Understanding Characters: Grade 3

Reading Unit 2

Unit Title: Understanding Characters Duration: 4 weeks

Concepts:
1. Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.
2. Readers grow theories about the characters in the stories they read.
3. Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
Materials to be provided by the teacher: Professional Resources:
1. Pocket folders with blank reading logs for each 1. Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of
student Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,
2. Reader’s notebooks and Julia Moody
3. Sticky notes 2. A Curricular Plan for the Reading Workshop,
Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy Calkins
3. Knee to Knee, Eye to Eye, Ardith Davis Cole
4. Teaching with Intention: Defining Beliefs,
Aligning Practice, Taking Action, Debbie Miller
5. Conferring with Readers: Supporting Each
Student’s Growth & Independence, Jennifer
Serravallo & Gravity Goldberg
6. Grades 3-6, Still Learning to Read: Teaching
Students in Grades 3-6, Franki Sibberson and
Karen Szymusiak
Materials to be produced by the teacher: Read-Aloud Texts:
1. Enlarged copy of the following anchor chart: 1. Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
 Bringing Characters to Life 2. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by
2. Individual copies of the following for each student: Kate DiCamillo
 (Optional) Personal-sized anchor charts for
students who would benefit from having their
own copies
 My Daily Reading Log
 Bringing Characters to Life Conferring
Checklist

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Notes:
1. This unit is designed to be taught alongside the writing unit of study Improving the Quality of Personal
Narratives. The teacher will read aloud two chapters from the book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate
DiCamillo each day. Each session is based on the reading for that day. Many sessions in this unit will refer
back to the text and provide opportunities to demonstrate the reading strategies that are a part of this unit.
The read-aloud text from Unit 1: Launching a Reading Life, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by
Kate DiCamillo, will also be referenced in this unit. Feel free to substitute another rich text at your discretion.
2. Refer to the anchor chart(s) from Unit 1 as necessary.
3. Maintaining a daily reading log for reading at school and reading at home is essential to promote reading
growth. Continue to expect students to complete their daily reading logs throughout the year.
Accountability occurs when reading logs and books being read are out on the table every day during reading
time. Refer to students’ reading logs every day in conferences. Once or twice a month, encourage students
to study their own reading logs in order to find patterns in their reading habits.
4. You will notice that students are asked to read for 30 minutes during independent reading time. You might
want to adjust the amount of time for reading to suit your schedule.
5. When you confer with readers, you will want to observe them as they read, compliment them on something
that you notice they are doing as readers, and teach one new skill, strategy, or tip to help them grow as
readers. You might ask students to tell you about how reading is going for them. You will want to learn if
they are following the story, putting the pieces together, problem-solving when they don’t understand, etc.
in addition to the skills and strategies that students are learning each day in this unit.
6. Partnerships are crucial to success in reading. Comprehension skyrockets when students talk about their
books with others, even briefly. In partnerships, students have opportunities to build on others’ ideas and to
express their own ideas clearly and persuasively.
7. Partner relationships will shape your students’ experiences as readers throughout the year. It would be ideal
if both partners read the same books, progressing through the book together. This is especially true of the
most at-risk readers who will benefit as they co-construct their understandings, problem-solve together, and
share reading goals. However, partners can also take turns reading the same book or read different books
with the same character. Once partnerships are established, reading partners will meet to talk about their
books at the end of almost every session.
8. Provide students with composition books for use as reader’s notebooks, or have them bring their own from
home. Allow them time to personalize their notebooks at home or at school. You might want to have
students divide their notebooks with tabs to mark sections such as reading response, strategies,
observations, reflections, etc.
9. Students will use sticky notes almost every day and should have easy access to them. You might put sticky
notes on your supply list or indicate in your weekly parent notes that contributions for the classroom would
be appreciated.
10. Create permanent classroom anchor charts by adding new strategies as you go. If you choose to use a
document camera to share the anchor charts from this unit, also create classroom anchor charts so students
can refer to them later.
11. Use the Conferring Checklist located at the end of this unit.
12. Spend more than one day for a session if necessary.
13. A special thank you goes out to all authors of professional resources cited in this unit for their insights and
ideas.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Overview of Sessions – Teaching and Learning Points Aligned with the Common Core

Concept: Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.

CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 1: Readers envision so they can learn about the characters in the stories they read.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 2: Readers create ideas about what the characters are really like in the stories they read.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 3: Readers empathize with characters by connecting with their experiences.

CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 4: Readers notice details to help them better understand their characters.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 5: Readers use their empathy for characters to make predictions.

CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 6: Readers predict not only what will happen, but how it will happen in their stories.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 7: Readers notice and reflect on places in stories that evoke strong emotion.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Concept: Readers grow theories about the characters in the stories they read.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 8: Readers look for patterns in a character’s behavior to grow a theory about the character.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 9: Readers sometimes revise their theories about characters as they continue to read.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 10: Readers notice when characters act in surprising ways.

CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 11: Readers anticipate that characters will struggle and grow.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

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Concept: Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
CCSS: RL.3.1, RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 12: Readers understand that characters face challenges that become turning points.
CCSS: RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 13: Readers understand that characters have what it takes to overcome challenges.
CCSS: RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 14: Readers understand that secondary characters also have important roles in stories.
CCSS: RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 15: Readers learn vicariously alongside the characters in stories.

CCSS: RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Session 16: Readers celebrate the characters in their books and the lessons these characters have learned that apply to
their own lives.
CCSS: RL.3.3, RL.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Session 1
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.
Teaching Point Readers envision so they can learn about the characters in the stories they read.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Personalized reader’s notebooks for each student
and Julia Moody  Anchor chart:
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Bringing Characters to Life
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy  Sticky notes
Calkins

Note  Begin reading the chapter book Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo. Read two
chapters aloud each day. Read chapters 1 and 2 aloud before this session. You will be
referring back to this story throughout this reading unit and the companion writing unit,
Improving the Quality of Personal Narratives.
Connection Readers, I want to tell you that I have come to know you in these first few weeks of school because
I have been paying attention to what you say, what you do, and what is important to you. All of
this helps me get to know you. The same thing has happened to you, too. You came into this class
not knowing everyone, and you have made new friends by noticing when someone is helpful and
when someone is kind. It works the same with characters in book. We get to know the characters
in the stories we read because we envision, we notice the little things like how a character talks
and acts and the choices he makes because these are signs that let reader know the kind of person
he is.
Demonstration/  Explain how readers envision the characters by showing how you notice things about main
Teaching character in the book, Because of Winn-Dixie. Remind students about meeting the new
girl, Opal, in the story and feeling as if we already are getting to know who she is. The
things she does and the things she says tell us a lot about what kind of person she is on
the inside. We not only read words; we also read people.
 Reread the bottom of page 9 where the manager is yelling and Opal hollers back. Indicate
that this shows that Opal has courage. It takes courage to holler something that isn’t true
in the midst of upset grown-ups who are strangers, all to save a stray dog.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Explain that you are going to continue to read aloud and this time the students are going
Involvement to envision and notice more things about Opal and think about what this says about her
on the inside.
 Continue rereading from the last paragraph on page 11 to the end of the chapter.
 Ask students to think for a minute about what Opal was doing and saying and what this
tells them about what Opal is like on the inside (Opal seems to have fallen in love with
Winn-Dixie already. She probably has a soft spot in her heart for animals). Have partners
turn and talk.
 Have one or two students share their ideas with the class.
Link So readers, today you are going to get out your independent reading books and continue reading
where you left off last night. Remember, whenever you are reading, envision the things your
character does and says, and let your observations spark ideas about what your character is like on
the inside. As you read, mark places where you made good observations. These are parts that you
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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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will want to share with your partners. You will need to take a moment to fill out your log when you
get to your reading spot before you begin reading.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to envision and make good
Conferring observations about the characters in their stories.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Have students turn to one of the places they marked with a sticky note and write in their
reader’s notebooks what their observation tells them about what their characters are like
on the inside.
Partnerships  Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
 Have partnerships share their observations and what that tells them about their
characters on the inside.
 Have one or two students share their observations with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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My Daily Reading Log Reader_____________________

