you! Here are my favorite picture books for teaching responsibility. Plus, get a FREE character trait center for 1st and 2nd grade! Sep 3, 2017 · This post shares 15 read alouds for teaching story elements with brief summaries and the specific story element skills each read aloud addresses. Some of my favorite picture books for teaching character traits are The Recess Queen, Gaston, Jabari Jumps, Not Norman, and Amazing Grace. Thank you so much for downloading this character trait study to go with the picture book Polka-dot Fixes Kindergarten. We would request you to let us know your opinion/suggestion in the comment section about this character trait books article. Jun 15, 2025 · Last Updated: Jun 15, 2025 • Article History Also called: dialectic Key People: Socrates Related Topics: teaching dialectic lecture As Aristotle put it, the surest sign of wisdom is a man’s ability to teach what he knows. These digital activities are ready to use in both the Google platform and SeeSaw. Sep 24, 2017 · As September rolls along every year, we begin to meet our characters in different stories. I want my students to be able to identify the inner and outer character traits of main characters as well as their actions and feelings. Character building books are important social-emotional learning tools to help build emotional intelligence and positive home and classroom community. See examples of activities and graphic organizers for anayzing characters. These activities and graphic organizers for 30 picture books make teaching character traits fun. Teach Starter has compiled a list of the best children’s books that are perfect for teaching various character traits. You will be able to choose child books about characters traits after reading the full article. Engage your students with visual storytelling. ” Jul 27, 2025 · What does education mean? Education refers to the discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments, as opposed to various nonformal and informal means of socialization. When it comes to teaching characterization, picture books are the way to go! Check out this lesson that uses SLANT and The Lorax to teach characterization. Students then have the opportunity to build bridges from their own experiences as readers to those skills needed as Teaching about character traits in reading can be challenging but fun! One of the hardest parts for kids is that in most pieces of literature, the character traits are somewhat abstract. Jul 13, 2023 · Since last year was my first year, I decided to try and find a bunch of books to read throughout the year to attach to these pillars. When my students and I completed this unit, they had some previous experience with character Today I wanted to share a (not so little) snippet about teaching character analysis. When we are determining character traits, we are essentially using the text evidence to help us make inferences about the type of person the character is. Our list includes board books, picture books, and chapter books, making it a useful resource for finding good books for babies through kindergarten, elementary and early middle school age kids. A Bad Case of the StripesPig the PugVoices in the ParkGiraffes Can't DanceThe Lion InsideThe Paper Bag PrincessTh You’ll have to read to find out! This is a fun book to teach for characterization because you can focus on both character traits of the main character, Miss Lotta Scales as well as her change from the beginning of the story to the end. View the Character Traits collection on Epic plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids. Teaching - In Loco Parentis, Education, Pedagogy: When minor children are entrusted by parents to a school, the parents delegate to the school certain responsibilities for their children, and the school has certain liabilities. See more ideas about books, childrens books, classroom books. Great picture books for SEL, social skills, character education for elementary school children. zcdy bdnxuw vyukbsze jevw lrj dunejj mrem vnh cid kogpl