Meeting the Main Character

We are learning to listen for key points about a main character, and to use the evidence the author gives us to work out what kind of person they are.

Before you startAbout 55 minutes · what success looks like · notes for the helper

About 55 minutes. It's fine to stop after the Quick Check and come back another day: the lesson opens where you left it, at the Quick Check.

You'll know you've got it when

I can jot down key points about the main character while I listen, in a few words rather than whole sentences
I can sort character evidence into what they do, say and think, and what others say about them
I can say what kind of person the character is and point to the words that made me think so
I can listen to someone else's view of the character, say whether I agree, and link my answer back to the evidence

For the helperhow to sit beside this lesson, and what this step is for

This step: Spark

Start with the question at the top and chat about it. There is no wrong answer here: it gets your learner thinking about what they already know.

Getting ready: The novel your family has chosen (an Australian junior novel the child hasn't read yet works well, and the local library is a good place to find one), a sheet of paper folded into four boxes, and a pencil. About 55 minutes in all, including hearing the opening chapter, which is more than one comfortable sitting at this age; many families stop after the check and read the chapter for the task the next day.
What understanding sounds like: Listen for the move from evidence to person: 'He said "I didn't touch it" too quickly, so I think he's hiding something.' A child who links a trait to particular words on the page is doing exactly what this lesson is after.
A likely mix-up, and something that helps: Children often describe a character by their looks ('she has red hair') or by what happens ('he went to the shop') rather than by what the evidence shows. You might ask, 'What does that tell you about the kind of person they are?' and 'Which words made you think that?'
If it comes easily: To take it further, you might look together for a place where what the character says and what they do don't match, and talk about which one you trust more and why.
If it's a struggle: If it is a struggle, one way is to pause after each page and ask just one question, 'What did they do?', then on the next page 'What did they say?', filling the four boxes one at a time. Words like trait and evidence carry this lesson, so it can help to collect a few trait words together first (kind, brave, sneaky, shy), in your home language as well if that helps. If the child shuts down, listening to the chapter together with no notes at all is still a good day's reading; the boxes can wait.

Step 1 of 6 · Spark

Lesson 1 of 5 · Inside a Novel: People, Places and Trouble

How do you know what someone is like?

For the helper

Start with the question at the top and chat about it. There is no wrong answer here: it gets your learner thinking about what they already know.

Think of someone you know really well: a cousin, a neighbour, a friend. How do you know what they're like? Nobody handed you a card that said 'kind, funny, a bit bossy'. You worked it out from what they do, what they say and how other people talk about them. Authors know that's how we work people out, so they rarely TELL you what a character is like. They leave clues and trust you to put them together. Today you'll meet the main character of your novel the way a detective meets a stranger.

Authors leave clues about their characters. Good readers collect them.