| 🎯 Objective | Students will identify a character trait based on a character's actions and words, and cite text evidence to support it |
| 📊 Grade Level | Grade 2–3 |
| ⏱️ Duration | 40 minutes |
| 📚 Subject | Language Arts — Reading Comprehension |
Ask: "How would you describe your best friend's personality in three words?" Let students share, then explain that authors show us a character's personality through what the character does and says, not just by stating it directly.
Read a short passage aloud where a character does something that reveals a trait (for example, a character who shares their lunch with someone who forgot theirs). Model the thinking: "The character shared their lunch even though they were hungry too — that action shows me the character is generous." Write the trait and the supporting action on the board.
Read a second passage together. As a class, identify a trait the main character shows and find the specific action or dialogue in the text that supports it. Discuss why a trait like "generous" is better supported by evidence than a vaguer word like "nice." Connect this to skills from our main idea and supporting details lesson, which also asks students to point to specific text evidence.
Students read a third short passage independently, choose one character trait word that fits the main character, and write one sentence citing the specific action or words that support their choice.
A few volunteers share their chosen trait and evidence, discussing as a class whether the evidence genuinely supports the trait chosen.
Check that the chosen trait is a reasonable fit for the character based on the text, and that the cited evidence is a specific action or line of dialogue from the passage, not a vague restatement of the trait itself.
Support: Provide a word bank of character trait options to choose from. Extension: Ask advanced students to identify two different traits shown by the same character and explain how they might seem to conflict.