Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Essential Question
What are characters in a story?
How do traits of a character help
me to know information about the
character?
Characters
• We normally think of a character as being a
person in the story we are reading.
• Characters do things.
• They feel things.
• They hear things.
• They say things.
• They think things.
• They go places.
Characters
•
•
•
•
They can walk, run, leap, and jump.
They may sit and rock in a rocking chair.
They may just lie in bed.
And these actions show us what kind of
people these characters are: friendly, sad,
nosey, happy, confused, angry, or inventive.
Character Traits
• When we talk about a character, we often
describe that character in terms of character
traits, descriptive adjectives like happy or sad
that tell us the specific qualities of the character.
They're the same kinds of words that we might
use to describe ourselves or others, but we're
using them to describe fictional characters in
something we’ve read.
• The author may tell us these traits directly, but
more often the author will show us these traits in
action. Our job as readers is to draw a
conclusion about the character's traits (to infer
them) from what the character says, thinks, and
does.
• We might infer a character trait from something
a character does only once, or we might draw
our conclusions from a series of things the
character says and does.
• Character traits help us learn about people
and characters in a story.
• Let’s brainstorm some other characters you
have read and how characters are different.
• Let’s discuss our classmates and teacher to
see if we can give a character trait for each
student. Be nice with the comments!!!
Character
Actions of Character
Character Trait
They Reveal
Character Traits
humble
brave
courageous
serious
funny
humorous
Sad
resourceful
studious
intelligent
honest
mischievous
friendly
adventurous
hard-working
timid
demanding
bossy
gentle
loving
proud
wild
messy
neat
More Character Traits
Stubborn
Loyal
Gullible
imaginative
Caring
Carefree
Selfish
Unselfish
shy
bold
daring
disagreeable
busy
lazy
patriotic
fun-loving
joyful
cooperative
lovable
ambitious
rude
curious
witty
determined
Group Work
Group 1
Accordion Characters
You will demonstrate knowledge of a
character and traits of the character by
making an accordion character that will
compare/contrast the character with
yourself, display traits of character, give
adjectives that describe the character, and a
description of why you like/dislike the
character.
Group 2
Real-Life Character Cubes
You will analyze the character traits of a
character in Diary of a Wimpy Kid and
make connections between the characters in
the novel with your life/character.
Group 3
Character Interviews
You will explore the thoughts and feelings of
a fictional character in Diary of a Wimpy
Kid. You will pick four interview questions
you would like to ask the character you
selected. You will write the questions and
create a response to the question from the
character’s point of view.
Group 4
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
You will examine similarities and differences
between two characters in the novel. You
will draw two characters and write traits
using adjectives, actions, and dialogue of
both characters.
Directions
All Groups
• You will each have an instruction sheet that
you need to follow to create your work.
• I have provided you with
paper/outlines/directions.
• Ask for help if needed!
Essential Question
What are characters in a story?
How do traits of a character help me to
know information about the
character?
Ticket out the Door
Write your best friend’s first name on an
index card.
On the back, list 3 traits for your best friend.
Put in tray as you leave for lunch!!