Our souls need time to think, dream, and reflect.
―Jo Ann Davis
Take Time to Think
We live in a hurry-up world. Everything is fast. We have quick meetings, speedy gasoline fill-ups, and food delivered in minutes through a window.
Our school day schedules are packed to the brim. We move from subject to subject or class to class with maximum efficiency. Every minute matters—and every minute is fast.
So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when articles started rolling in about students’ analyses of characters that are fast and surface level. I love it when contributors who are in different grades and different states are writing about similar topics. This is a pulse from the front lines—a measure of the things that matter most in our classrooms.
And it matters that students learn to take the time to go beyond the surface when considering character analysis. It’s important for thorough understanding of characters, and it is important for becoming the kind of people who think differently…people who take the time to consider a more meaningful and worthy understanding of others.
This is important for developing skills for reading comprehension, and it is important for developing an understanding and acceptance of people.
This week we look at worthwhile character analysis—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Melanie Swider finds word sorts are a great way to help intermediate students master new vocabulary for describing character traits.
Gigi McAllister shares how she combines vocabulary instruction with analysis of character traits in her fourth-grade classroom.
Kate DiCamillo joins Stephanie Affinito on the KidLit Love podcast where they talk about Kate’s new book Ferris.
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
How To, written and illustrated by Julie Morstad, is a collection of invitations to do a variety of things that, when paired with the illustrations, offer a unique perspective on some otherwise ordinary actions.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Gretchen Schroeder offers a starting point to help her high school students prepare to write an in-depth character analysis essay.
Melissa Quimby is disappointed with the way her students expressed depth of character traits and feelings. By building on their strengths, Melissa created a tool for students to use and adapt as they learned to be more specific and intentional about describing characters.
In this video, Dana Murphy meets with a group of fifth graders to explore character development in their reading.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Stella Villalba encourages us to reflect on our core beliefs about teaching. She offers a list of reflection questions to encourage brave and meaningful consideration.
Matt Renwick encourages five classroom design ideas or conditions for supporting readers and writers with ADHD.
Jessica Sprick advocates for creating a culture of attendance by shifting from punitive to proactive strategies to reduce chronic absences.
Quote It:
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
—James Baldwin
That’s all for this week!
