Character€¦ · Web viewTaking turns, the player will use a word or short phrase to describe the character (bossy, messy, sad, lonely). You will take it in turns until one person

| NSW Department of Education

English S1 student workbook -character

Character

Name:

Class:

education.nsw.gov.au

Lesson 1 During this activity you will learn to:

describe familiar places and things

use simple adjectives

make connections between texts and personal experiences.

1.1 Speaking and listeningLook in the kitchen and without gesturing or hand signals, describe one object in detail to an adult.

Try not to name the object. You are encouraged to use descriptive language.

1 Student workbook – S1- Character

1.2 Character video View the short video on character. After watching the video, complete the following questions:

Why are characters important to a narrative?

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Are all characters people? Give some examples that you know of, e.g. Clive Prendergast from Nobody Owns the Moon by Tohby Riddle.

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What does the video tell us about the volcano character? What is he like?

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Describe the illustrator Andrew Cranna – physically and his personality. Is he a character in this video?

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© NSW Department of Education, May-23

https://vimeo.com/398136844

1.3 Favourite characterWho is your favourite character from a book or movie? Discuss this with an adult.

My favourite character is ___________________________________________________

This character is from the book or movie _______________________________________

Draw a picture of this character and label physical characteristics using adjectives.

For example: long, curly hair.


What does your character like and dislike? Record answers in the table.

Character’s likes Character’s dislikes

Student complete Student complete




How is this character similar and dissimilar to you? Record answers in the table.

Similar Dissimilar





Is there another character in another text that is similar to your favourite character? Who is the character and how are they similar?

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1.4 ReflectionDiscuss with an adult or your class online.

Why are characters important in a text?

Are all characters humans?


Lesson 2During this activity you will learn to:

have conversations and discussions

identify verbs

have opinions about characters.

2.1 Speaking and listeningThink of a familiar character from a movie or book (Spiderman, Elsa, Mickey Mouse, Pig the Pug)

Play ‘Bounce’ with an adult.

Taking turns, the player will use a word or short phrase to describe the character (bossy, messy, sad, lonely).

You will take it in turns until one person can no longer think of a word.

2.2 Once upon a timeRead or listen to ‘Once upon a time’ found in The School Magazine. The text is found at the end of this student workbook.


https://theschoolmagazine.com.au/resources/once-upon-a-time

2.2 Verbs used for movementAfter reading Once upon a time, what verbs were used to describe the ways the characters (animals) moved? For example, soared.

The verb states what is happening in the sentence.

Identify and write 3 verbs, draw your understanding and use the verb in a sentence.

Verbs

Verb Drawing Sentence


2.3 BearWhat things did Bear like to do? How do you know?

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Does Bear think he is a good writer? How does he feel about his skills in writing?

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How does Bear feel when he hears about Owl’s story?

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What is your opinion of Bear?

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2.4 ReflectionWhat is a verb?

What is the purpose of a verb? What does it do in a sentence?



express emotions

infer character’s feelings from actions

3.1 Speaking and listeningAn adult will show you an emotion card.

Emotion cards

happy surprised

excited shocked

scared nervous

silly proud

frustrated angry

You will demonstrate to the adult:

What would your face look like if you were feeling this emotion?

What would your body look like?

What is something you may say when you are feeling this emotion?


3.2 Emotions of BearYou have already read or listened to ‘Once upon a time’.

We have no pictures in this text, however, we can read the emotions of the character from the author’s words.

The next morning, Bear sat in his cave, surrounded by crumpled papers.

‘Writing a story is hard,’ he said.

We know that there are crumpled papers around, he sounds defeated.

Draw what Bear would look like.

How would Bear be sitting?

What objects would be around him to show how he is feeling? (crumpled paper, lots of pencils, dirty dishes)

How would Bear look? (tired, slumped)


3.3 Character MapWhat would Owl say if she was talking to the other characters? What sort of character is she?

Use the character map to record your thoughts in point form

Character map

What the character looks like h

How the character acts h

What the other char-acters think of her b

3.4 Reflection What can we learn from Owl and Bear?

Discuss with an adult.



use role-play and drama to represent characters

write a description of a character’s appearance and personality

organise ideas into paragraphs.