Date Title Home Page Page Total # Total # Level

or started ended pages minutes
School read read

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the

characters say, do, think, and decide.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Session 2
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.
Teaching Point Readers create ideas about what the characters are really like in the stories they read.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart:
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Read chapters 3 and 4 during the demonstration and Active Involvement portion of this
session.
Connection Readers, once I watched an ice sculptor start with a block of ice. At first I thought it would be a
bird, but the longer I watched, it gradually became a sea lion. Sometimes when we first look at
something, whether it’s a block of ice or a character in a book, we are likely to make some ideas
about it, but then the more we observe and notice, it is likely that as we accumulate observations,
our ideas will grow, and maybe even change. This happens often when we read. At first, the
character isn’t clear, like a block of ice, but as we turn the pages, we really get to know the
character. Today I want to teach you that as we read and gather new information about
characters, we continually grow theories about what our characters are really like. We use all this
as we read to help us figure out characters’ traits, knowing that our first impressions will grow and
might even change as we keep reading. We pay attention to a character’s words, actions,
thoughts, and decisions throughout the story, because they can reveal so much about that
character’s personality and relationships.
Demonstration/  Explain how readers continually pay attention to the characters in the stories so they can
Teaching build ideas about these characters and revise their ideas whenever the characters seem to
change.
 Read aloud the first two full paragraphs on page 14 in chapter 2 of Because of Winn-Dixie.
Opal tells Winn-Dixie everything about herself right away. It seems like since she is new in
town, she has no one to talk to. She is probably lonely. Also, she tells Winn-Dixie about
her dad being so distracted by work that he doesn’t really take care of her, but she
doesn’t seem upset with him. This part makes me think that she is nice. More specifically,
she is forgiving.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Explain that you are going to continue reading on page 14 through the first complete
Involvement paragraph on page 15. Ask students to help you pay attention to what Opal says and does
so that you can develop more ideas about her.
 Ask students to think for a minute about what Opal was doing and saying and what this
tells them about what Opal is like on the inside. Explain that usually it takes more than
one simple word (nice or mean) to say what you notice about a character.
 Have students jot some ideas about what Opal is like in their reader’s notebooks.
 Have partners turn and talk about about what Opal is like. Partner 2 can talk first and
Partner 1 can listen and respond. (Opal is the kind of person who looks beyond
appearances and appreciates what someone is like on the inside. Opal is desperate for

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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someone to spend time with.)
 Have one or two students share their ideas with the class.
Link So readers, today try to read your book like we have been reading Because of Winn-Dixie. Try to
really notice everything you can about her. You can do this with any book, any character. Today,
as you read on your own, see if you can dig deeply. Really see what makes your character special.
Hear how she talks. See how she acts and what choices she makes. Ask yourself, “What does this
tell me about who my character is?” Mark a place in your reading where you stepped inside the
story that you will share with your partners later.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to read their independent books as if
Conferring they were stepping inside the story, noticing details about the characters.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Have students turn to one of the places they marked with a sticky note and write in their
reader’s notebooks what their observation tells them about what their characters are like
on the inside.
Partnerships  Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
 Have partnerships share their observations and what that tells them about their
characters on the inside.
 Have one or two students share their observations with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the

characters say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out
what the character is really like.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 3
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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.
Teaching Point Readers empathize with characters by connecting with their experiences.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Read chapters 5 and 6 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie before this session.
Connection Readers, I have been watching you as you read and have noticed that you sometimes gesture and
make faces when your character is experiencing something. You are imagining being in the shoes
of the character. You are entering the world of the story. When we enter the world of the story, it
is as if we are walking around in the character’s shoes. We live in the character’s world, seeing,
learning, and feeling as if we are the character. Above all, we feel what the character feels and we
want what the character wants.
Demonstration/  Explain that you are going to demonstrate how you step inside Opal’s shoes, seeing,
Teaching feeling, and wanting as she does.
 Reread aloud the second full paragraph on page 17 up until the last paragraph on page 18.
You might also take turns reading the dialogue between Opal and her dad by having a
student take the part of Opal’s dad and you taking the part of Opal. Read with empathy,
with a sense of nervousness.
 Explain how when you step inside the shoes of a character, you actually want what the
character wants – you want Opal’s dad to let her keep Winn-Dixie. You might be
disappointed, even heartbroken, if Opal doesn’t get to keep him. Also, even though Opal
says that she doesn’t need a dog, but the dog needs her, you feel like she really does need
this dog.
 Share a personal experience when you wanted something really badly and were keeping
your fingers crossed, hoping it would come true. Demonstrate how you jot ideas about
what Opal wants, your own person experience, and how this connection helps you
understand what Opal wants. Use the following sentence starters:
 I remember when I wanted something this badly …
 I remember feeling this way when …
 I know just how she feels …
 I understand …
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Read aloud the last two pages of chapter 5, emphasizing Opal’s feelings of loneliness.
Involvement  Have students jot in their reader’s notebooks how Opal feels and record a personal
experience when they felt lonely. Have them refer to the sentence starters and write
about how this connection helps them understand how Opal feels.
Link So readers, today we learned that when we step into a character’s shoes, living in her world,
wanting what she wants, feeling how she feels, we read more closely. It is as if we are not only
stepping into the character’s shoes, we are also stepping into the character’s head and heart. As
you read your independent reading books, try to do the same thing – step into your character’s

