English Language Arts
Grade 3
15 min
Use actions and dialogue to understand characters
Use actions and dialogue to understand characters
What you'll learn
- Identify at least 3 pairs of related words (like 'happy' and 'joyful') and 3 pairs of unrelated words from a list of 10 word pairs with 80% accuracy.
- Explain in your own words how two related words are similar in meaning, using complete sentences, for at least 2 different word pairs.
- Apply your understanding of related words by choosing the best related word from a group of 3 options to complete 5 out of 6 sentences correctly.
- Create 2 different sentences using related words, demonstrating an understanding of their similar meanings and appropriate context.
Tutorial Preview
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify a character's actions in a short text.
Identify a character's dialogue in a short text.
Describe a character's feelings based on their actions.
Describe a character's personality based on their dialogue.
Explain how a character's actions and words show what they are like.
Use evidence from the text (actions and dialogue) to support a description of a character.
Have you ever known someone was excited just by the way they jumped up and down? 🤔 Let's be character detectives and find clues about characters in stories!
In this lesson, we will learn how to use two secret tools: a character's actions (what they do) and their dialogue (what they say). These tools help us understand a character's personality and...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
CharacterA person, animal, or creature in a story.In 'The Three Little Pigs,' the Big Bad Wolf is a character.
Character TraitA word that describes a character's personality, or what they are like most of the time.If a character always shares their toys, a character trait could be 'kind'.
ActionSomething a character does with their body. It's a doing word, or a verb!The girl *skipped* down the sidewalk.
DialogueThe words that characters say out loud. Dialogue is usually inside quotation marks (" ")."Let's go play outside!" shouted Maria.
InferenceA smart guess you make using clues from the story.If a character is stomping their feet and has their arms crossed, you can make an inference that they are angry.
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Action Clue Rule
A character's actions show their feelings and traits.
Pay close attention to what characters DO. Do they help others? Do they run away? Their actions are big clues about who they are on the inside, even if they don't say anything.
The Dialogue Clue Rule
What a character says AND how they say it reveals their personality.
Listen to the words a character uses. Are they polite or bossy? Also, look for the dialogue tags like 'whispered,' 'shouted,' or 'mumbled.' These tags are clues about the character's feelings.
The 'Show, Don't Tell' Rule
Good writers SHOW us what a character is like instead of just TELLING us.
Instead of writing, 'The boy was brave,' a writer might show it by w...
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Challenging
At the start of the campout, Tim clutched his flashlight and said, "I can't sleep, there are too many strange noises." The next night, he put his arm around a younger camper and said, "Don't worry, those are just owls." How did Tim change?
A.He became more tired.
B.He went from being scared to being brave.
C.He decided he does not like camping.
D.He learned a lot about owls.
Challenging
“Let’s go on the giant rollercoaster!” shouted Anna, running toward the ticket line. “I don’t know,” said Maria, holding back. “It looks a little too high for me.” What is the main difference between Anna and Maria shown by their actions and dialogue?
A.Anna is older than Maria.
B.Maria is trying to be mean to Anna.
C.Anna is wearing running shoes, but Maria is not.
D.Anna is daring and adventurous, while Maria is cautious.
Challenging
“I totally aced that math test!” Paul announced to his friends at lunch. Later, his mom found the test hidden in his backpack with a big red 'D' on it. What do Paul's actions reveal that his words tried to hide?
A.He is not being truthful about his grade.
B.He is the best math student in his class.
C.He wants to show his test to his friends.
D.He forgot that he took a math test.
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Frequently asked questions
What grade level is "Use actions and dialogue to understand characters"?
Use actions and dialogue to understand characters is a Grade 3 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Use actions and dialogue to understand characters?
You'll be able to: Identify at least 3 pairs of related words (like 'happy' and 'joyful') and 3 pairs of unrelated words from a list of 10 word pairs with 80% accuracy; Explain in your own words how two related words are similar in meaning, using….
Is "Use actions and dialogue to understand characters" free to practice?
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How many practice questions are included with Use actions and dialogue to understand characters?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.