>> Hi, everyone.

My name is Mrs.

Wisniewski, or Mrs.

W for short.

Today, I'm going to teach you all about character traits.

But, first, a little bit about me.

I was born and raised in New Jersey and went to school in New Jersey, just like you.

I've taught for 10 years.

Can you believe that?

I've taught all the way in North Jersey in a town called Garfield.

I've taught in South Jersey, in a town called Camden.

And right now I'm teaching at a school I absolutely love called Lindenwold.

Go, School 4!

I like to start every morning with a high five, handshake, or hug with my students.

Now, I know we're not together, but let's practice doing it over the television.

Let's start with an air high five... an air handshake... and let's give each other a nice big hug.

Now, remember, boys and girls, you are smart, you matter, and I believe in you.

Let's repeat that together.

I am smart.

I matter.

And we believe in each other.

Now, if you're ready like I am, let's start today's lesson.

For today's lesson, the materials you will need are a piece of paper and a pencil.

Please get those now.

Now, friends, before we begin today's goal, I want to talk to you about reading and why is reading so important.

A lot of times, especially when we're young, we think, "Who needs reading?"

But as you grow, you use reading all the time.

You use reading when you're on Facebook or Instagram, reading captions.

You use reading to read a map when you go to fun places like amusement parks.

We use reading when we look at cookbooks.

We always are reading.

You can never go a full day without reading.

Reading helps you learn, it helps you grow, and it often can help you imagine faraway places, which can help take your mind off some troubling times such as these.

Now, let's review what do good readers do when reading a book.

The first thing they should do is visualize -- make pictures in your mind as you're reading so you can imagine you're in the story.

Good readers also make predictions.

They guess what will happen next in a story.

Good readers ask questions throughout the story.

"What is the setting?

Why are the characters behaving the way they do?"

Good readers also make connections.

They think of times that it reminds them of their own life or other books.

Good readers make inferences.

They take clues that the author provides to explain what's happening in the story.

Good readers also summarize.

They retell a story focusing on the most important events.

I hope you now feel more confident in your reading abilities, now that you know what good readers do.

It's time to discuss our learning objective today.

Now that we have reviewed the strategies for when we read and learned what good readers do, let's review today's objective, or our goal.

Our first objective is to practice being a good reader using the strategies we just learned.

Our second goal for the day is to identify character traits using text evidence.

We will learn more about that soon.

Let's get our thinking caps on and get started.

What is a character trait?

A character trait is a word that describes a personality or who the character is on the inside.

A character trait is not a word that describes a character's physical appearance or what they look like.

A character trait also does not describe how a character is feeling at one point of the story.

Most of the time, it is our job as super readers to use the text clues to infer a character trait.

We can do this using four things.

We can study the characters feelings within the text, the character's actions, the dialogue, or what the character says, and, of course, the character's thoughts.

Now, I know that it can be confusing when you study a character's feelings, and we say that a feeling is not a character trait.

When teachers ask you to focus on a character's feelings to help you identify a character trait, what we mean is to notice if a character feels a certain way throughout the entire book.

Usually, if they feel a certain way throughout the entire text, that's a good clue on what they might feel as the character, and it can give us a clue to their character trait.

Let's look at an example.

"Matt was scared to walk through the cemetery a few minutes ago, and now he is frightened by a cat."

Hmm.

What word do you think would best describe this character?

Shout it out.

Awesome job, everyone.

Matt is fearful.

We now have two examples in the text that support that character trait.

Another thing we look at when we're noticing text clues to identify character traits are a character's actions or what the character does.

If a character in a text consistently or always acts a certain way, it can point to a noticeable character trait.

I like to think of Anna from "Frozen."

She was super brave when she went to go find Elsa.

She was brave again when she ran to protect Elsa from Hans' sword.

This shows us that Anna is brave.

Now it's your turn to practice.

"Cassie's grandparents gave her money for her birthday.

Cassie decided that the families at the crisis shelter needed food more than she needed a new toy, so she donated her money to the crisis center.

A character trait I can infer is..." Shout at the TV.

What word do you think best describes Cassie based on this story I just read?

Great job, everyone.

Cassie is generous or kind.

She used the money that was given to her to give to those in need.