4.1 Speaking and listeningYou will role-play a familiar event in a text (book or movie), adopting the role of the known character.

You are encouraged to pay attention to voice, body language and facial expressions.

Other members of the house might also like to be involved. They could be any character. (e.g. Shrek and Donkey from the Shrek movie franchise).

4.2 Dialogue between charactersWhat would Owl and Bear say to each other? What sort of character is Owl? Would she speak kindly to Bear? Would she be helpful?

Use speech and thought bubbles to show the dialogue between these two characters.


4.3 Character descriptionSelect one of the characters from ‘Once upon a time. (Bear, Owl or Bluebird)

You will write a description of this character – personality and physical appearance. Try to use descriptive language, including adjectives.

You will write using at least two paragraphs.

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4.4 ReflectionDiscuss with an adult:

How are speech or thought bubbles helpful?


What do they do for a reader? How can this information help you as a writer?



use persuasive language to convince

write from a character’s point of view.

5.1 Speaking and listeningUsing persuasive language, students will attempt to convince an adult using 3 reasons why:

they should have pizza for lunch

they should stay in their pyjamas all day.

5.2 Letter to OwlImagine you are Bluebird. Think about how Bluebird thinks, moves, feels, acts and thinks.

Think about how Bluebird would have felt when she broke the frame of Bear’s special picture.

You will write a letter from Bluebird to Bear, convincing Bear to let her buy him a new frame. Remember to use persuasive language.

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5.3 Reflection What is persuasive language? Why is it important?

Why do different characters in texts have different points of view?




express emotions

compare opinions about characters in texts

explain personal opinions.

6.1 Speaking and listeningFocusing on expression, you will say ‘How are you today?’ as a different person.

For example:

The Queen

a school principal

your best friend

a very old person

a toddler

the Prime Minister.

Think about your facial expression, tone and body language.

An adult may be able to record you so that your teacher can see.



6.2 Opinions of School DogYou will read or listen to School Dog’s big mistake found in The School Magazine.

Opinion of School Dog

School children Rabbits Teacher School Inspector

What do the different characters think about School Dog? Imagine you are the various characters, what do you think of School Dog? Complete the table on the next page.


https://theschoolmagazine.com.au/resources/school-dogs-big-mistake


6.3 Letter to School Dog Imagine you are the School Inspector. Write a letter to School Dog expressing your opinion of him from the point of view of the character, School Inspector.

Do you (the School Inspector) think School Dog is doing good deeds? Why? What else could he do at school to assist? Did he handle the suspicious case correctly?

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6.4 ReflectionWhat was one thing you did well with your independent reading today?

What is one part of your reading you would like to improve?

Discuss and share with an adult.



describe familiar places and things

use a dictionary for word meanings

make conclusions about characters’ actions and motivations.

7.1 Speaking or listeningLook around your bedroom and select an item.

Describe this item to an adult without naming the item.

The adult will guess the item based on your descriptions given.

Try and use descriptive language.

7.2 Unknown words After reading School Dog’s big mistake, identify three unknown words and using a dictionary, record the meaning and write the word in a sentence.

Examples of unknown meanings may include verandah, captive, suspicious, greeting.

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https://theschoolmagazine.com.au/resources/school-dogs-big-mistake

7.3 Bird profile

This photo by unknown photographer is licenced under CC BY-ND 3.0

Imagine that this bird is the main character in a text. You will build a character profile to match the image focusing on the questions on the next page.


https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/f4abd369-957e-4420-9f75-683ef053e694

What is your character's name? ______________________________________

Does your character have a superpower? If so, what is it?

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Where does he/she live? With whom?

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How does your character feel?

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List what they like to do.

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List the characters dislikes.

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Would this bird make a good main character in a story? Why or why not?

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7.4 Reflection What makes an interesting main character?




identify and discuss symbols of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture

nouns represent people, places, things and ideas and can be, for example, common or proper

make conclusions about characters’ actions

8.1 Speaking and listening – Aboriginal artDiscuss with an adult:

Have you seen Aboriginal art before?

Where have you seen Aboriginal art? What story did it tell?

