Chapter+22


 * Chapter 22**

**#1 Character unit**

After reading this chapter, what are you most looking forward to exploring with your readers when you teach a unit of study on characters (fiction reading) this fall?

I do love fiction. My mind is always creating a mental picture of characters, how they look, sound, smell. I often discuss this with students. but sadly it my talk. It's time to give up the control. It's time to give my children the opportunity to think and have a conversation about characters on a more indepth level. Earlier there was a discussion on "role playing into being. I haven't taken the time to develop this area of reading. It was always a right or wrong thought. As I go through this journey I realize that this is what I do but don't give my charges the opportunity to give their perspective. I have butterflies in my stomach, not fear but the the image of what I see happening this year as I move my class toward literary freedom.

Margaret Fox

I am looking forward to teaching students to be detail detectives and hunt for clues about their character based on things the character says and does. We could start by listing examples of character traits and hunting through our current, and past, read aloud books for proof that a character is funny, nice, or mean. Students could then work in groups (book clubs) to study the traits of beloved characters from familiar stories before setting out to study unfamiliar characters, Once students become proficient at supporting a character trait using evidence from the text, we could move our study toward inferring why a character acts in these ways, as described on page 471. I believe students will have a greater understanding of the story when they have a deeper understanding of its characters.

Stephanie Cooper Chapter 22 from Bobbi Friend #1 – I love teaching the character unit! I think that last year when I taught reader’s workshop, this was the unit I enjoyed to most. I believe the joy of teaching the character unit is teaching students how to relate to characters, how to envision what is happening with the characters, connecting with the characters, and teaching about internal and external character traits. Students who love their characters in their books tend to comprehend text the best because the text comes to life and becomes so much more meaningful to them. The other story elements, setting, plot, movement through time, and change are very important in overall understanding of the text as well. However, I truly believe that when a student connects with the characters they are reading about, their understanding becomes much higher level. “Readers soon learn that when studying a character, we notice details about the character and consider what traits these details reveal. The author who tells us that a character is constantly sweeping the kitchen floor might want us to infer that the character is tidy.” I found that by teaching students to infer these types of character traits, they were able to use the skill of inference in other ways as well. Inference is one of the most important skills we need to be successful readers. It is also a skill that is applicable in all academic areas. The character unit is useful in so many other ways that I will begin my school year with that unit.

P 467 makes me think about the stages that students go through. The chart will help me discuss with teachers this process. I have had very good reader that can summarizes there DIBELS reading for the retell and then get a score that seems not too great. So I always note that on their form. But we spend little time talking about the retell in light of how summarizing is a higher level skill and how to look at the reader in light of that accomplishment, KDN

I’m looking forward to co-authoring a more in-depth study of characters this year. I like how Calkins reminded me that a unit of study on characters could take place for a couple weeks during a reading center cycle (page 469). During this time, the whole class would be engaged with a character study during the reading workshop mini-lesson. Then students go off into their centers to study different characters with the day’s lesson in mind, for example studying a character’s actions to learn what kind of person that character is. I’m looking forward to implementing the suggestion on page 471 that suggests students work to create a list of information about a character on one side of a chart and then the students’ inferences they made on the other side of the chart. Also, I’m excited to support children in talking longer with hopes of making “deeper connections” to characters within a book, across books and between ourselves (page 471-472). Like you Margaret, “it’s time to give up control” and give kids a chance for more substantial conversations. Sara Sabourin

Although character discussions have come up a lot in the past in my classroom I have never done a character study I am really looking forward to it this year. I plan to use ABC books for my first book club in October and then in January I am planning to have character book clubs. I have gathered many character books into baskets but I am concerned about how many books about a character I should offer the partners. What do people feel would be a manageable number yet give them enough information to dig into a character? I have tried to make sure that any basket I have put out has a minimum of 6 books with the same character (although some do not yet have 6 different books). This is my character list so far: Franklin, Maisy, Junie B. Jones, Clifford, Arthur, Curious George, Berenstain Bears, Little Critter, Magic Tree House, Winnie the Pooh, Frog and Toad, Fluffy, Amelia Bedelia, and others as I get them organized. I also have to visit our school library where I will be able to borrow more books for our character book clubs. I like the idea given on page 472 that suggests having readers talk about book characters as if they were real for example, How would they act at school? What would they play at recess? What books would the character be reading?

The character unit last year, was my favorite. Teaching my students to connect with the character was so awesome! They would make connections with them and they could talk about how they were feeling, what they thought they would do next, what the character was going through that may be similar to something they've experienced, and make comparisons between the character from the story we were reading to another character in another story we read previously. It was so exciting to have a student run up to me during Independent Reading Time and share one of the connections they were making with or about a character in their story. We focused on text to self connections, text to text connections and text to world connections. What I still need to work on is getting them to support their ideas and the things they learn about their characters by going back and finding evidence in the text. Keri Cooper

I am looking forward to teaching my students to “**pay attention to what a story character does because it is a window to revealing the characters personality and the motivations behind a characters actions.” (pgs. 469-470).** In addition, whole-class character study shows our students that characters are not always **‘bad’ or ‘perfect’**, and can sometimes be ‘**like or unlike’** us. Furthermore, with character study, students will learn to recognize when someone is acting ‘**out of character.’** Teachers can make this study fun when allowing students to dramatize the character(s) from the fiction book they are reading. Finally, I think it’s great fun to imagine a character as if they were real. This chapter provided a thorough list of strategies when conducting a character lesson. M.J.