This proves she is a generous or kind person.

The next thing we look at when we are studying character traits is the dialogue, or what a character says.

Watch for patterns in what the character says to others and the way that they speak to others.

Notice if the sentences they say always end in exclamation points or perhaps question marks.

These are good clues as to what a character is like and can often help you identify character traits.

Now let's read an example.

While I read, I want you to focus on the character safety while we're reading.

See if you can identify a good character trait to describe Sadie.

"Even though Madelyn was already talking, Sadie interrupted her to tell her classmates the story of what happened to her over the weekend.

Later, she told Bree that her sweater looked old and ugly."

Oh, my goodness.

What word do you think best describes Sadie?

Shout it out!

On the count of 1, 2, 3... Awesome job, everyone.

I completely agree.

Sadie is rude, mean, or unkind.

The way that she talked to others and interrupted proves that this is the best character trait to describe her.

You are all doing such a fabulous job.

I am so proud of you.

Now let's focus on the character's thoughts.

What is the character thinking?

When we look for patterns in what the character thinks, we can often find clues to help us identify the character trait that best describes the character.

Let's look at an example.

As I read and you follow along on your screen, see if you can identify a character trait to describe Brian.

Are you ready?

Let's read together.

"Brian decided that he wanted to earn money during his summer vacation.

He determined that he could mow four lawns a day.

He hung a poster in his neighborhood, and soon his phone was ringing nonstop."

A character trait I can infer or predict about Brian is what?

Shout it at your TV in 1, 2, 3... Amazing job, everyone.

You are correct.

Brian is ambitious, hardworking, or determined.

Any of those words perfectly describe Brian based on the text evidence.

Now that you've worked really hard and you know the four ways to identify a character trait, let's take a quick brain break before we practice.

Are you ready?

During the brain break, I want you to think of a character trait to describe the musical artists featured in the video.

After your brain break, we'll meet together and discuss what word do you think best describes the musical artist.

Alright, friends.

Let's get ready.

♪♪ >> ♪ Repeat after me ♪ >> ♪ Repeat after me ♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin' ♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin' ♪ >> ♪ We can do it British!

♪ >> ♪ We can do it British!

♪ >> ♪ [ British accent ] Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ [ British accent ] Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin' ♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin' ♪ >> ♪ [ Whispering ] We can do it quiet ♪ >> ♪ [ Whispering ] We can do it quiet ♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin' ♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin' ♪ >> ♪ [ Normal voice ] We can do it louder!

♪ >> ♪ [ Normal voice ] We can do louder!

♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake!

♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake!

♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle!

♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle!

♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza!

♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza!

♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken!

♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken!

♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin'!

♪ >> ♪ That was really nothin'!

♪ >> ♪ We can do it backwards!

♪ >> ♪ We can do it backwards!

♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ Oh, a milkshake ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A sticky, sticky waffle ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ A mozzarella pizza ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ All the eggs, all the eggs are broken ♪ >> ♪ That was really somethin' ♪ >> ♪ That was really somethin' ♪ >> ♪ We are really awesome!

♪ >> ♪ We are really awesome!

♪♪ >> Yeah!

>> Wow, what a fun video.

I always love brain breaks.

Now, I'm curious -- how would you describe the musical artists in that video?

Well, let's look at some of the evidence that they gave us.

They gave silly dance moves.

They wore silly costumes.

And the words were quite silly, too.

When I put all of those things together, I can make an inference that the best character trait to describe those musical artists would be silly.

What do you think?

Now, friends, before we begin practicing identifying character traits, please take that piece of paper, fold it in half, and draw this character-trait organizer on your piece of paper.

You should have two organizers total.

Please make sure you write the words as you see them on your screen and draw the pictures.

It's okay if you're not an artist.

Just do the best you can.

You will have a minute and a half to draw both organizers on your piece of paper.

Please take the time and draw the organizers now.

[ "Final Jeopardy!"

theme music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Now that your organizers are ready, we are ready to begin.

I'm going to be using my "Cat in the Hat" character-trait organizer.

As we read, I'm going to listen for the words the character says, I'm going to listen for what the cat's thoughts are, and I might have to make an inference or good guess, based on the evidence, what his thoughts are.