Why do Aboriginal people use art to tell their stories? What symbols are used?

You will look at the artwork ‘Reflections’ by Margaret Adams, or your teacher will provide

you with a copy of this artwork.

After looking at the artwork:

describe the artwork to an adult

what is the story being told?

‘Reflection’ 

This artwork is referred to with thanks to the Art Gallery of NSW. Please note that this artwork with need to be prepared for students in a non-digital environment for their student workbook. 


https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/artboards/home/representation/item/sz3s24/

https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/567.1996/


8.2 Common and Proper Nouns

Common nouns name a person, place or thing. They do not begin with a capital. For example - girl, car, tree.

Proper nouns name a specific person, place or thing. They always begin with a capital letter. For example - Mrs Smith, Australia, Hartley Street.

Identify the common and proper nouns in School Dog’s big mistake.

Nouns

Common nouns Proper nouns


8.3 Movie posterYou will view the characters in a movie poster. (Teacher identified)

What do you think of these characters? Look at what the characters wear, how they stand and their facial expressions.

What are their personalities like? Will they be kind and helpful? Will they cause trouble?

Record your thoughts below.

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8.4 Reflection What was one thing you did well with your independent reading today

What is one part of your reading you would lie to improve?


Discuss and share with an adult.


use increased vocabulary to describe emotions and experiences

identify and describe a character’s identity.

9.1 Word cline Place the following words along the word cline in order of modality.

great, amazing, good, average, incredible, super

© NSW Department of Education, May-23average


9.2 Connect with a characterYou will watch the video about character from lesson 1.

In order to connect with a character, the character needs to have an identity. This identity includes a personality, feelings, wants and emotions.

Think of a character from a text that you connect with (book or movie). Identify the character’s personality, feelings and wants.

Character’s name

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Character’s personality

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How does the character feel?

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What are some things the character wants?

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https://vimeo.com/398136844

9.3 Volcano

Write a character description on the volcano from the character stimulus video.

Think about the volcano’s personality, feelings and wants.

You will brainstorm below and then use your brainstorm to write a descriptive paragraph.

Volcano brainstorm

personality feelings wants

Description

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9.4 Reflection Why is it important that a character has an identity?


Share and discuss with an adult.


describe in detail familiar places

write simple imaginative texts

reread and edit writing for spelling and punctuation

10.1 Speaking and listeningYou will describe in detail to an adult a familiar place using descriptive language.

This place could include a holiday destination, bedroom, local park or backyard.

10.2 Independent writingYou will write a short narrative using 2 - 4 characters of your choice. You will apply what you have learnt so far about narrative and character development.

Reminder: narrative structure (orientation, complication and resolution).

Think about your characters identities, personalities and appearances through the language you use.

Please reread and edit your work.

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10.3 ReflectionWhy is it important to have a problem or complication in a narrative?

Why is it important that the problem or complication is resolved?


My Record of Texts ‘Texts’ includes sound, print, film, digital and multimedia. It’s the way we communicate. So that means it can be a book, text message, podcast, play, website and even a movie. When we talk about text, it could be any of these communications.

Record the title of each text you engage with (or if it is a novel, you might like to record each chapter title).

Record of Texts

Date Title Type of text Independent or shared Notes

1 April The Barber Shop Scissor Twister comic Shared with dad

I recommend this comic because it is

funny. Dad did funny voices.


Once Upon a Time

story by Sara Matson, photo blue jay bird by watts_photos is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Wake up! Wake up!’ Bluebird twittered in Bear’s ear.

Bear stopped snoring and opened one eye. ‘Is it spring yet?’

‘Spring started a week ago!’ Bluebird chirped. ‘Now get up! I have news.’

Bear lumbered out of his cave and down to the river. After a long drink of water, he asked, ‘What kind of news?’

‘It’s about the Forest Fling,’ Bluebird said, soaring in circles above Bear’s head. ‘This year, there’s a writing contest. The winner’s story will be read aloud on opening night. And guess who’s—’

‘A story contest?’ Bear interrupted. ‘Maybe I’ll enter. I’ve always wanted to be a writer.’

‘So has Owl!’ Bluebird said. ‘She’s entering too, and you know how smart she is.’

