Exploring Characters and Their Journeys

Grade Level: 3rd Grade Subject: Literary Fluency and Comprehension Duration: 1 Hour

Engage

• Begin with a short animated video or story reading introducing a character embarking on a journey (e.g., "The Little Engine That Could").

• Ask students open-ended questions such as:

  • "What do you think the character wants to achieve?"

  • "How do you think the character feels about their journey?"

• Allow a few minutes for students to share their thoughts and predictions about the character's challenges and successes.

Explore

• Provide students with various picture books that feature characters on different journeys (e.g., "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!").

• In pairs, have students read a selected book and discuss:

  • The main character's goal.

  • The challenges they face.

  • How the character changes from the beginning to the end of the story.

• Please encourage students to take notes on a graphic organizer outlining the character, goals, challenges, and growth.

Explain

• Gather the class and discuss the elements of character journeys. Highlight:

  • Goal: What the character wants to achieve.

  • Challenges: Obstacles that the character encounters.

  • Growth: How the character and their perspectives change.

• Use a shared reading of a familiar text to model identifying these elements.

• Provide direct instruction on vocabulary related to character journeys (e.g., protagonist, conflict, resolution).

Elaborate

• Assign students to create their character journey. They will:

  • Please write a brief story or comic strip about a character they create.

  • Include the character's goal, challenges faced, and how they change by the end of the story.

• Encourage creativity by allowing students to illustrate their character and setting.

• After writing, have students share their stories in small groups, focusing on the character's journey.

Evaluate

• Assess student understanding through:

  • Observation during group discussions and activities.

  • Review of their graphic organizers for comprehension of character journeys.

  • A rubric for their character journey stories, focusing on clarity of goals, challenges, and character growth.

• Conduct a quick exit ticket where students write one thing they learned about character journeys.

Aligned Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3: Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.