Text Reading and Comprehension: Character and Setting

What can you do to be sure a disagreement remains polite? (be a good listener; don’t interrupt; think about the other person’s point of view) Hold up a copy of The Great Fourth-Grade Debate. Read the title and identify the author and illustrator. Read the title again and explain that a debate is formal discussion in which people present arguments or different points of view. The title tells me that the students on the book’s cover are debating something. Do you think this debate is going well? (probably not) How can you tell? (The students look upset.) Let’s look for more clues to determine if we’re right about the students we see here. Where can we look? Prompt students to explain that they can read chapter names, look at illustrations, and skim the text for unusual words or strong punctuation.

We can use the book’s features to predict what it will be about. What do you think this book will be about? List the students’ predictions on the board or on a chart.

These clues are called context clues. Read the sentence containing the word sternly on page 1. What clue in this sentence helps us understand what sternly means? (frustrated) Have students write the clue in their charts. We can find more context clues, too. Ask volunteers to read the sentences spoken by Taylor, Ben, and Michelle on page 1. What can we add to our charts now? (Students shouted, yelled, and screamed.) What does the word sternly mean? Give students time to reach consensus and have them write the definition in their charts.Then have them write a sentence or describe a picture that will help them remember the meaning. Have students repeat the activity using the remaining vocabulary words.

What are characters? (the people and sometimes animals or objects that a story is about) What is the difference between a main character and a supporting character? Help students understand that a story usually focuses on one or a few important characters. Without them, there is little or no story. But there are often other characters, too. These characters help or support the important characters. The story needs them, but they aren’t the most important characters. Before we talk more about characters, let’s talk about setting. What is a setting? (the place where a story happens) Why are characters and setting important in a story? (Readers often find characters interesting and enjoy reading about what happens to them. The setting can help readers imagine a story. It can also affect what the characters do or what happens to them.)

Thinking about the characters and setting of a story helps us understand a story better. We will talk more about this later in our lesson.

What is the setting of this story? (a classroom) Who is telling us this story? (Celia) Yes, Celia is the story’s narrator. That makes her an important character. Have students write Celia’s name in their charts and explain that they will add details about Celia as you continue reading. Who are some other characters we meet on this page? (Taylor, Ben, Michelle, and Ms. Brady) Are these characters also important, or do they support the main character? (They support Celia.) Have students add the names of the supporting characters. What are the characters discussing? (what flavor of ice cream to have at the end-of-year party) What text clues tell you that the discussion isn’t going well? (The students shout, yell, and scream. Ms. Brady tells the characters that they’re not practicing what they learned about having a class discussion.) What does Celia say in the last line that tells you more about her as a character? What words could you write in your charts to describe her? (She says that Ms. Brady is right and that the students are ignoring what they learned. This suggests that Celia is willing to admit the truth, so she’s honest.)

What does Celia suggest that her classmates do? (brainstorm a list of ice-cream flavors and vote for three favorites) What does this tell you about Celia? Accept reasonable answers, such as that Celia is willing to work with others to solve problems. Why didn’t Will vote? (The vote didn’t matter to him.)

Why do you think Celia hurried to catch up to Will? (She wanted to know why he didn’t vote.) What does this tell you about the kind of person Celia is? (thoughtful) Why didn’t Will vote? (He’s allergic to dairy and can’t eat ice cream.) What does Will say that tells you that he doesn’t think his allergy should stop other people from having what they want? (He tells Celia that he’s learned to live with it and doesn’t want to make a big deal of it.) What do Will’s words tell you about him as a character? Accept reasonable responses. Have students add Will to their charts as a supporting character, describe him, and record details from the story to support their descriptions. What does Celia do that night that gives you further evidence that she is a thoughtful person? (She couldn’t stop thinking about how unfair it was that Will was going to be left out of the celebration.) Have students add the evidence to their charts.

How has the setting changed? (It’s still a classroom, but the room has been decorated for a party.) What does Celia say the class ended up doing? (reaching a fair compromise) Have students add this detail to their Character Charts and add any other information about Celia or one of the supporting characters. A story’s theme is its biggest or most important idea. What is this theme of this story? Guide students to understand that the story’s theme is about the advantages of compromise.

To understand some of our vocabulary words better, let’s imagine we are having a debate. Explain that the subject of the debate is whether cats or dogs are better pets, and use the vocabulary words to direct the imaginary debate between two children, Keesha and Peter. Keesha, you are first. Give us one sentence telling why cats are better pets than dogs. Okay, David. Can you pretend that you are frustrated with Keesha’s statement because you are allergic to cats?

What makes Celia this story’s main character? (The story is mostly about her; she is part of all of the important action in the story.) What words can you use to describe Celia? Accept reasonable answers. What details and examples from the text support your descriptions? Accept reasonable answers. Encourage students to refer to their Character Charts for evidence. What words can you use to describe Will, one of the supporting characters? Accept reasonable answers. What details and examples from the text support your descriptions? Accept reasonable answers. Encourage students to refer to their Character Charts for evidence. What was the great fourth-grade debate named in the title all about? (what food to have at the end-of-year party) Look at the illustration on page 6. How is it different from all of the other illustrations in the story? (The students look happy.) What do the text and the illustration on page 6 tell you about how the debate ended? (Students compromised and everyone got what they wanted.) What is this story’s theme, or big idea? Accept answers related to the value or advantages of compromise. Use students’ explanations to determine individual understanding.

We identified Celia as the main character in our story. She was also the narrator, or the person who told the story. She told the story from her point of view. That is, she told the story the way she saw herself, other characters, and events. Imagine that one of the other characters was the narrator. Prompt students to retell the story from Will’s or Ms. Brady’s point of view. Use students’ summaries to determine individual understanding.