Reader’s Workshop
Seedfolks/Character
Content Vocabulary
Character
Main Character: important characters who affect the development and resolution of the conflict
Minor Character: characters who compliment the main character and help move the plot
Outsiders Link
In Outsiders, who is/are the main character(s)?
Ponyboy and Johnny
Anchor Reading
Read “Ana” in Seedfolks.
Seedfolks/Character Anchor Chart
Copy down this chart. This will be on a separate page in the notes section. You will continually add to this chart.
Character | Character Type How do you know? Evidence | What do they do, say in the story? Evidence | How does it affect the plot? |
Kim | main character | She plants lima beans and wants her deceased dad to see her. | She starts a ‘garden.’ |
Ana | main character: she caused conflict by destroying Kim’s beans. | She spies on Kim. | She may have ruined the garden. |
Your Anchor Chart
Copy down this chart again in your own student work section for your book. Leave yourself a whole page or two for your chart.
Character | Character Type How do you know? Evidence | What do they do, say in the story? Evidence | How does it affect the plot? |
| | | |
Assignment
2.19.15
Assignment: Have two complete entries on your character type anchor chart, and complete one thought prompt. The content vocabulary is main character and minor character.
You should be silently reading and working the entire time.
Content Vocabulary
Protagonist: main character who faces the conflict. He/She may not be a ‘good’ person.
Antagonist: the character or obstacle that opposes the protagonist.
Outsiders Link
Who is/are the protagonist(s) in the Outsiders?
mostly Ponyboy and Johnny
Who is/are the antagonist(s) in the Outsiders?
Socs, prejudice, Darry, Ponyboy’s mind
Anchor Reading
Read “Wendell” from Seedfolks.
Seedfolks Character Anchor Chart
Kim | main character/protagonist | She plants lima beans and wants her deceased dad to see her. She waters her plants a little better. | She starts a ‘garden.’ |
Ana | main character/protagonist: she caused conflict by destroying Kim’s beans. | She spies on Kim. She calls Wendell for help. | She may have ruined the garden. |
Wendell | main character/protagonist. He helps keep the garden alive. | He teaches Kim how to help her plants grow. | He saves the garden. |
Assignment
Continue working on your anchor chart. Don’t forget to include the date, 2/20/15.
Complete two thought prompts for your book. The content vocabulary for today is protagonist and antagonist.
Character Video
Content Vocabulary
Round Character: a character with a complex personality
Flat Character: a character with one kind of personality
Outsiders Link
Round Characters:
Ponyboy, Johnny, Sodapop, Cherry
Flat Characters:
Darry, Two Bit, Steve,
What about Dally or Bob?
Anchor Reading
Read Gonzalo in Seedfolks.
Seedfolks Character Anchor Chart
Character | Character Type How do you know? Evidence | What do they do, say in the story? Evidence | How does it affect the plot? |
Wendell | main character/protagonist. He helps keep the garden alive. | He teaches Kim how to help her plants grow. | He saves the garden. |
Gonzalo | flat character/minor character: doesn’t show a lot of difference in character. | tells the story of his uncle; leads his uncle around | |
Tio Juan | round character/major: Gonzalo mentions that he used to be happy, but now feels lost. | -helps out with the garden -turns from a boy into a man again | |
Assignment
2.23.15
Continue to work on your anchor chart. Really focus on this today.
Complete only one thought prompt.
Content Vocabulary
dynamic character: a character who undergoes a significant change over time
static character: a character who stays the same over time
Outsiders Link
dynamic characters:
Ponyboy, Johnny, Darry, Cherry, Randy, Sodapop
static characters:
, Two Bit, Steve, Bob, Dally
Anchor Reading
Read “Leona” in Seedfolks.
Seedfolks Character Anchor Chart
Character | Character Type How do you know? Evidence | What do they do, say in the story? Evidence | How does it affect the plot? |
Tio Juan | Dynamic: He changes from feeling like a “boy” to feeling like a “man” again. | | |
Leona | major, protagonist: she does something good for the garden | helps get rid of the trash, by opening up the stinky trash | keeps the garden cleaner |
Government Officials | minor, dynamic: because they listen to Leona. At first, they didn’t. | | |
Assignment
2.24.15
Continue to work on your anchor chart.
Complete one thought prompt
What do these pictures mean?
Content Vocabulary
foil: characters whose personalities contrast each other
symbolic character: a character who represents something greater than just who they are in the book
Outsiders Link
Who is Ponyboy’s foil?
Dally
What does Johnny symbolize?
cruelty of life
Anchor Reading
Read “Sam” in Seedfolks.
