English Language Arts
Kindergarten
20 min
Characters in a Story
Identify who the characters are in a short story
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Point to the character on a page.
Name a character in a simple story.
Say if a character is a person or an animal.
Describe one thing a character is doing.
Identify a character's simple feeling (happy 😊 or sad 😢).
Answer the question 'Who is in the story?'
Who are the friends in your favorite book? 📖 Let's meet them!
We will learn about characters. Characters are who a story is about. It's fun to meet story friends!
Real-World Applications
Talking about your family and friends 👨👩👧👦
Understanding cartoons and movies 📺
Playing make-believe with toys 🧸
Telling your own stories about your day ☀️
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Character 🧍A person or animal in a story.A little girl is a character.
Main Character ⭐The most important character in a story.Goldilocks is the main character.
Animal Character 🐰A character that is an animal.The three little pigs 🐷 are animal characters.
People Character 👧A character that is a person.A boy 👦 or a firefighter 👨🚒 can be a character.
Action 👋What a character does in a story.A frog 🐸 jumps. Jumping is the action.
Feeling 😊How a character feels inside.The puppy is happy. Happy is a feeling.
3
Key Rules & Conventions
The 'Who' Rule
Characters are the 'who' in a story.
To find a character, ask: 'Who is this story about?'
The 'Doing' Rule
Characters do things. They run, jump, or talk.
Look for who is moving or talking on the page.
Not a Thing Rule
Characters are alive. A toy or a tree is not a character.
A ball 🔴 can't be a character, but the boy 👦 throwing it can!
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
In "The Tortoise and the Hare," the Hare naps during the race because he thinks he will win easily. What does this action tell us about the Hare's character?
A.He is very tired
B.He is a careful planner
C.He is overconfident
D.He is friends with the Tortoise
Challenging
A character named Lily is afraid of the water. But when her toy boat floats away, she wades into the shallow water to get it. What does this show?
A.Lily is a character who never changes
B.Lily can be brave when she needs to be
C.Lily does not like her toy boat
D.Lily suddenly likes swimming
Challenging
If a story has a "villain," what is that character's usual role?
A.To be the main character's best friend
B.To help everyone solve their problems
C.To create problems for the main character
D.To tell funny jokes
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