For your next book project, give your students the option to make a character portrait that will be both memorable and unique. At Fun in Fifth Grade at JCS, the teacher introduced this idea to her students while reading the book, The Family Under the Bridge. Once in groups, you can tell students the character they need to create, or let each group decide on a character of their choice. Then on large paper, have the group trace one student to have the character outline. Then students can fill the character in based on physical characteristics described in the book. They can also attach passages from the book that tell about the character: actions he took, things he said, or thoughts he had. Individual students can contribute in different ways- by researching the character, by finding key quotes, by creating the sculpture, and so on.
About Paula Kluth