I'm going to pay attention to the actions of the cat.

And, finally, I'm going to pay attention to his feelings.

Now, we're not going to read the entire book today, but we are going to read some of the most important parts, stopping when we pay attention to the words, thoughts, actions, and feelings.

So, come along.

Let's listen.

"And then something went bump!

How that bump made us jump!

We looked!

Then we saw him step in on the mat!

We looked!

And we saw him!

The cat in the hat!

And he said to us, 'Why do you sit there like that?

I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny!

I know some good games we could play,' said the cat.

'I know some new tricks,' said the cat in the hat.

'A lot of good tricks.

I will show them to you.

Your mother will not mind at all if I do.'

Then Sally and I did not know what to say.

Our mother was out of the house for the day."

Remember, everyone, good readers notice the words that the characters say.

I paid attention, and I know that the character, the cat in the hat, said, "I know some new tricks.

I will show them to you.

Your mother will not mind at all if I do."

Since those are the cat's words, I'm going to put them right in my word bubble.

Why don't you do the same now?

Now, then, we're going to listen to the next part of the story.

Are you ready?

"'Look at me!

Look at me now!'

said the cat, 'with a cup and a cake on top of my hat!

I can hold up two books!

I can hold up the fish!

And a little toy ship!

And some milk on a dish!

And look!

I can hop up and down on the ball!

But that is not all!

Oh, no, that is not all... Look at me!

Look at me!

Look at me now!

It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how.

I can hold up the cup and the milk and the cake!

I can hold up these books and the fish on a rake!

I can hold the toy ship and a little toy man!

And look!

With my tail, I can hold a red fan!

I can fan with the fan as I hop on the ball!

But that is not all.

Oh, no, that is not all...' That is what the cat said.

Then he fell on his head!

He came down with a bump from up there on the ball.

And Sally and I, we saw all the things fall!

And our fish came down, too.

He fell into a pot!

He said, 'Do I like this?

Oh, no!

I do not.

This is not a good game,' said our fish as he lit.

'No, I do not like it.

Not one little bit.

Now look what you did!'

Said the fist to the cat.

'Now look at this house!

Look at this!

Look at that!

You sank our toy ship, sank it deep in the cake.

You shook up our house, and you bent our new rake.

You should not be here when our mother is not.

You get out of this house!'

said the fish in the pot."

That fish was so clever.

He recognized the cat's actions.

Did you?

What is it that the cat has done?

Let me know.

You are so right.

The cat thought it was okay, and he made a mess in the house.

Since these are his actions, I'm going to put "made a mess in the house" under "actions."

Now, do you think the cat thought that was okay?

Of course he did!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have done it.

So, underneath the character's thoughts, I'm going to put, "It was okay to walk in someone's house and make a mess without permission."

Because he had to have thought it was okay, otherwise, he probably wouldn't have done it.

So I'm going to put this underneath the cat's thoughts.

Now, it's okay if you don't have enough time to write these, as well.

We're doing this together, so no worries.

Let's listen to the rest of the part of the book we're going to be reading today, and pay attention to the cat's feelings.

Then we're going to put all of it together and find the character trait that best describes the cat.

"But I like to be here.

Oh, I like it a lot!'

said the cat in the hat to the fish in the pot.

'I will not go away.

I do not wish to go.

And so,' said the cat in the hat, 'so, so, so...I will show you another good game that I know!'

And then he ran out.

And then, fast as a fox, the cat in the hat came back in with a box, a big red wood box.

It was shut with a hook.

'Now, look at this trick,' said the cat.

'Take a look.'

Then he got up on top with a tip of his hat.

'I call this game fun-in-a-box,' said the cat.

'In this box are two things I will show to you now.

You will like these two things,' said the cat with a bow.

'I will pick up the hook.

You will see something new.

Two things.

And I call them Thing One and Thing Two.

These things will not bite you.

They want to have fun.'

Then out of the box came Thing Two and Thing One.

And they ran to us fast.

They said, 'How do you do?

Would you like to shake hands with Thing One and Thing Two?'"

Okay, friends.

Now we can talk about the cat's feelings.

I know that the cat brought Thing One and and Thing Two over to the house.

He must have thought that was okay.

