5 Keys to Teaching Character Traits

Character Traits - It’s who a character is on the inside - their personality.  It is shown through the character’s actions and words in a story.  Seems simple enough, right?  WRONG.  

Teaching character traits is hard work. But for our young learners understanding character traits is often challenging and so we’ve occasionally oversimplified.  But not anymore!  We have found these 5 keys work for laying the critical foundation of understanding character development through teaching character traits.

1. Select engaging read alouds.  Get into character or find a YouTube video of someone else getting into character if that’s not your thing (no judgement here - we do it often).  It is important that you choose books with illustrations that tell more of the story, too.  Stop and think aloud as you read - things like “Hmm… he/she seems to be caring.  I can tell this character is caring because…” allow students to see YOU verbalizing character traits and using the book to defend your thoughts.  These are powerful skills for our students to have, and the more they see/hear it in action, the more confident they’ll become with it, too.
   
   

2. Vocabulary!  If you’re anything like us, you take students’ understanding of character traits for granted.  We sometimes assume our students know words to describe someone’s character when in fact, they don’t.  Modeling and using these important vocabulary words throughout the day and during those great read alouds will help develop this crucial vocabulary in your students.  You could even have a “Word of the Day” to incorporate this into your day; words like: confident, determined, honest, brave, caring, or rude could be used to springboard your students’ learning about character traits.
   
   
   
   

3. Teach about emotions.  So many times students choose to describe a character’s trait by the way the character is feeling.  BUT we’ve got to get our kiddos thinking about the bigger picture.  Understanding the emotions of others is SO STINKIN’ IMPORTANT and having empathy is vital, but talking to your students about the difference in emotions and personality is important to understanding a character’s traits.  Embed high quality social skills instruction into your high quality read aloud time and teach about feelings.  Then compare feelings to character traits.  Trust us… it will make a world of difference.  Here’s some books we like to use for this:

   

   
   
   
   

4. Give students a visual reminder.  The anchor chart below is what we use to remind our students about inside and outside character traits.  You’ll notice that we use anchor charts a lot. We love having a visual reminder to refer back to when we are reviewing skills.  We’ve noticed our students really use those anchor charts, too.  We display ours all year after we make them with our students.  We just use push pins and attach them to our ceiling tiles.  Easy, engaging, and effective.
   
   

   
   
   
   
   

5. Make it personal.  There’s so many ways to anchor your students in the text when talking about character traits.  Make your own connection to the story, then let students share their connections - “Chester the Raccoon reminds me of my son because he was very nervous to start Kindergarten.  Did anyone feel the same as Chester when you started school?  Did your mom help you like Chester’s mom helped him?”  We know that making text to self connections are key to comprehending, but it also makes the learning so much more fun!  Then, when your students are ready, have them brainstorm inside and outside character traits about themselves and their friends in the classroom.  Hearing the students support and encourage each other will melt your heart.

If you’re interested in seeing these things in action, check out our Character Traits unit on TPT; just click on the picture below.  It’s a TWO WEEK unit with daily lesson plans, formative assessments, read alouds, and a summative skills assessment.  

So, what do you think?  Do you have anything in mind that you would add to this list?  We’d love to hear from you in the comments or on Instagram (@flockstarteachers).  In the mean time...

5 Reasons Virtual Teaching is Weird

 There’s no better way to say it - virtual teaching is weird.  

I recently spoke to a group of senior education majors at a local university about distance learning, and that’s what I told them, too.  These students are going to student teach in the spring, and many of them will experience virtual teaching for at least part of their placement.  They’re going to feel underprepared; we all do.  They’re going to feel frustrated; we all do.  They are going to give it their all; we all are.  At the end of the day, virtual teaching isn’t bad, but it also isn’t good.  It’s just weird.  

Here are my top 5 reasons why virtual teaching is weird:

1. I’m operating in a million different timeframes.  I am currently creating videos for lessons that won’t be taught for 2 months.  I spent my summer creating videos for the fall, and I’m using the fall to create videoed lessons for the spring. 
   
   That’s happening, while I’m grading work from 2 weeks ago.  Students are given 2 or 3 week packets of work at a time.  They turn in every 2-3 weeks, so I’m always behind on grading.  I know this isn’t best practice, but for now, it’s the best option I have.  So, I grade work and provide feedback in two [or three] week chunks.
   
   But there’s more! HA!  I am copying, organizing, and labeling work for my students that they’ll do in 2-3 weeks.  I have to create the packets that go home every few weeks, so I have to keep up with where the last packet ends and the new packet begins.
   
   But wait… I am simultaneously teaching 30 minutes lessons twice per day, live on Microsoft Teams.  These are supplemental, but I still have to plan for it.
   
   So… yeah.  So. many. timeframes.  It’s enough to make my head spin.
   
   

2. Core instruction is self-paced.  This is such a strange concept to me, but it's something that I find very intriguing.  I want to explore the idea of incorporating this in my in-person teaching in the future, but that is a project to plan for another day; I have enough going on at the moment (see #1).  My school district has commissioned teachers from grades K-5 to record lessons to send out to the masses.  So, while I am the “virtual teacher” much of the core instruction isn’t coming from me.
   
