Inferencing Beyond Happy, Sad, and Mad

It's easy for students to determine if a character is happy, sad, or mad. But do they notice text clues that infer a character to be humble, stubborn, generous, conceited, ambitious, rude, mischievous? These character traits are much deeper.

Part of the students' struggle to come up with these character traits is their limited vocabulary. If they have never heard the word "resourceful," it is impossible for them to recognize it in action. That said, work to build a list of common character traits. Then develop a list of habits, thoughts, and gestures that are symptomatic of that trait. (NOTE: Primary teachers, this can simply be a discussion piece for your students. They don't have to write anything down. But get them thinking about character traits and that there are many more than happy, sad, and mad.)  Download a thorough list of character traits shared by third grade teacher Barb Needler.

Indiana’s ISTEP Connection: Being able to infer a character's personality trait is a huge component on Indiana’s ISTEP Reading Comprehension section. Often, after reading a biography, or a story about another culture, students are asked "What word best describes this person's attitude or character?" Nowhere in the story does it literally state the character's personality trait, but based on specific examples and details, the students need to be able to infer the answer based on actions, reactions, body language, gestures, habits, facial expressions, thoughts, and words.