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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shoes as if you are that character, feeling what he feels, and wanting what he wants. Mark a place
where you truly wanted what your character wanted or where you felt what your character felt.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to step into the shoes of their
Conferring characters, feeling what they feel and wanting what they want. Have them use their own
experiences to connect with the characters as they read their independent books.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Have students turn to the place in their reading where they used their own experiences to
connect with the character and use one of the sentence starters to create a notebook
entry or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in
another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the

characters say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out
what the character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and
feel what the character feels and want
what the character wants.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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Session 4
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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.
Teaching Point Readers notice details to help them better understand their characters.

References Materials
 Units of Study for Teaching Reading: A  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Curriculum for the Reading Workshop,  Anchor chart:
Grades 3-5, Book 2: Following Characters  Bringing Characters to Life
into Meaning, Lucy Calkins and Kathleen  Sticky notes
Tolan
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Read chapters 7 and 8 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie before this session.
Connection Readers, we have been envisioning the characters and scenes in our stories and walking in their
shoes. We have been connecting the events in stories with our own experiences. We feel what our
characters feel and want what they want. These are the things that we are going to continue to
do today and every day that we read. When we are walking in our character’s shoes, we notice
when our characters say or do something that is different from what we might say or do. We get
to know them better with every page that we read.
Demonstration/  Explain that you are going to demonstrate how you have a clear picture in your mind so
Teaching far of Opal from the story Because of Winn-Dixie. Opal is a girl who misses her mom and
is lonely living with her preacher dad in Naomi, Florida. She is eager to make friends with
others, but feels like it is too difficult when you have a dad who is a preacher. She finds
comfort in caring for her new dog, Winn-Dixie.
 Reread aloud pages 40 and 41 in chapter 6. Explain that as Opal cares for Winn-Dixie, she
makes a new friend with Miss Franny Block, a very old librarian in the town library. We
understand even more about Opal because she is open to making friends with people who
are very different from her. Readers continue to take in new details from the story as they
read to help them better understand the characters.
Active  Reread aloud pages 58 and 59 in chapter 8. Have students listen carefully and be ready to
Involvement learn more about Opal.
 Have students jot down in their reader’s notebooks how Opal is changing.
Link So readers, whenever you read, make sure that your mind is open to learn more and more about
the characters in your books. When you read, the story will provide new details that will help you
get to know even more about your character. Refer to this chart, Bringing Characters to Life as a
reminder to keep your mind open to the new things we are learning about the characters in your
own books. Mark a place in your reading where you find new details that help you better
understand the characters in your stories.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to pay attention to the details that help
Conferring them understand the characters as they read their independent books.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Have students turn to the place in their reading where they noticed some details that
helped them understand the characters in their stories and create a notebook entry or use
the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in another way.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the

characters say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out
what the character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and
feel what the character feels and want
what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better
understand the characters.
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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
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Session 5
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.

