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Characters and Their Clues: Identifying Traits with Evidence

Lesson Plan
Grade 3
English

Characters and Their Clues: Identifying Traits with Evidence

Characters and Their Clues: Identifying Traits with Evidence

Duration: 45 Minutes Grade Level: Grade 3 Standards: CCSS RL.3.1, RL.3.3


1. Learning Objective

Students will be able to identify internal character traits of characters in a story and provide specific text evidence (actions, dialogue, or thoughts) to support their choices.

2. Materials Needed

  • The Little Red Hen (any version)
  • Character Traits Anchor Chart (Feelings vs. Traits)
  • Whiteboard/Markers
  • "Sammy and Jax" Fable and Character Web task

3. Hook (10 Minutes)

  • Read Aloud: Read The Little Red Hen aloud to the class.
  • Brainstorm: Ask students, "How would you describe the Little Red Hen?" List their words on the board (e.g., hard-working, busy, brave, smart).
  • Anchor Chart: Introduce the term Character Traits. Explain that these are qualities on the inside that show who a person is over time.
FEELINGS (Temporary)
  • Happens in the moment
  • Changes quickly
  • Examples: Sad, angry, excited, surprised.
TRAITS (Lasting)
  • Who they are on the inside
  • Shown by actions/words
  • Examples: Kind, lazy, honest, greedy.

4. I-Do: Teacher Modeling (Modeling the Web)

  • Draw a large Character Web on the board with "Little Red Hen" in the center.
  • Model Thinking: "I think the Hen is hard-working. I know this because the text says she planted the wheat, cut the wheat, and baked the bread all by herself while the others slept."
  • Write "Hard-working" in a trait bubble and "She did all the work alone" in the evidence line.

5. We-Do: Guided Practice

  • Look at the other characters (the Dog, Cat, or Duck).
  • Ask: "What trait describes them?" (Expected answer: Lazy).
  • Ask: "What is our evidence?" (Expected answer: They said 'Not I' every time she asked for help).
  • Add these to a second bubble on the board web.

6. You-Do: Independent Practice (The Task)

  • Read the fable below, then complete the Character Traits Web.

Sammy the Squirrel and Jax the Jay

Sammy was a small squirrel who spent every morning gathering acorns. He carefully tucked them into a hollow tree. Jax the Blue Jay sat on a high branch and laughed. "Why work so hard, Sammy?" Jax squawked. "The sun is warm and the berries are sweet right now!" Jax spent his days singing and napping.
When the first snow fell, Jax could not find any food. He flew to Sammy's tree. Sammy saw Jax shivering. Even though Jax had been rude, Sammy shared his acorns. "Thank you," Jax whispered. Jax promised that next year, he would spend his mornings working instead of just playing.
Name:
Date:
SAMMY THE SQUIRREL: Character Traits WebGrade 3: Character Analysis & Text Evidence
Instructions:Read the fable 'Sammy the Squirrel and Jax the Jay'. Identify three character traits for Sammy. For each trait, find one piece of evidence from the text that shows why Sammy has that trait.
CHARACTER NAME
Sammy the Squirrel
TRAIT 1
Trait:
Evidence:
TRAIT 2
Trait:
Evidence:
TRAIT 3
Trait:
Evidence:
Summary Analysis:

Paragraph Frame: Complete the following sentence: ____________________ is ____________________ because the text says ____________________.

7. Differentiation

  • Beginning: Provide a word bank of traits (e.g., Prepared, Kind, Lazy) with picture cues for each.
  • Intermediate: Complete the full character web and paragraph frame as shown above.
  • Advanced: Write a short paragraph contrasting Sammy and Jax. Example: "Sammy is prepared for winter, while Jax is lazy and only wants to play."

8. EL Support

Key Vocabulary Definitions:
Character
Character

Character: A person or animal in a story.
Trait
Trait

Trait: A quality that describes a character's personality.
Personality
Personality

Personality: The way a person thinks and acts.
Describe
Describe

Describe: To tell about someone using details.
Adjective
Adjective

Adjective: A word used to describe a noun.
Spanish Cognates:
  • Honest / Honesto
  • Responsible / Responsable
  • Generous / Generoso

9. Assessment / Exit Ticket

Read the scenario and identify the trait + evidence:
Maya saw a new student sitting alone at lunch. She walked over, said hello, and offered to share her cookies.
  1. What trait describes Maya? ____________________
  1. What is the clue (evidence) from the text? ____________________