He felt inside that it was okay.

So I'm going to add, "It was okay to bring Thing One and Thing Two to the house," because the cat felt that it was okay.

Now I have all of the notes I need in my organizer, and I can put it all together to think of a character trait that best describes the cat.

Let's review.

The cat said, "I know some new tricks.

I will show them to you.

Your mother will not mind at all if I do."

So the cat likes tricks, and he's told the kids that it's okay even if their mother's not home.

Hmm.

That's a little sneaky.

His actions, what he does -- well, he made a mess in the house.

[ Inhales sharply ] That's not that kind.

He thought it was okay to walk into someone's house and make a mess without permission.

That sneaky, too.

And he felt that it was okay to bring Thing One and Two to the house.

Hmm.

When I put all of these things together, what word do you think would best describe the cat, based on our evidence?

Go ahead and shout it out.

Okay.

I heard some great words.

You all are doing a great job.

The word that I thought best describes the cat based on all of that evidence is this big word called "mischievous."

That's when you're sneaky and a little clever, too.

And I definitely think the cat was, and I think our evidence proves that.

So I'm going to add "mischievous" to our traits.

Are you ready to continue practicing?

Now we're going to practice with "The Grinch."

We're going to pay attention to the Grinch's words, thoughts, actions, and feelings to figure out the best character trait to describe the Grinch.

Let's get started.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

by Dr.

Seuss.

"Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot... but the Grinch, who lives just north of Who-ville, did not.

The Grinch hated Christmas!

The whole Christmas season!

Now, please don't ask why.

No one quite knows the reason.

It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.

It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small."

As I was listening to our read-aloud today, I noticed the Grinch's feelings.

He felt a really strong emotion.

Who can tell me what was the strong emotion he felt?

If you know it, go ahead and shout it.

Yeah, the book said he hated something.

What was it that he hated again?

Can you remind me?

You're so right.

The book says he hated Christmas and the Whos.

Since that's a feeling and a strong one, I'm going to go ahead and add it to "feelings."

What I would like you to do is I'm going to hold it up and I want you to add it to your organizer.

We're going to add, "He hates Christmas and the Whos."

Go ahead and add it to the "feelings" section of your organizer now.

Great job, friends.

I'm going to go ahead, and I'm going to tape it right here under "feelings," because we know the Grinch hates Christmas and the Whos.

We're going to keep listening.

And we're going to pay attention to the Grinch's thoughts, words, and actions.

"But whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes, he stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown at the warm lighted windows below in their town.

For he knew every Who down in Who-ville beneath was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath.

'And they're hanging their stockings!'

he snarled with a sneer.

'Tomorrow is Christmas!

It's practically here!'

Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming, 'I must find some way to stop Christmas from coming!'

For, tomorrow, he knew..." Let's take a quick pause.

The Grinch said some pretty awful words.

Do you remember what it is he said?

Go ahead and let me hear it.

You're right.

The Grinch said, "I must find a way to stop Christmas from coming."

Those are some pretty strong words.

I'm going to give you a few seconds to write the words underneath the "words" section in your organizer before I add it.

So go ahead and, in the "words" section of your organizer, write down, "I must find a way to stop Christmas from coming."

Feel free to use any abbreviations you would like that will still help you understand.

Perfect.

I'm going to go ahead and add it to our organizer.

So, right now, we have found the Grinch's feelings, and we have found his words.

We're going to continue listening to find his thoughts and his actions so that we can choose the best character trait to describe the Grinch.

Let's continue.

"...all the Who girls and boys would wake bright and early.

They'd rush for their toys.

And then!

Oh, the noise!

Oh, the noise, noise, noise, noise!

That's one thing he hated.

The noise, noise, noise, noise!

Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast.

And they'd feast!

And they'd feast!

And they'd feast, feast, feast, feast!

They would feast on Who pudding and rare Who roast beast, which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least.

And then they do something he liked least of all!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small would stand close together with Christmas bells ringing.

They'd stand hand-in-hand.

And the Whos would start singing!

They'd sing!

And they'd sing!

And they'd sing, sing, sing, sing!

And the more the Grinch thought of this Who Christmas sing, the more the Grinch thought 'I must stop this whole thing.

Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now.

I must stop this Christmas from coming!

But how?'"

Oh, my!

What a mean thought the Grinch has.

He said, "I must stop this Christmas from coming."

Let's add this to our organizer underneath "thoughts."

We're going to write down, "I must stop this Christmas from coming."

And, again, it's okay if you use abbreviations.

Let's write this underneath the thought bubble now.

Okay, I'm going to add it to my thought bubble.

So, so far, we know the Grinch has said, "I must find a way to stop Christmas from coming."

He thinks he must stop Christmas from coming, and and he hates Christmas and the Whos.

I wonder, what is he going to do next?

Hmm.

Whatever it is, I think it's definitely going to help us find the character trait to best describe the Grinch.

Let's find out.

"Then he got an idea!

An awful idea!

The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!

'I know just what to do!'

the Grinch laughed in his throat.

And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.

And he chuckled and clucked, 'What a great Grinchy trick!

With this coat and this hat, I look just like Saint Nick!

All I need is a reindeer...' The Grinch looked around.

But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.

Did that stop the old Grinch...?

No!

The Grinch simply said, 'If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!'

So he called his dog, Max.

Then he took some red thread.

And he tied a big horn on top of his head.

Then he loaded some bags and some old empty sacks on a ramshackle sleigh, and he hitched up old Max.

Then the Grinch said, "Giddap!"

And the sleigh started down toward the homes where the Whos lay a-snooze in their town.

All their windows were dark.

Quiet snow filled the air.

All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care when he came to the first little house on the square.

'This is stop number one,' the old Grinchy Claus hissed.

And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist."

Oh, my goodness!

Did you notice Max's face in the illustration?

He looked so sad and upset all because of the Grinch.

I'm going to keep this in mind when I'm still looking for the actions and when I'm thinking about the word that describes the Grinch.

Let's continue the story.

"Then he slid down the chimney.

A rather tight pinch.

But if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch.

He got stuck only once, for a moment or two.

Then he stuck his head out of their fireplace flue, where the little Who stockings all hung in a row.

'These stockings,' he grinned, 'are the first things to go!'

Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, around the whole room, and he took every present!

Pop guns!

And bicycles!

Roller skates!

Drums!

Checkerboards!

Tricycles!

Popcorn!

And plums!

And he stuffed them in bags.

Then the Grinch, very nimbly, stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the 'chimbley'!"

Aha!

Now we have the actions of the Grinch.

We know that the Grinch took the presents, food, and Christmas trees from the Whos.

So I'm going to go ahead, and I'm going to add, "He took the presents, food, and Christmas trees from the Whos" to the "action" section of my graphic organizer.

Now I'm ready to reflect and find the best character trait to describe the Grinch.

We know he wants to stop Christmas from coming.

He says he has to find a way to stop Christmas.

He hates Christmas and the Whos.

And because of this hatred, he takes the presents, food, and Christmas trees from the Whos, leaving them with nothing to celebrate Christmas.

Hmm.

I don't know about you, but I think I know the perfect word.

Do you know it?

Go ahead.

Tell me.

Ooh.

You're right.

What's another word?

Ooh, you're so right.

I'm hearing a lot of "unkind," "mean," "bad."

I think the best word that uses all of those things put together is this word, "cruel."

Mean, unkind, selfish, cruel.

The Grinch is definitely cruel.

Now, friends, you have worked really hard.

Let's take another brain break.

This time, we're going to listen to a song from "The Grinch."

And you're going to go sneaking around just like the Grinch.

Alright.

Are you ready?

Let's go.

>> ♪...e-e-e-e-eel ♪ ♪ You're as a cuddly as a cactus ♪ ♪ You're as charming as an e-e-e-e-e-eel ♪ ♪ Mr.

Grinch ♪ ♪ You're a bad banana ♪ ♪ Huh ♪ >> ♪ Mr.

Grinch ♪ >> ♪ With a greasy black pee-e-e-e-e-l ♪ ♪ You're a vile one ♪ ♪ You have termites in your smile ♪ ♪ You have all the tender sweetness ♪ ♪ Of a seasick crocodile ♪ ♪ Mr.