Bear frowned. If Owl entered the contest, she’d be sure to win. He might as well give up now.


But then he pictured all the forest animals circled around the campfire, listening to his story. His winning story.

‘I think I’ll give it a try,’ he said.

The next morning, Bear sat in his cave, surrounded by crumpled papers.

‘Writing a story is hard,’ he said.

Just then, Bluebird fluttered in. ‘Guess what? I stopped by Owl’s tree, and she’s already written fifty-two pages. Her story’s amazing! At least … I think it is.’

‘What do you mean?’ Bear asked.

‘She uses a lot of long words,’ Bluebird said.

‘Harrumph,’ Bear said. ‘I like stories I can understand.’

He remembered being a cub. He had loved to sit in his little chair while Papa Bear read to him in a deep, growly voice. None of Papa Bear’s stories were confusing.

Bluebird looked doubtful. ‘Owl’s story sounds really smart. She just might win.’

Bear sighed and picked up his pencil. ‘You’re probably right.’

The next day, Bear went outside to write. But the sunshine made him sleepy, so he took a nap instead. He dreamed about fish soup and acorns and the porridge Mama Bear used to make for breakfast. She’d covered it with brown sugar and thick, yellow cream.

Bear woke up hungry. While he was catching himself a fish for supper, Bluebird came by.

‘How many pages have you finished?’ she asked.

Bear flipped a fish out of the water. ‘One—well, almost one.’

‘Bear! The deadline is tomorrow night,’ Bluebird scolded. ‘You need to get busy!’

‘How’s Owl doing?’ Bear asked, although he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

‘She’s written eighty-eight pages!’ Bluebird said. ‘She has a chapter about the history of shoelaces, and another about giant pickles, and another about Polish-speaking ostriches.’

‘I’ve never heard of Polish-speaking ostriches,’ Bear said.

Bluebird looked wise. ‘Owl says a story’s supposed to teach you something.’

‘Harrumph,’ Bear said. ‘I like stories about everyday things. Like friends, and families, and forests. And maybe porridge.’


Bluebird patted him on the head. ‘Try not to feel too bad. It’s not your fault you don’t have Owl’s brain.’

The next day, Bear woke up early. After breakfast, he sat at the table with his notebook and pencil.

‘Now where was I?’ he said aloud. He looked down at the paper. All he had so far was Once upon a time.

Moments later, Bluebird sailed in. ‘I just came from Owl’s tree. She’s finished!’

‘Really,’ Bear said glumly.

‘She wrote 203 pages,’ Bluebird said, hopping up and down on Bear’s shoulder. ‘Her description of the sunrise takes up 100 pages alone!’

‘Harrumph,’ Bear said. ‘I can describe the sunrise in two words: It’s pink.’

‘I’m sorry, Bear, but she’s going to win for sure!’ Bluebird flew around the room in a feathery frenzy. As she zoomed over the coffee table, her wing brushed a framed photo to the ground. Crash!

‘Bluebird!’ Bear said. ‘Watch where you’re flying, please.’

He picked up the photo. It showed him as a cub, standing next to his childhood friend, a little girl with long, golden hair. He hadn’t thought about Goldilocks in a long time.

‘I like stories with interesting characters,’ he said softly, remembering the day they had met. Suddenly his paw itched for a pencil.

‘Sorry about the broken glass,’ Bluebird said. ‘And I’m sorry about the contest. Maybe next year, huh?’

‘Maybe,’ Bear said, sitting down again. ‘Or maybe not.’

The next night, the Forest Fling opened with its traditional campfire. All the animals gathered around as Mouse, the head of the judging committee, cleared his throat and began the winning story:

Once upon a time, there were three bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear. They lived in a cottage in the forest. One day, while waiting for their porridge to cool …


School Dog’s Big Mistake

story by Gaz Simpson , illustrated by Kim Gamble

NO-ONE KNEW where he came from. He just turned up one day at our little bush school. We only have one teacher, and she was as surprised as we kids were. After all, it’s not often you have a dog run into your classroom. Anyway, from that day forward, the dog decided to make his home under the verandah.

