English · Year 1 · Storytellers and Dreamers · Autumn Term

Identifying Character Traits

Students will explore how authors use words and illustrations to show what a character is like, focusing on simple traits.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: English - Reading (Comprehension)
• KS1: English - Writing (Composition)

About This Topic

Exploring characters and feelings is a key component of reading comprehension in the UK National Curriculum. Year 1 students move beyond simply identifying who is in a story to inferring how they feel based on their actions and the illustrations. This involves looking for clues in the text, such as a character 'stomping' or 'whispering', and connecting those clues to their own emotional experiences. Understanding character motivation helps children engage more deeply with narratives.

This topic serves as a bridge between reading and writing, as students begin to use descriptive language to portray emotions in their own stories. By analyzing characters, children develop empathy and a better grasp of story structure. Students grasp this concept faster through structured discussion and peer explanation, where they can debate why a character might have acted in a certain way.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how a character's actions reveal their personality.
2. Compare the feelings of different characters in a story.
3. Explain how illustrations contribute to understanding a character.

Learning Objectives

• Identify specific adjectives used by the author to describe a character's personality.
• Explain how a character's dialogue or actions reveal their feelings.
• Compare the traits of two characters within the same story.
• Describe how illustrations enhance the understanding of a character's personality and emotions.

Before You Start

Identifying Characters and Settings

Why: Students must first be able to identify the main characters and where the story takes place before they can analyze character traits.

Recognizing Basic Emotions

Why: Understanding simple emotions like happy, sad, and angry is foundational for inferring character feelings based on actions and descriptions.

Key Vocabulary

Trait	A characteristic or quality that describes what someone or something is like. For example, a character might be brave or shy.
Adjective	A word that describes a noun or pronoun. Authors use adjectives to tell us more about a character, like 'kind', 'grumpy', or 'energetic'.
Action	Something a character does. A character's actions, like running away or helping a friend, can show us what they are like.
Illustration	A picture in a book that helps to tell the story. Illustrations can show us how a character looks, what they are doing, and how they might be feeling.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Thinking a character is 'bad' just because they are sad or angry.

What to Teach Instead

Children often conflate negative emotions with being a 'villain'. Use role play to explore how 'good' characters can feel many different things, helping students distinguish between a character's nature and their temporary feelings.

Common Misconception

Believing that characters only feel what they say out loud.

What to Teach Instead

Students may miss internal feelings. Use 'Thought Bubbles' as a visual tool where students write what a character is thinking versus what they are saying to surface the idea of hidden emotions.

Active Learning Ideas

Role Play: Emotion Statues

The teacher reads a sentence from a story (e.g., 'The bear lost his hat'). Students must freeze in a pose that shows how the character feels. Partners then 'interview' the statue to ask why they feel that way.

20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Character Clue Hunters

Pairs look at a picture in a book and find three clues that tell them how the character is feeling (e.g., a frown, a tear, or a clenched fist). They share their clues with the class to build a 'feeling map'.

15 min·Pairs

Inquiry Circle: The Hero's Suitcase

Groups are given a character and must decide on three items that character would pack in a suitcase based on their personality. They must justify their choices using evidence from the story.

30 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Actors study character traits to prepare for roles, deciding how their character would walk, talk, and react in different situations to portray them accurately on stage or screen.
• Illustrators for children's books carefully draw characters to convey emotions and personality, helping young readers connect with the story and understand the characters' feelings without needing many words.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a picture of a character from a familiar story. Ask them to write two adjectives describing the character and one sentence explaining why they chose those words, referencing the illustration or a specific action.

Discussion Prompt

Read a short passage featuring two characters with contrasting personalities. Ask: 'How do we know that Character A is feeling happy and Character B is feeling sad? What words or pictures tell us this?' Encourage students to point to specific evidence in the text or illustrations.

Quick Check

During story reading, pause at a key moment. Ask students to give a thumbs up if they think a character is feeling excited, thumbs down if they think the character is feeling scared. Then ask a few students to explain their choice by referencing the character's actions or facial expression in the illustration.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do Year 1 students show they understand a character?

They show understanding by describing a character's appearance, identifying their feelings, and making simple predictions about what the character might do next. Using illustrations as evidence is a key skill at this level.

What is 'inference' for a five-year-old?

Inference is being a 'story detective'. It is using what you see and what you know to figure out something the author didn't explicitly say, like knowing a character is cold because they are wearing a scarf and shivering.

How can I help my child describe characters better?

Encourage them to look at the 'outside' (appearance) and the 'inside' (feelings). Ask questions like, 'What does their face tell us?' or 'Why do you think they are walking so slowly?'

How can active learning help students understand characters and feelings?

Active learning, particularly role play and 'hot seating', allows students to step into a character's shoes. By physically embodying a character's posture or tone of voice, students move from passive observation to active empathy. This hands-on exploration makes the character's internal world more concrete and easier to describe in writing.