Grinch ♪ ♪ You're a foul one ♪ ♪ Friends, you don't have none ♪ ♪ I wouldn't touch you with a 39-1/2-foot pole ♪ ♪ You're a monster ♪ ♪ Your heart's an empty hole ♪ >> ♪ You have garlic in your soul ♪ >> ♪ You have garlic in your soul ♪ >> ♪ La, la... ♪ >> ♪ All them smiles, homie, I turn 'em frowns ♪ ♪ All them decorations, I tear 'em down ♪ ♪ You can ask Max, I don't play around ♪ >> ♪ La, la, la ♪ >> ♪ Ayo ♪ [ Whirring ] ♪ Who is this mean fellow ♪ ♪ With his skin all green and his teeth all yellow ♪ >> ♪ Ew!

♪ ♪ What you so mad for?

♪ ♪ Halloween come around, and we ain't knockin' at your door, mane ♪ >> ♪ Mr.

Grinch, you're a bad banana ♪ ♪ Gonna spoil everybody with your bad attitude ♪ >> ♪ Spoil everybody ♪ >> ♪ Mr.

Grinch ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ ♪ Who is this mean fellow ♪ ♪ With his skin all green and his teeth all yellow ♪ >> ♪ La, la, la ♪ >> ♪ What you so mad for?

♪ ♪ Halloween come around, and we ain't knockin' at your do-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-or ♪ ♪ Aah!

♪ >> [ Laughs wickedly ] >> ♪ Bad banana ♪ >> So far, we've practiced identifying character traits using "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Grinch."

Now we're going to listen to one of my favorite books, "Strong to the Hoop."

As always, we're going to pay attention to the narrator James' words, his thoughts, his actions, and his feelings to identify the character traits that best describes him.

"Strong to the Hoop," written by John Coy.

Illustrations by Leslie Jean Bart, "'Wump, wump, wump.'

The ball bounces as my big brother Nate and I walk into the park.

At the court, everybody shakes hands, and the guys split into two teams of four, Shirts and Skins.

I wish I was big enough to play, but because I'm only 10, I go to the side court.

No other kids are here, so I practice my game.

I dribble, aim for the hoop, shoot, get the ball, shoot, over and over.

Back on the main court, Zo glides down the lane, fakes a pass, then flips a finger roll with his left hand, so smooth it looks like slow motion.

Now I imagine playing as an All Star.

Tie game.

Nine seconds left.

I bounce the ball with my left hand.

No one's open.

Six, five, four... I drive left, spin right, and soar to the hoop.

[ Imitates buzzer ] The buzzer sounds.

'Oh, no,' Luke yells.

He lies under the basket, grabbing his ankle.

'I'm done.

You need another player.'

'How about James?'

Slinky points to me.

'You want to run?'

'Yeah!'

I race onto the court.

Nate and the guys gather around me.

'He's not big enough,' says Marcus.

'Someone else will show.'

'We're not waiting.'

Zo picks up the ball.

'Come on, James.

You're a Skin.'

I peel off my shirt and think how skinny my body looks.

'You guard Marcus,' says Nate.

'Stick to him.'

I look up at Marcus, who's a head taller.

His muscles push out his shirt.

'Maybe I'm not ready to be out here.'

'3-3, game's 15.'

Right away, the ball goes to Marcus.

I slip and fall to the asphalt as he goes to the hoop.

Out of nowhere, Slinky leaps to block the shot.

'Get that out of here.'"

Wow.

Next to the taller, older boys on the court, our narrator, James, is feeling pretty intimidated and discouraged.

I'm going to add that to his feelings.

What feelings did you choose?

Go ahead and fill in your "feelings" part of your organizer now.

So, how was I able to figure out his feelings?

Well, I know that James said, "Maybe I'm not ready to be out here."

Those were his thoughts.

He didn't say them to anyone.

He just told the readers that.

So, since those are his thoughts, I'm going to go ahead and add it to the "thoughts" section.

Now, what I want you to do is write down what thoughts you notice that James said in the book.

"'Slide your feet,' Nate tells me.

Slinky nods and flips a pass.

I feel the worn leather, bounce it twice, and pass to Zo.

'Count it,' he says as the ball leaves his hand.

Someday, I want to be able to shoot like that.