He was a funny-looking dog. It was hard to say what sort of breed he was. We thought he might be a labra-kelpie-collie with just a dash of dingo. But we knew he was definitely big, brown, hairy and friendly.

We decided to call him School Dog and we all loved him. When the teacher wasn’t looking, we would share our lunches with him, especially banana sandwiches. He liked them best of all.

It wasn’t long before School Dog decided to take on some responsibilities around the place.

For example, he became Snake Monitor. Every morning before the kids arrived, he would investigate every spot where snakes might be likely to hide: under the classroom, around the shed, in the bushes and near the rocks down by the creek.


During the night, when all the kids were home in bed, he took on the job of Rabbit Monitor. School Dog knew that rabbits like carrots, not to mention lettuce and cabbages, all of which the school tried to grow and sell. (So we could make money to buy library books.) So, his night-time job was scaring the bunnies away.

But his most important job was Round-Up Monitor. When the teacher rang the bell, School Dog had to get the kids ready for their lessons. That meant he needed to run around the playground, barking a lot and rounding-up the kids (all sixteen of us). Then he would make us stand in line, ready to march into the classroom. This was definitely School Dog’s favourite job.

Whenever visitors came to the school, he became the Greetings Monitor. In this role he would give a kindly bark and then rush out to give the visitors a friendly greeting. This often meant bringing them one of the special toys someone had given him or a stick he had picked up or, on special occasions, one of his old, well-chewed bones.

This Greetings Monitor job sounds easy but, in fact, it was the job that got School Dog into serious trouble one day. That was the day all the children remembered as ‘School Dog’s big mistake’.

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Everyone later agreed that the trouble was that the visitor arrived at the school gate carrying a strange black case. For some reason, School Dog seemed to think that the black case looked suspicious. Forgetting his usual practice, he jumped on the visitor and knocked him to the ground. Then he put his front paws on the man’s chest, looked him in the eye and growled. In fact, School Dog growled a lot.

Unfortunately, this visitor was not an ordinary visitor at all. The visitor that School Dog had pinned down was the District School Inspector! Worse still, the Inspector was well known as a kindly man. Whenever he visited schools he always brought along his violin (in a strange black case) because he loved playing music for the children.

But on this occasion, the kindly District Inspector was not feeling particularly kindly at all. In fact, he was very angry indeed!

‘Get this big, hairy beast off me!’ he shouted. ‘Thisdog is a maniac! HELP!’

People said his cries could be heard two farmhouses away.

Everybody came running—the teacher, the kids, nearby farmers and even two stray cows that happened to be grazing along the roadside. Eventually they managed to persuade School Dog to get off his captive. They then took the Inspector inside, brushed him down, smiled a lot and gave him a cup of tea with homemade scones.


But the Inspector was having none of it (except, of course, the tea and scones).

‘How dare you have this wild beast on school property!’ he exclaimed. ‘He is a public menace. He is a threat to life and limb. I shall report this to head office. Call the pound right now and have him taken away!’

Well, the teacher cried, the farmers buttered some scones, the cows mooed and the children sobbed. In all the commotion nobody noticed that School Dog had quietly trotted away and gone outside.

Then, in the middle of yet another rave from the Inspector, School Dog returned. He had found the violin case and was holding it carefully by the handle in his mouth. He placed it at the Inspector’s feet and looked up at him with sad, begging eyes. Then School Dog barked softly as if to say, ‘Won’t you play us a tune please? Your music might make us all happy again.’

You can tell from this event that he was no ordinary dog. He was a very clever dog indeed. And if it can be said that a dog can be wise, then School Dog was a very wise one because before long the District Inspector had forgotten all about what had happened. He took his violin out, played some happy, foot-tapping tunes, ate more scones and declared that every school in the district should have a dog like School Dog.

Meanwhile, School Dog began to carry out his other job. You see, he was also School Clean-Up Monitor, which meant he needed to eat up any food scraps that happened to be lying around the place. And on that particular day, there were quite a few crumbs that required his attention.


Documents

Character€¦ · Web viewTaking turns, the player will use a word or short phrase to describe the character (bossy, messy, sad, lonely). You will take it in turns until one person