I like how Stephanie worded it, asking the students to be"detail detectives". As a Kindergarten teacher, I am looking forward to having my students help me look for clues as to how a character or characters are acting, what they are thinking, and what is happening. In the past, we have compared characters as a whole, in different versions of a story, like "The Little Red Hen" and "The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza". I am excited to dig deeper this fall and expand on it. Kari Bonnema

With my first grade class we usually begin with the character unit of study. The studenst are so eager to learn about books and can understand the concept of character. They can compare the characters to themselves and to characters of other books successfully. They can also use what they learn and know about the characters to make good predictions of what they think might happen next in their story. We have also had them find evidence to back up our descriptions of their characters. I feel that this can lead to some great partner discussions. Ronda

**#2 Fiction work as a reader** //Do you already do the kind of thinking work that was mentioned throughout this chapter when reading fiction? For me, the first reading of this book changed the way I think as I read literature. Before that, I was centered on metacognitive strategies that I was employing at any given point. Now, I ALSO find myself keeping track of how the characters are changing or I find myself jotting theories about characters (like recently about Percy Jackson) and revisiting my theory later to revise. And I guess that might have been work I was already doing, but now it is highlighted to me and brought to the surface of my thinking while I read. It has really given me more examples to share when I teach students this kind of reading work.//

// How about you? Did this chapter name for you some of the thinking work that you might have already been doing... or did it add more options to your own repitoire? // // Stephanie has written my thoughts very well. I do this as I read but it is a secret from my students. The material presented in this study I do but I've not shared it. My repitoire is broad. I now know it needs to be shared. Revisiting is the key. Go back and check do I think the same or can I connect it in another fiction. This can be a great writing area. Making the connections. The secret is out. I want my childen to learn from my experiences to develop their independent selves. // // Margaret Fox ﻿ // I am a reader who pays attention to characters when enjoying fictional reading and reading page 471 really stood out because it sounds a lot like what I do when reading. I hunt for clues to support the traits I believe a character displays in the first few chapters. As the story progresses, I turn my focus to generalizing why characters behave as they do. Then comes the part that often leads me to a fairly accurate prediction of how the story turns out; using this knowledge to predict how the character will behave in other situations. I don’t recall being taught to do these things in school, but have always gravitated toward trying to figure a character out. Stephanie Cooper Chapter 22 from Bobbi Friend #2 – This chapter was helpful in reminding me about what good readers do when they encounter a text, as well as reminding me how to teach students about the elements as text. On page 459, Lucy says that “Neither the cueing systems nor the elements of story should be the focal point of a reading curriculum”. We often forget that we should not just teach chunks of reading, individual skills, in the classroom. We need to teach students to use the words on the page to make meaning, which is personal for each reader. It is not important that a student be able to identify what they do or how they read, but rather that they are able to make meaning when they read. We do this by knowing and understanding the story elements and the cueing systems as teachers so that our knowledge can help us assess ways in which our students do and do not tend to compose meaning, and those assessments can help us think not only about our children but also about our teaching. Teaching a balanced literacy curriculum should mean that over time we help child work with and attend to all cueing systems and all the elements of a story. It is vital, therefore, that I as the teacher fully understand cueing systems and story elements, and teach them in a way to support my readers.

I think I share out loud. This books gives more suggestions. The reason I do it/was I did not really like to read or was good at it as a kid. So I do it for the students in the room that are struggling. It was not until law school that I became a reader that could power through the pages and still retain the content. Maybe that is why I made the comment that more NF would help. I connected with real cases and real rulings. Still the only fiction I read is Grisham-- back to cases and rulings just not really real. KDN

When I read the list on page 469 that classifies the conflicts in most all literature, I began creating new reading projects for myself. For example, I want to read more books that have the “person vs. himself or herself” conflict as central to the story. I’m captivated in learning more about the internal struggles people go through. I find connections and comfort in knowing I’m not alone. I’ve read many memoirs in the recent past and plan to read realistic fiction, too, with this focus in mind. Sara Sabourin

I recognized some of the strategies I was already employing while conducting Reading lessons (i.e. picture walks and descriptions surrounding a character’s behaviors). When I was teaching Religious Education, I would try to make the character’s in our readings ‘come alive’ by acting as if they were in our classroom asking the same questions as our students. I am open to having my students role-play the characters from their books. M.J.

I love to read aloud while thinking aloud to the students. I really need to work on "taking their breath away" and coming up with the many different ideas for mini lessons that Lucy touches on during read alouds. I feel that my first grade students would love to do reading projects about the conflicts in the story. This is something I haven't really taught them before. Our series touches on many different realistic fiction stories and key questions to prompt thinking while reading. I can't wait to work on this at a deeper level. Ronda

The biggest "Ah-ha" in this chapter for me was not just the part on building a Character Unit. It was all the talk about the Elements of a Story. I especially liked the explanations of them that are given on pages 461 and 462. However, on page 463 and 464, there were bullets that gave suggestions on how to talk with a child about his/her story even though I might not have a great knowledge of the story he/she is reading. This is a great help as not knowing every story my students read has secretly been a scary thing for me to think about, especially when it comes to conferring. Having these questions that can be used as prompts are great starters for a conference to get the student to talk more about the story and dig deeper and give you more details without the teacher having to know the story very well. Keri Cooper
 * //Here is a place to post other ideas and burning questions from chapter twenty two if any. (Remember, a high-quality comment in this bottom section does still count toward your total comments. So anytime the posts for a certain chapter don't speak to you and your thinking, feel free to share your own ideas from the text here...)//**

I really liked on p. 465 when it said "it can be helpful for a new reader traveling through a new text (to) benefit from being conscious of the significant elements" of story. Lucy gave the example of how when she travels, she watches out for highway signs. Just like when reading, it helps to look for certain things, in this case, the elements of story, to help the reader make sense of the book. I will have to be more aware of these when I am reading to my students or when talking to them about a text they've read. Kari Bonnema