'Play back on Marcus,' Nate says.

'Make him shoot outside.'

I move back, bending my knees and shuffling my feet.

Marcus bounces the ball and looks right at me.

'You can't guard me.'

His shot rattles off the rim.

Zo rebounds, and we race the other way.

I cut through the lane and bump into Marcus.

It's like running into a rock.

'You're too small.

Get out of here, or I'll push you out.'

I don't like his talking.

Why can't he just stop and play?

At midcourt, Zo swats a loose ball, and I have a wide open lay-up.

'Shoot it softly,' I remind myself.

'Miss!'

Marcus yells from behind, and the ball bangs off the rim.

I feel everyone's eyes on me and want to crawl off the court.

'Go strong to the hoop,' says Nate.

'We gotta have those,' says Zo.

I know.

I shouldn't be out here if I miss a shot like that."

Man, this is James' opportunity to prove himself.

This is something he's wanted.

As a good reader, I'm going to think about, "Is he going to keep going even though he's feeling defeated?"

Let's make a prediction.

Do you think James is going to keep trying?

Alright.

I hear your predictions.

Let's read and find out.

"Up and down we go.

I banged against legs and hips to stay with Marcus.

An elbow hits my head, but I keep my feet.

I'm breathing so hard my lungs feel on fire, and my mouth is so dry I can't spit."

It looks like James was trying his best, even though he was facing taller, older players.

That was a really courageous action.

So I'm going to go ahead and just write down exactly what the book says.

"I bang against legs and hips to stay with Marcus."

So, these are the words that I'm going to put for the actions.

But you can go ahead and put whatever you think is best.

"He kept up with the boys."

"He kept trying his best."

Or whatever you think would be best suited for your organizer.

"I dive for a ball that's going out of bounds and make the save.

'You okay?'

Nate asks.

I feel the burn on my knee and see blood.

But I know what to say.

'Yeah, I'm fine.'

We sprint downcourt.

Marcus makes a move, and I grab him.

'What are you doing?'

he yells.

'You ripped my shirt.'

'Call the foul then.'

I'm sorry about the shirt but sick of his talking.

"Foul.

And keep your hands off me."

I see the guys watching, and I'm surprised to hear my voice.

'Then keep your hands off me at the other end.'

'What?

I don't need to hold you,' Marcus says.

'Okay, you two,' Slinky says.

'Let's play ball.'"

Can you believe it?

James stood up to Marcus, even though he was a whole head taller.

He said, "Keep your hands off me."

Those are some strong words.

That was very fearless of him.

I'm going to go ahead and add it to the words he said.

Now, you feel free to fill out the words that you think is best for your organizer.

"A crowd has gathered around the court and someone's turned on music.

'Finish it off, Marcus!'

a tall kid shouts.

'We've got winners!'

Marcus leans forward and makes a move.

I slide my feet, and the ball hits his leg and skips out of bounds.

He glares at me but doesn't say a thing.

I zoom down court, ferocious like a lion.

I bounce-pass to Slinky, who scores off the board.

'Nice look.'

He hits my hand.

'The kid can hoop,' a man in dark glasses says as I hurry back on defense.

'Okay, kid,' Marcus sneers.

'You and me.'

He pushes off me and hits a jumper.

My legs feel heavy now as the sun bakes the asphalt.

'Fourteen, fourteen.

Game point.'

Zo bounces the ball like a yo-yo between his legs.

'This is it.'

The team that wins keeps playing, and I feel my heart beating.

I wipe my hands on my shorts, but right away they're sweaty again.

Zo zips a pass to Nate.

I bump my shoulder against Marcus.

Nate passes back to Zo, and Marcus rushes to double-team.

Zo passes to me.

'Shoot it!'

I turn and shoot in one smooth motion.

'Yes!'

yells Nate.

'Game point by James!'

He and Slinky lift me up, and I grin a championship smile.

'That was our plan!'

says Zo.

'Go to James for the game.

You guys couldn't stop him.'

'Good game, James.'

Marcus slaps my hand.

'Good game, Marcus.'

I'm happy as the last day of school.

At the hoop, four new players are warming up.

'You need one?'

someone shouts.

'No,' says Nate.

