TITLE:  Dear Character

AUTHOR:  Carolyn Creger, Natrona County Schools, Casper, WY

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  K-12, reading, English

OVERVIEW:  Many students need to better understand
characters' personalities in literature.

PURPOSE:  To help students think about a character and how
this character feels about life.

OBJECTIVES:  As a result of this activity, the students
will:
1.   Better understand a character.
2.   Will have a better idea of character traits.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:  Paper, pencil, books

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.   Discuss a character common to the group.  Brainstorm
     and list this character's traits.
2.   Repeat for other characters, if need be.  (This can be
     done alone, with partners, or in a group.)
3.   If the first character were to write a letter to
     another character, either in the same book (story) or
     another book, what would that letter be about?  Write a
     sample letter.
4.   Assign letters to be written supposedly by a character.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  Share the letters and discuss
character traits.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Make a bulletin board of the letters, leave off the names
and guess who the characters are, correspond with a
character (student write both letters, or use partners),
make a web of a character's traits.