   

3. Routine and predictability is still key.  I quickly figured out that during my daily live lessons, my students needed routine, expectations, and predictability, just like they do in the classroom.  Thankfully, I was able to implement this fairly early in the school year, and we’ve pretty much got it down to a science at this point.  If you’re interested in establishing a routine and structure to your virtual teaching, click the picture below.
   

   
   
   

4. Relationships still matter.  This one is tough, but in my heart I know it’s the most important part of my job.  Many of my students aren’t able to join the daily live teaching on Teams, so I have to build relationships through phone and snail mail.  My kiddos that get on our daily meetings have been a lot easier to establish relationships with comparatively, but it is still different.  I was able to catch a soccer game for 2 of my virtual students.  It was SO MUCH FUN to see their smiles, meet their siblings that I always catch glimpses of on Teams, and HUG them. 
   
   Since I teach little guys, the communication with families is how I’m building a lot of relationships.  I make contact with every family at least once per week.  I know SO much about my kids and their families.  This is definitely something I will remember to make a priority when I’m back in person.  The families trust me; they depend on me.  They are more willing to try new things and hear ways to improve because I have established a relationship with the whole family.  I have been a cheerleader, a counselor, a voice of reason, a listening ear… Just like I do every year (and so do you, teacher!).  It just looks  a little bit different this year.
   
   

5. It is the greatest love/hate relationship I’ve ever been a part of.  HA!  But I’m serious.  There are so many things that I just do not like about virtual teaching.  I’m not going to lie… it is gut-wrenching to see kids in classrooms and hear about all of the amazing things Robyn is doing with in-person kids.  BUT, if I were teaching in person, I’d miss greeting all of the bus riders each morning.  I get to see former students every morning, and I get to greet so many kids with a big smile (that they can’t see) every single day.  I cannot stand all of the piles of papers I have in my room.  But, I do not miss writing lesson plans for hours on end each week.  I don’t like that I don’t get to teach my heart out, but I am thankful that I don’t have the added stress of social distancing and mask policing all day like Robyn does (and guys... she's killing it).
   
   

I know that I am blessed beyond measure and I am grateful to still have a job doing what I love. But… virtual teaching is weird. 

Did I leave anything off the list?  What would you add?

- Kaysin (one half of FlockStarTeachers)

7 Strategies to Teach Main Idea

Teaching main idea is HARD.  Teaching main idea to littles is really hard. Our firsties are just learning how to read, then we demand they make meaning and determine the central idea of a non-fiction text.  WHAT?!  That’s a LOT to expect out of emergent readers.

Main idea is not a “one and done” lesson to teach.  This is a skill that students develop over time, with multiple exposures of explicit instruction and practice.  We teach it frequently and embed it in as many other units as possible.  And guys… our kids get it!  We have found 7 strategies that are easy to use over and over again in our classrooms.

1. Main idea bags - This is not our original idea, but is one that has proven successful.  It’s so simple to plan, increases engagement, and students don’t even realize they are learning.  All you do is gather 3-5 items with a main idea in common, put them in a brown paper sack, and you’re ready for the lesson.  Pull one item out of the bag at a time, have students think about what each item has in common with the last, then decide the main idea of the bag.
   
   Here’s an example:  arts and crafts bag.  We put crayons, scissors, glue, and construction paper in a bag. 
   
   

   
   
   
   
   

2. Anchor charts - If you look on Pinterest, you are bound to find some amazing anchor charts all about main idea.  We like to make ours look like a pizza (because, who doesn’t love pizza?).  The pizza is the main idea and the toppings are the details. 
   

   
   
   

3. Use quality read alouds with an obvious central idea.  Make sure you choose books that are high interest, colorful, and easy to understand.  Our firsties always love all things nonfiction, but when we can choose a text that is interactive and fun, students always learn and remember.  Here are some great books we LOVE to use, especially when introducing main idea. Click on the picture to go to Amazon - not an affiliate, we just love these books. Plus, there's SO MANY more.
   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Notice what repeats.  When you read aloud to your students, make sure you are thinking aloud, too.  Draw their attention to things that are repeated in the text or the pictures in the books you read.  As you progress through the year, this is a strategy students can do with a buddy or independently with post-it notes.  We also use this strategy during guided reading groups with our transitional readers.  Again, simple and effective.
   
   
   
   

5. Use Whole Brain Teaching strategies.  Teach students an easy to remember chant with large, exaggerated gestures to help them remember.  For example:  You say “The main idea” (make a circle motion with hands) “is the MOST important part of the story” (point in the middle of the circle). Have students repeat 2-3 times.  Then, have students teach each other, and eventually do the chant without you at all.
   
   
   

6. Have students use the pictures/illustrations and words to find the main idea.  Authors of nonfiction texts often use pictures and illustrations to give more information.  Students need to be able to decide if information comes from the pictures or the words, then make meaning using both to determine the main idea of the story.
   
   
   

7. Use continued assessments.  Make sure you are providing your students with varied assessments to determine their understanding of this difficult skill.  This can be a verbal interview style assessment in a one-on-one setting, or paper/pencil independent assessment.  Be sure to include cold reads to inform your teaching and drive instruction.

We hope these strategies help you and your students LOVE main idea.  If you are looking for a great preplanned unit that uses these strategies, be sure to check out our Main Idea Unit for Primary on TpT.  Click the picture below to check it out, or click here to get a freebie lesson.  

Keep Flockin' It, guys!

-Kaysin and Robyn