1. The way we speak
Discuss the different words we use to describe the ways people speak, for example, yell, whisper, shout, cry, with a shrill voice, in an intimidating voice.
Teacher to read a selected passage from a text where a dramatic rendition can be created, for example, Roald Dahls The Witches where the Grand Witch speaks. Discuss expression and tone, and the impact it can have when reading aloud.
Focusing on expression, students will say How are you today? as a different person/character.
For example the Queen, a school principal, their best friend, a very old person, a toddler, the Prime Minister.
Encourage students to think about their facial expression, tone and body language.
Note teachers to be aware of and respectful of students using Aboriginal English.
Opportunities for assessment- adjusts register to suit audience and purpose
- joins in small group and whole-class discussions
- uses role play and drama to represent familiar events and characters in texts2.
2. Bounce descriptions
Using a familiar character from a movie or book student will play Bounce with a peer until all options have been exhausted.
Taking turns, the player will use a word or short phrase to describe the character [for example bossy, messy, sad, lonely].
Students will take it in turns until one person can no longer think of a word.
- takes turns as a speaker and a listener
- uses simple adjectives to describe
- speaks audibly and clearly.
- Illustrations of familiar characters [teacher identified]
3. Feelings
Teacher reveals to the student an emotion card. Students demonstrate and discuss:
What would your face look like if you were feeling this emotion?
What would your body look like?
What is something you might say when you are feeling this emotion?
Connect this emotion to a character in a text.
For example: My character felt this way when...
Note Teachers to be sensitive to the different ways of expressing emotions which may impact student involvement and contribution. For example, student use of non-verbal responses, common use of silence, lack of eye contact and feelings of shame.
Opportunities for assessment- uses appropriate volume
- uses a range of opinion adjectives
- uses some extended sentences
4. Character conversations
Explicitly discuss the features of conversation topic introduction and maintenance, turn-taking, body language, active listening and appropriate interpersonal conventions.
After the class has listened to a narrative, identify the characters and discuss the relationships to each other. Students are to imagine and then act out a conversation between the characters. This dramatization may occur before the story began, after the story finished, the first time the characters met or at the point of conflict.
- understand how to communicate effectively in pairs and groups using agreed interpersonal conventions, active listening, appropriate language and taking turns
- teacher identified narrative
5. Character detective
Student chooses a character from a list that the teacher provides [characters from texts which have been shared with the class and all students are familiar with].
Student describes the physical features, one feature at a time.
The rest of the class try to guess the character using only the clues.
For example My character has long hair. My characters smile is huge. They have big teeth.
Opportunities for assessment- interacts using appropriate language in pairs or a small group to complete a task
- character list or illustrations of familiar characters. [teacher identified]
6. Who is better?
Students will identify two known characters from familiar texts.
Using persuasive language, students will attempt to convince a peer using 3 reasons why one character is more interesting than the other.
[Learning across the curriculum content: critical and creative thinking]
Opportunities for assessment- uses some persuasive language to express a point of view
- communicates with increasing confidence
7. Create a character
In small groups, students are shown a picture of an interesting person or animal.
Around the circle or group, students take turns to describe this characters appearance, movements, speech or sound and personality.
Each student either creates their own sentence or builds on the sentence of the person before them.
Opportunities for assessment- uses adjectives to describe
- extends their own and others ideas in discussions
- character illustrations [teacher identified]
8. Celebrity heads
A name of a familiar character will be placed on the students head [or written on the board behind the student].
The student will ask the class questions to help identify who the character is.
The class can only answer with yes or no responses.
Opportunities for assessment- rephrases questions to seek clarification
- asks relevant questions
9. Hot seat
One student chooses a character from a familiar text [one which has been shared by the class].
In pairs, students think of questions they would like to ask the character about their thoughts, feelings and motivations.
Students ask the character questions, and the student in the hot seat answers as that character.
Opportunities for assessment:- extends their own and others ideas in discussion
- actively listens to stay on topic in group discussions10.
10. Read a text
Read a text to the class where the main characters personality changes during the story such as, The Rainbow Fish. Discuss questions with the students: How would you describe the rainbow fish as a character? Does the fish change over the course of the story?
Why do their feelings change? Is this change due to external events or internal conflict?
Why does an author construct a character a certain way?
Have you read other books where the character changes during the story?
Opportunities for assessment- includes details and elaborations to expand ideas
- responds to texts
- The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, published by North-South Books