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Reading Unit 2
Teaching Point Readers use their empathy for characters to make predictions.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart:
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Notes  Read the beginning of chapter 9 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie during the
demonstration portions of this session. Finish reading chapter 9 and all of chapter 10
following this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, do you remember the story of the Three Little Pigs? Each pig built his house out of
something different. It was easy to predict which house was going to be the safest. Later, the
three little pigs, who tried to save themselves from being eaten by the big bad wolf, put a pot of
water on the fire. It was easy to predict that the wolf was going to end up in the pot of boiling
water. We are always trying to predict what is going to happen next if we are truly in the
character’s shoes. It is almost like we can’t help it, because what happens to our character is also
happening to us! Today I want to teach you that when we’re in a character’s shoes, we can guess
what the character will say next and do next. Then we read on to see if we are right.
Demonstration/  Explain that you are going to demonstrate how you step inside Opal’s shoes. You know
Teaching that she is gutsy and outspoken. She also has a soft spot for animals. Keep these things in
mind as you read aloud from the beginning of chapter 9.
 Read aloud up until the last paragraph on page 62.
 Think-aloud as you wonder what you would do next as Opal. Remember that she is gutsy
and feisty, and she also loves Winn-Dixie. Predict that she will do anything to protect
Winn-Dixie … that she will march right into the witch’s yard and face the witch if she has
to in order to save Winn-Dixie.
 Explain that when you know some things about Opal, it is easy to imagine what she might
do because you would do the same thing. You stepped into her shoes, taking on her traits
and imagined her next steps. This is one thing that readers can do to make predictions.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students look back into their independent reading books and find a time when their
Involvement understanding of a character helped them predict that character’s next steps. They can
also make a prediction by thinking carefully about their character’s traits and predict what
the character might do next.
 Have partnerships turn and share their predictions and their reasons for making them.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
Link So readers, as you read your own books today, pay attention to the predictions that you make. If
you are really walking in a character’s shoes, you will find yourself making predictions about what
will happen next. As you read on, you may find that you were right – or almost right – or it may be
that you were off the mark. That is okay. Readers revise our predictions as we read. That is part
of the fun of reading. And be sure to continue growing ideas about the sort of person your
character is. Remember to not only observe, but also to grow theories about your character. Mark

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
a place or two in your books where you made a prediction.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to step into the shoes of their
Conferring characters and predict what they will do or say next.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Have students turn to the place in their reading where they made a prediction and create
a notebook entry or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their
reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the

characters say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out
what the character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and
feel what the character feels and want
what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better
understand the characters.
 When we understand the characters, we
can predict what they will do next.
This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 19
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 6
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Teaching Point Readers predict not only what will happen, but how it will happen in their stories.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart:
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Notes  Read chapters 11 and 12 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie during the demonstration
and Active Involvement portions of this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, last night as I was reading, I found that I was walking in the character’s shoes and making
a prediction about what would happen next. I realized that I was actually seeing how it was going
to happen, too, with the feelings and the details. Today I want to teach you that when we make
detailed predictions, we think about not only what will happen but also how it will happen.
Demonstration/  Explain that students are becoming good at making predictions. They think what will
Teaching happen next, and then it seems to happen. It is like they are getting the rhythm of reading
and predicting. Predicting is a bit like riding a bike. You can see far ahead. You can see
the character and the shape of the story, and then you see the path and what lies ahead.
 Explain that you are going to demonstrate how you make a detailed prediction about not
only what will happen but how it will happen in the story, Because of Winn-Dixie. You will
think carefully about who Opal is as you read to help you predict what might happen next.
Read aloud and think aloud, paying special attention to the details as you read chapter 11.
Stop reading at the end of the first paragraph on page 78. Make a prediction about what
the preacher will say and how he will say it, using details to imagine the scene. Then read
aloud the last two paragraphs and reflect on your prediction.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students look back into their independent reading books and find a time when their
Involvement understanding of a character helped them make a detailed prediction about not only what
would happen, but how it would happen.
 Have partnerships turn and share their detailed predictions and their reasons for making
them.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
Link So readers, as you read your own books today, pay attention to the predictions that you make. If
you are really walking in a character’s shoes, you will find yourself making detailed predictions
about what will happen next. As you read on, you may find that you were right – or almost right –
or it may be that you were off the mark. That is okay. Readers revise our predictions as we read.
That is part of the fun of reading. And be sure to continue growing ideas about the sort of person
your character is. Remember to not only observe, but also to grow theories about your character.
Mark a place or two in your books where you made a detailed prediction.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to step into the shoes of their
Conferring characters and make detailed predictions about what they will do or say next.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
 Have students turn to the place in their reading where they made a detailed prediction
and create a notebook entry or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to
respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the

