Narrative Writing: Story Elements
Identify characters in a story
Describe characters using details
Understand that characters are important in storytelling
“But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Don't look on his appearance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For Yahweh sees not as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart."”
— 1 Samuel 16:7 (WEB)Just like God looks at a person's heart, good stories show characters' inner qualities, not just how they look
Gather students in a circle and explain that today we'll learn about characters in stories. Just like people in the Bible have special stories, every story has characters who do important things.
Characters are the people or animals in a story. They do things, feel emotions, and help tell the story. We can learn about characters by looking at what they do, say, and how they act.
Students will draw and describe a character from their imagination, focusing on both what the character looks like and how they might act.
Simpler: Draw and color the character
Challenge: Write a short story about the character
Remember, characters help make stories special and interesting!
Dear God, thank you for giving us imagination to create stories and characters. Help us to be kind and loving like the best characters we read about.
Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn about where stories happen - the setting!
“A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold.”
— Proverbs 22:1 (WEB)🎯 Activity: Character Word Dance - Act out words that describe good character
First graders are learning to see characters as more than just pictures, but as beings with thoughts and feelings.
Children might focus only on appearance instead of character traits
Ability to describe a character with more than just physical description