ESOL STRATEGIES FOR LITERATURE!!! Character Charts

Character Charts

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

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LA.2.2.1.2 The student will identify and describe the elements of story structure, including setting, plot, character, problem, and resolution in a variety of fiction; 

Common Core Standards

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.8 Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.

ESOL Standards
10) Analyze student language and determine appropriate instructional strategies, using knowledge of phonology, morphology, syntax semantics, and discourse.

Graphic organizers help students organize character information about the main and minor characters in a book. This can be a useful tool for writing essays or studying for a test.

Steps: 

1.  Decide why you are having students keep these charts
   There are many reasons to have students use identity charts. Here are some:
   • To help students more deeply understand characters in the text
   • To help students develop the skill of looking for textual evidence
   • To ensure accountability that students are reading
   • To help students prepare for an essay or final project
   • As an assessment tool to measure students’ understanding of the text
   Why are you having students keep a character chart? Your answer to this question will inform how you approach steps two and three.
2.  Designing the character chart template
   Which characters you would like students to focus on? What information you would like them to track? Do you want students to track multiple characters or to follow one character? Build a chart based on your answers to these questions. Here are two examples:
    A character chart for following multiple characters:

   Character’s Name	Biographical information	Major actions taken by this character (with page numbers)	Important quotations said by this character (with page numbers)

    

   A character chart for following one character:

   Character Name:
   Description about the Character	Dialogue Spoken by the Character
   Dialogue Spoken about the Character by Other People in the Text	Actions Taken by the Character

3. Decide how students will work on completing their charts
   Students can work on character charts individually or in small groups. Often teachers have students share information on character charts through using the jigsaw teaching strategy. Sometimes students complete charts as a whole class activity.  You could also organize this activity as a gallery walk – where a sheet for each character is posted on the wall and students walk around the room filling information in the charts.

Website Retrieved: http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/strategies/character-charts