Seedfolks Character Anchor Chart
Character | Character Type How do you know? Evidence | What do they do, say in the story? Evidence | How does it affect the plot? |
Kim | symbolic character: hope, new beginnings | | |
Sam | minor character, static character: He hasn’t really done anything. | He convinces P.R. boy to grow pumpkins, | He creates a contest. Explains that the garden isn’t Eden. |
Puerto Rican kid | minor | He wants to grow pot. | |
Assignment
2.25.15
Continue to work on your anchor chart. Really focus on this today.
Complete only one thought prompt.
Assignment
2.26.15
You will have a majority of the time to read today. You will work on your character anchor chart as well as one thought prompt.
You will want to try to write two if not three. Trust me!
Characterization
Direct: The author tells the reader about the character.
Indirect: The author shows the reader the character through
Think of the word, STEAL.
Direct Characterization
The examples in this video are not exact quotations from the book; however, it conveys the basic idea.
Can you find which
example is not direct
characterization?
The creator of the video made a
mistake.
Indirect Characterization
Seedfolks Anchor Text
Read “Virgil” in Seedfolks.
New Anchor Chart!
Hold off on that first anchor chart. You don’t have to continue working on that one. Now you start a new one. Here it is:
Remember, you will need one for Seedfolks and one for your own book.
Character Name | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines from the book |
| | | |
Seedfolks Anchor Chart
Character | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines from the book |
Virgil’s Dad | happy | direct | “He always has a smile on his face.” |
Virgil’s Dad | ambitious | direct | “He always has a plan in his head.” |
Virgil’s Dad | naive | indirect | He plants lettuce during the wrong time of the year. |
Miss Fleck | strict | direct | “She was the strictest teacher in Ohio. |
Notice that only direct characterization examples are quotations. You can sum up and not use quotations for indirect characterization
Assignment
Create your new anchor chart.
Read and add to the anchor chart.
Indirect Characterization 3.2.15
Review: STEAL
Today, we will focus on what a character says.
Outsiders Link
What is the difference between these two examples from the text?
We’re poorer than the Socs and the middle class.
“My dad was an original person,” I said.
Outsiders Link
-Realize that if the narrator of your story is a character, then you can include non quotations for what they ‘say.’ They are talking directly to you.
-If it isn’t the narrator, then you have to pay attention to the quotations.
-Don’t mix this with what narrators and other characters say about characters. We are going to look at this on Thursday.
Outsiders Link
I looked around wildly, almost panic-stricken.
Ponyboy says this about himself which is direct characterization.
All three of us like chocolate cake for breakfast.
Ponyboy says this about himself which is indirect characterization. What is he saying about himself?
Anchor Chart-Seedfolks
Character | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines |
Sae Young | extrovert/outgoing | direct | I always like being with people. |
Sae Young and her husband | hard working | indirect | We work together. Seven to seven. |
Assignment 3.2.15
Choose one of these writing prompts and write as well and as much as you can. shoot to write five sentences.
Also, continue to work on your anchor chart.
Indirect Characterization 3.3.15
Today, we are taking a look at indirect characterization through what a character does; that is, what are his actions?
Turn and talk to a partner and discuss the following:
What is the most important action that Johnny takes and what does that say about him?
that Darry takes?
that Dally takes?
Seedfolks Anchor Text
Read chapter 9 in Seedfolks, entitled Curtis.
Anchor Chart-Seedfolks
Character | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines |
Curtis | romantic | indirect | He plants tomatoes to win back Lateesha. |
Lateesha | serious | indirect | She breaks up with Curtis. |
Assignment 3.3.15
Choose one of these writing prompts and write as well and as much as you can. shoot to write five sentences.
Also, continue to work on your anchor chart.
Indirect Characterization
Today we are taking a look at how the physical description of a character gives us a clue to his/her character.
Outsiders-Who is it?
“...he has a finely drawn, sensitive face that somehow manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the same time. He's got dark-gold hair that he combs back--- long and silky and straight--- and in the summer the sun bleaches it to a shining wheat gold. His eyes are dark brown--- lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next.”
What does this say about this character’s personality?
Outsiders-Who is it?
“He had an elfish face, with high cheekbones and a
pointed chin, small, sharp animal teeth, and ears like a lynx. His hair was almost white it was so blond, and he didn't like haircuts, or hair oil either, so it fell over his forehead in wisps and kicked out in the back in tufts and curled behind his ears and along the nape of his neck. His eyes were blue, blazing ice, cold with a hatred of the whole world.”
What does this say about this character’s personality?