characters say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out
what the character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and
feel what the character feels and want
what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better
understand the characters.
 When we understand the characters, we
can predict what they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only
about what will happen, but also how itPage 22
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will happen.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 7
Concept Readers connect to characters, empathize, envision, and predict.
Teaching Point Readers notice and reflect on places in stories that evoke strong emotion.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate
and Julia Moody DiCamillo
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Anchor chart:
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy  Bringing Characters to Life
Calkins  Sticky notes

Notes  Read chapter 13 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie before this session and read chapter
14 during the demonstration portion of this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, I have seen all of your experiencing moments of strong emotion as you read. Someone
once said that laughter and tears are the best comprehension measure there is. This means that if
someone is laughing and crying while reading, the person is really lost inside the world of the book
and truly comprehends it. Today I want to teach you that readers pay attention to the parts of our
books that make us feel strong emotions. Sometimes we put sticky notes on those parts, and we
return to them later not only to feel but also to think.
Demonstration/  Explain that you are going to demonstrate how you let powerful places in stories affect
Teaching you emotionally. Read aloud chapter 14 and think aloud as you read aloud the
conversation between Opal and Gloria Dump. Stop reading near the bottom of page 95.
Think-aloud about how this powerful place affects you and mark it with a sticky note.
Opal realizes that her mother and Gloria both made some of the same mistakes. Gloria
probably hangs her mistakes on her trees to remind herself of these mistakes. She is
trying to learn from her mistakes and teach Opal a lesson about life.
 Finish reading chapter 14. Discuss how Gloria states that people shouldn’t judge others by
the things they have done. Explain how you have strong feelings for both Opal and Gloria
in this part. You notice the parts that give you strong feelings, and you go back and reread
those parts to grow big ideas about them. Often these parts indicate that the character is
in the middle of something big or changing in big ways.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students look back into their independent reading books and find a time where their
Involvement character and you felt a strong emotion. It might have made you feel like you were near
tears or ready to jump out of your seat with excitement. Go to that part of reread it,
getting the feeling again. This time, think about whether the character is in the middle of
something big or is changing in a big way.
 Have partnerships turn and share the places they marked and how they were feeling as
they read those places. Have them tell whether the character was in the middle of
something big or was changing in some way.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
 Optional: You might want to refer back to the book, the Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane, on page 84 that indicates how angry Edward is and how he wants to exact
revenge on Lolly.
Link So readers, as we read, we can note parts of books that make us feel strong emotions and return
to them later to think about whether the character may be learning a lesson. This is the kind of
thing we can do for the rest of our lives. We can make parts of our books that stir up strong

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
feelings in us. Sometimes those will be little parts that we connect with in some way, and other
times we’ll react to parts that are big moments for a character – moments when a character is
realizing something or changing in some way. Mark those places that make you feel a strong
emotion, and then return to them later to think as well as feel. Remember to also mark places
where you find yourself predicting or where you are noticing important details about your
character.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to mark places where they feel a strong
Conferring emotion.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Have students turn to the place in their reading where they felt a strong emotion and
create a notebook entry or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond
to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share
Bringing Characters to Life
 Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

