Learning Character Traits With Grace

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Meet Grace

You’re about to read a story about a girl named Grace who loves stories more than anything.

In Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, Grace imagines herself as every kind of character—pirates, heroes, explorers, even Peter Pan! But when someone tells her she can’t play a certain role, Grace has to decide: believe them, or believe in herself?

As you listen, keep your eyes and ears open. You are going to learn all about Grace by looking at her character traits.

What Are Character Traits?

Character traits are words that describe a person—on the inside and the outside.

External traits are things you can see.

Grace has brown skin and curly hair.

She loves to dress up in costumes.

She’s a great performer!

Internal traits are things that happen inside—like feelings or personality.

Grace is imaginative.

She is determined and brave.

She is joyful and full of confidence, even when others doubt her.

Here are some examples.

When Grace acts out stories by herself, that shows she is creative.

She keeps her hand raised even when kids say she can’t play Peter Pan, which shows she is confident and brave.

• Want more words to describe Grace or any character?

Here are some great ones.

What Is Character Development?

Characters don’t always stay the same. Just like you grow and change, so can characters in a story. This is called character development.

Sometimes, a character might start out feeling unsure or upset. But after learning something important or doing something hard, they might feel proud or brave.

In Amazing Grace, Grace starts out feeling sad and left out. But by the end, she’s strong, proud, and full of belief in herself.

Use a Character Map

Take what you’ve learned and organize it. Use the Character Map Graphic Organizer under Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar to show what you know?.

Here’s how.

1. In the center, draw or write Grace.

2. Pick four character traits that describe her.

3. Write one in each rectangle.

4. Under each trait, write a sentence or draw a picture that shows how she shows that trait.

For example, Grace is lively.

• How does she show this character trait?

Grace acts out every story with big movements and funny voices.

Get Ready to Practice!

Now that you know how to spot a character’s traits and see how they change, test your skills!

Head to the Got It? section for some fun activities to show what you know about Grace—and about yourself!