Seedfolks Anchor Chart
Character | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines |
Curtis | Full of himself/vain | direct | “That’s short for Biceps ‘R Us. Actually, I started that name.” |
Curtis | Full of himself/vain | indirect | “With this body, I had other girls hanging on me at the time, and some of them I just couldn’t brush off.” |
ASsignment 3.4.15
Choose one of these writing prompts and write as well and as much as you can. shoot to write five sentences.
Shoot to write at least 150 words.
Review STEAL
What does STEAL stand for in terms of characterization?
Speech
Thoughts
Effects
Actions
Looks
Outsiders Link to TLT
“They spoiled him rotten. I mean, most parents would be proud of a kid like that--- good-lookin' and smart and everything, but they gave in to him all the time. He kept trying to make someone say 'No' and they never did. They never did. That was what he wanted. For somebody to tell him 'No.' To have somebody lay down the law, set the limits, give him something solid to stand on. That's what we all want, really.”
What does this tell you about Bob’s character?
Is direct or indirect characterization being used?
Seedfolks Anchor Reading
Read Nora in Seedfolks.
Seedfolks Anchor Chart
Character | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines/Paraphrase |
Mr. Myles | | | |
Mr. Myles | | | |
From what we read today, fill out the chart relating to two character traits concerning Mr. Myles from Nora’s perspective. Make sure that you paraphrase the lines or grab a book from the back of the room and use a direct quotation. You will have five minutes to do this in groups of two.
Assignment 3.5.15
Complete one-two writing prompts using the content vocabulary of direct or indirect characterization.
Beef up your anchor chart by adding more examples of characterization to it.
Review of Characterization
What’s the difference between direct and indirect characterization?
What does STEAL stand for?
Feast Video
Be prepared to discuss the following questions.
How did the actions of the adults affect the dog?
Likewise, how did the actions of the dog affect the humans?
Dynamic Character
Review: What is a dynamic character?
A dynamic character is a character who goes through a significant change in the story.
Seedfolks Reading
We will read our last chapter, Florence, in Seedfolks.
Assignment
Explain how the title of your book relates to your characters’ traits. Make sure that you discuss in your writing their character traits (emotions, feelings, etc.)
Continue working on anchor charts (character types and characterization)
If you are not writing, then you should be reading!
Character Profile
Number your cards 1-9.
Write your name on the bottom of card 1 (or on all of your cards).
On card 1...
In the upper left corner, write the word, “character.”
In the middle of the card write the name of a main character in your story.
On card 2...
Write “dominant outward quality” in the upper left hand corner.
What does your character look like? Write something important related to them.
On card 3...
Write “dominant inward quality” in the upper left hand corner.
What character trait (emotion) stands out the most for your character?
On card 4...
Write “goal” in the upper left hand corner.
What does your character want the most out of anything else? Is it something tangible on the outside? Is it something inside that they desire?
On card 5
Write “motivation” in the upper left hand corner.
What ‘drives’ your character? What gets them to do something?
Seedfolks Reading/Anchor Chart
Read “Maricela” in Seedfolks.
Really focus on what other characters are doing. How does that affect Maricela?
Character | Trait | Direct/Indirect | Lines/Paraphrase |
Maricela | | | |
Maricela | | | |
Assignment 3.6.15
Answer this prompt in a paragraph. Shoot to write at least five sentences.
Review of Setting
The setting is the time and place of the story.
We know that the setting of the Outsiders is Tulsa, Oklahoma; because, Hinton has stated it, but it’s not directly stated in the story.
Do you remember any clues from the story about the setting?
Seedfolks Setting
Seedfolks Reading
We will read the next chapter, “Amir” in Seedfolks.
Notice what Amir says is the difference between his home country and the United States.
How do you think that affects him and others?
Assignment
Writing Assignment: In a solid minimum of five sentences paragraph, explain the setting of the story, how that setting affects a character in the story and how your character might be different if your book were set in a different location.
While you read, continue to fill out information on either one of your anchor charts.
Dynamic character chart
Copy down this chart in Teacher’s Notes. Fill it out with a partner or two.
Character | Beginning Traits/Situation | Ending Traits/Situation |
Royce | | |
Kim | | |
Italian woman (Amir’s friend) | | |
Maricela | | |
Mr. Myles | | |
Curtis | | |
Assignment 3.10.15
Write a solid paragraph of at least five sentences.
Explain how one of your characters underwent a significant change in the story.
What is their difference in personality/situation from the beginning of the book until now?
What have they learned?
Mini-Lesson
Consider the following titles:
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Maniac McGee
Out of My Mind
Mini-Lesson
What about these titles?
The Outsiders
The Hunger Games
Tuck Everlasting
Seedfolks
Why is Seedfolks titled as such?
Let’s reread the first two paragraphs of the last chapter of Seedfolks.