La Jolla High School
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Character Sketches
Cover character development and indirect characterization in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck with a graphic organizer. Class members search through the text and fill out a box for each character. The activity provides some notes for...
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Writing a Character Sketch
Combining descriptive and expository writing skills, middle schoolers create a character sketch about someone they know well. They use a graphic organizer to help them discuss a model character sketch and organize/write one of their own....
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Writing A Character Sketch
Middle schoolers are introduced to how a character sketch is an outline of a character that includes the character's outward appearance, family members, personality, interests, and beliefs. They then think of a character they would like...
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Uncommon Heroes of Today
Students create a photo-biography of someone they consider a real life hero. In this character sketch lesson, students define a hero and identify heroic characteristics in short stories. Students use descriptive words to write about...
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Creative Characterization
Students write a character description journal in which they take on the voice of one of the character's made-up friends or relatives. They write a sketch of that character from the friend or relatives' point of view.
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Building Believable Characters
Learners use descriptive strategies such as physical descriptions, background, and comparison of characters when writing narratives. They develop the topic with supporting details and precise diction to paint a visual image in the...
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So, Who Is It?
Learners brainstorm adjectives that describe people, discuss different ways of comparing and/or finding contrast in describing a person, and write drafts of their descriptions.
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Beanie Baby Biographies
Learners write a biography for their favorite Beanie Babies and then share their biography out loud. A simple, yet effective idea! Everyone loves their Beanie Baby!
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Character Sketch
In this language arts worksheet, students use the chart of words as a tutorial for writing a formal character sketch. The words are meant to make the description more vivid.
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Build Mastery: Visualization
What do you see? Young reader tap into the visualization process as they listen to or read a fiction story and fill out a graphic organizer. Model this first with a think-aloud, showing scholars how you visualize a familiar story. For...
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Hairy Monster Stories
Students work together to create a hairy monster. They discuss the elements of a character sketch. They use a rubric to guide them as they write a sketch of their hairy monster.
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Characters' Feelings Or Motives
Fourth graders use the text, "Fair's Fair" to examine how characters' feelings and motives are built throughout a text through descriptive phrases. They look at what a character does and says to record on their writing frames. Finally,...
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Comic Book or Comic Strip Design
Students design an original cartoon character. They explain the creative process and development of a cartoon from brainstorming to final draft and study different types of cartooning. Use the correct terminology associated with cartooning
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Puzzle Mystery
Learners sketch and give a title to a painting which they are given a small detail of. In this painting lesson plan, students share their titles and try to determine the theme and subject of the full painting based on these clues. At the...
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Interview! Magazine
Young scholars interview a subject and write a biographical sketch for a fictional magazine. In this interview lesson plan, students choose a person to interview and create two sets of questions. Young scholars conduct the interview....
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Storytelling
Young scholars explore, as a basis for their poem, their own personal observations and understandings of a specific person's character which might include exploits, actions, mannerisms and personality. They write a brief poem that tells...
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Run Your Own Boarding House
Students become familiar with the historical and sociological aspects of the boarding house phenomenon in America. As students work in groups, they read and analyze documents that will help them gain a deeper understanding. To...
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Tall Tales and Urban Legends
In this creative writing worksheet, students sort through old pictures and discuss the characterization in each. Students create characters, a setting, and their own tall tale or urban legend based on the pictures.
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Left to Their Own (Literary) Devices
Students write scenes for stories using their own original characters. However, they write using the literary and plot devices found in the Lemony Snicket book series.
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Think of an Ending
Good endings are hard to find. And write. This, the final instructional activity in a six-part series devoted to study of the ingredients of a good story, focuses on crafting endings. Class members draft ideas about what should happen to...
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Image to Word
Learners research art and write about how a certain art piece relates to their own life. In this art lesson plan, students go to Brooks museum and discuss the art they find there.
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Wonderful Westerns
In this book report worksheet, young scholars choose a novel about westerns to read and then completes six various assignments dealing with the novel of their choice.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Students participate in a layered curriculum unit in order to give them opportunities to master objectives. Students pick the activities and this allows a differentiated lesson to occur with many opportunities for assessment.