Teaching main idea and supporting details / central idea to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students can be a very frustrating experience; it is such a difficult skill to understand. Very few of my lessons seemed to have an effect on my 3rd grade students – either they understood how to find the main idea without my help, or they …
When introducing character traits, making it relevant to students is the best way to get them interested and engaged. Instead of introducing character traits with a lesson that has students read other texts and identify traits of different characters, have students think about their own character traits. There are several fun and easy ways to do this with your 2nd …
When teaching upper elementary students about character traits, we often focus on the reading aspect – how to identify character traits, how to find evidence from the text, filling out character trait graphic organizers, how to build character trait vocabulary, how characters are described within a text, etc. However, integrating writing into your lessons on character traits can be a …
One of the most essential parts of teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students character traits is helping them build their character trait vocabulary. Students need to be able to describe character traits using precise and descriptive language. The activity ideas below make a great addition to any character trait lesson plan, and will help your students build their vocabulary.Why …
Ever had one of those days? The kind where you are constantly interrupted by ridiculousness from your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade studetns? The end of the day was finally approaching, and I’ll admit it – I was exhausted. And my math block was almost over, having been taken up by several behavior problems (one of which involved fireworks). There …
Have you experienced the excitement of an engaging, rigorous lesson only to later discover that you left your students more confused than when you started? The Character Trait Word Wall in my 3rd grade classroom came as a result of one of these huge teaching failures. But like most failures, it turned into an opportunity for an even better learning …
Below are 3 different character trait lists for you to use to help expand your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students’ character trait vocabulary. Or, check out these other freebies, tips, and ideas to make teaching character traits easier. You can download a free pdf / printable version of these character trait lists at the bottom of the webpage.Character Traits …
As teachers, we are constantly questioning our students. We all know how important it is to ask our students higher level thinking questions, but often the questions we think of on the spot are more knowledge or comprehension based questions. Questions that encourage students to analyze, apply, or evaluate their learning are harder to come up with on the spot. …
Use the 3 free character traits graphic organizers below. Each of the graphic organizers focuses on a different aspect of character traits, and can be used over and over with a suitable fiction story with upper elementary students. Use these graphic organizers after introducing character traits to your upper elementary students. You can download a free printable / pdf version …