'We've got our four.'

I can't believe I'm on the main court with these guys.

I feel strong enough to run all afternoon.

Zero, zero.

Going to fifteen,' I call.

'Ball's in.'"

Wow!

What an incredible story.

I love that book.

Now, before we go ahead and decide on a character trait for James, let's practice what good readers do and summarize the text.

Do you remember what the story began with?

Go ahead and tell me.

Yeah, this story began with James going to the basketball court.

Now, how was he feeling when he got to the court?

Go ahead, shout it out.

Yeah.

When he got to the court, he was feeling a little sad.

He wanted to be able to play the game with the older, taller boys, but he couldn't.

Hmm.

Something happened, though.

What happened?

You all are so smart.

What great memories you have.

Yeah, one of the boys got hurt.

And then, when the boy got hurt, who got called to join in the game?

Yeah!

Our main character, James!

He got called to come in the game.

Now, how was he feeling when he was first called to be in the game?

Do you remember?

Yeah, he was feeling intimidated and discouraged.

We know this because he said, "Maybe I'm not ready to be out there."

And we know that he had to guard Marcus, who he said was a whole head taller than him.

And the illustration showed us just how much taller Marcus was.

Okay.

So, they're playing the game.

And how was he being treated?

Do you remember?

Go ahead.

Tell me.

Yeah, he wasn't being treated very kindly.

Marcus was defending him, but pushing him down.

James even ended up hurting himself and bleeding a little bit.

But that didn't stop James.

Nope, he kept going.

And the more he was playing, the braver he became.

He ended up banging hips and legs to stay with Marcus, and he didn't stop.

Then, he even kind of got into a little tiff-taff with Marcus, saying, "Keep your hands off me."

Soon, a whole crowd came.

They were playing music as the boys were racing to figure out who the winner was going to be.

Now, friends, who won?

Go ahead.

Shout it out.

Yeah, James' team won!

And who was it that made the winning basket?

It was James!

Yay!

Good for James.

Okay, now that we know his thoughts at the beginning of the story, we know his feelings, and we saw a change in him, let's put our thoughts, feelings, actions, and words all together.

What character trait best describes James?

Go ahead and tell me.

Oh, that's a good one.

Anyone else?

Ooh!

You are some of the most intelligent children I have ever heard.

What a great job.

I agree with you.

I think he did an awesome job, and I think he changed into becoming brave.

He stood up to the people who weren't that nice to him.

And even though he doubted himself, he played and stuck with it, proving that he was indeed brave.

Way to go, super readers!

Okay, friends, we're getting to the end of our lesson.

Let's review what we learned today.

Amazing job today, super readers.

You have all done such a great job.

I am so proud of you.

And I'm sure your teachers at home are super proud of you, too.

Let's go over the things that we learned today.

We learned that good readers think about the pictures that the author was creating in their head.

We know that they make text-to-self connections and connections from the book or story they read to their television shows, movies, and other books they have read, as well.

We know that good readers make predictions and they think about, "What is this book going to be about, and what might happen next?"

We also know that good readers look for character traits.

The author doesn't always tell us what the character traits are.

So it's our job as super readers to figure it out.

We know that character traits are words that describe a character's personality.

They let us know who the character is on the inside.

And, that way, we can figure out, "Do we like this character, or do we not like this character?"

But how can we find character traits?

If you remember, I want you to shout it out at me.

On the count of 3.

Ready?

1, 2, 3... Great job, everyone!

You're super smart.

We know that, to find character traits, you have to think about four things.

Who remembers those four things?

We have to think about what a character... You got it.

We have to think about what a character says.

What else?

Awesome.

We have to think about what a character thinks, which sometimes the author tells us.

Other times, we have to make a prediction.

What else do we have to think about?

Great job.

We have to think about the character's actions or what the character does.

And then what's the last thing?

Awesome, everyone.

We have to think about how a character feels.

When we think about what the character says, using their words, what the character thinks, the actions, what the character does, and how the character feels inside, we can think of a good choice of words to describe the character or their character traits.

You all have done such a great job.

You've been fabulous listeners, and it's been my pleasure to learn with you today.

Thank you, and I hope you have a great day.

Bye-bye, everyone.