Character Motivation

    We are deep into our character study unit in my classroom right now. Next week we are going to tackle how the character's motivation affects the story. First, my third graders need to understand what motivates the characters to act a certain way. This concept can be difficult to grasp especially when being asked to identify how the character's motivation impacts the story.


To start with I'll introduce motivation with my anchor chart that gives three small scenarios to discuss. You can grab it free below.

Next, I'll model the concept through a "think aloud" during read aloud time. Right now I'm reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Each chapter is full of excellent examples of how Ramona's thoughts and actions impact the events of the story.

Our whole group core text for the week will be Alexander Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. We'll apply the concepts learned in our character study throughout the week using this story. Alexander is a perfect character for this. The kids love to learn about him and his lack of self control. 

The books are part of my affiliate links on the right. What books do you recommend for character study?