 We envision and notice what the characters

say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what
the character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and
feel what the character feels and want what
the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better
understand the characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can
predict what they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about
what will happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong
Page 25
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emotions and reflect on them.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 8
Concept Readers grow theories about the characters in the stories they read.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Teaching Point Readers look for patterns in a character’s behavior to grow a theory about the character.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart:
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Read aloud chapters 15 and 16 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie before this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, we have been paying close attention to the characters in our stories. We are noticing
what they do and what this tells us about the kind of people they are. Today I want to teach you
that as we come to know our character, we start to notice patterns in how the character acts. We
think to ourselves, “There he goes again.” These patterns help us come up with a big idea, or a
theory, about our characters – a theory that can grow as we continue to read and find out more
about them.
Demonstration/  Explain that you are going to demonstrate how you read a character by looking for
Teaching patterns of behavior that lead you to create a big idea about her.
 Reread pages 99 and 100 in chapter 15. Think aloud how Opal comforts Winn-Dixie and
how she wants to comfort Gloria Dump. Opal is the kind of person who is kind and cares
about others. She makes friends with people who are unlikely friends. One idea you have
about Opal is that she must be able to understand and connect with people because of
what they are like on the inside. You are coming up with a theory that Opal is the kind of
person who reaches out and naturally finds the goodness in other people.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about the characters in their stories and try to think about the things
Involvement that they do often enough to make them think, “There he goes again.” Have them look
for patterns that actually matter.
 Have partnerships turn and share the patterns they noticed about the characters in their
books. Have partners discuss what theories they might be able to grow from these
patterns.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
Link So readers, as you read today and always, notice when your character is doing something and you
say, “There he goes again.” See if you can pause at that moment to grow a theory about your
character. As you read on, you will probably find that you have to adjust your theory a bit or that
you will add to it. Keep reading and keep thinking. Mark places where you find yourself pausing to
grow a theory about your character.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to notice when their character is doing
Conferring something that seems like a pattern of behavior.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that shows how you noticed a pattern of behavior about
Opal, the things she does over and over again. She tells people stories, makes unlikely
friendships, and tries to help her friends. Ask yourself, “What is the big idea I can make

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
about Opal?” We know that Opal spends time with friends and helps others. So maybe
your theory might be that Opal is lonely and she is trying to connect with people. That’s a
little theory, and it can certainly grow as we read on. Your entry would reflect some of
these observations and thoughts and you begin to grow an idea about Opal.
 Have students create a notebook entry where they write their observations and begin to
grow an idea about a character or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to
respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters
say, do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what
the character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel
what the character feels and want what the
character wants.
 We notice details that help us better
understand the characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can
predict what they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about
what will happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong
emotions and reflect on them. Page 28
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 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.

Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 9
Concept Readers grow theories about the characters in the stories they read.
Teaching Point Readers sometimes revise their theories about characters as they continue to read.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate
and Julia Moody DiCamillo
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Anchor chart:
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy  Bringing Characters to Life
Calkins  Sticky notes

Note  Read aloud chapters 17 and 18 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie during the
demonstration portion of this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, as we read and begin to grow theories about the characters in our stories, we gather new
information about the characters and the story. We don’t just come up with a single idea and
never add to it or change it as we read. Instead, we keep the idea in mind, and then as we read,
we either add to our idea, or we change our idea, or we abandon our idea altogether. Always,
always, we think of new ideas. Today I want to teach you that when we have a theory about a
character, we read to find out if we were right or if we need to change our theory because we were
wrong.
Demonstration/  Explain that your first theory about Amanda Wilkinson was that she was not very nice and
Teaching not very friendly. Opal might have thought she was mean. However, as Amanda and Opal
listened to Miss Franny Block tell the story about Littmus, Amanda seemed to take an
interest in the story and agreed with Opal that it was sad. Opal was amazed that she was
agreeing with her.
 Read aloud chapters 17 and 18. Stop from time to time to comment on Amanda’s
demeanor. Note how your theory about her is changing. She has a reason to be sad, and
perhaps this is why she doesn’t connect well with others. She is grieving for her brother
and putting up a wall to protect herself.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about a time when their ideas about a character changed as they
Involvement continued to read and how they revised their theory about the character.
 Have partnerships turn and share how their theories about a character changed.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
 Optional: You might want to refer back to the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane, on page 88, paragraph four that shows how we can revise our theory about
Edward.
Link So readers, as you read today, keep in mind that theories, like predictions, are rough draft ideas.
As we read on in a book, we sometimes pause to say, “That doesn’t seem quite right.” Then we
revise our thinking, our theory, based on new information. Other times we may find that our
theory still makes sense to us. We might add to it or change it. As you read today, keep your
theories in mind and watch for new information that may lead you to change your mind.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to be open to revising their theories
Conferring about the characters in their books when they encounter new information.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that shows how you revised your thinking, your theory,
about Amanda.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
 Have students jot how their ideas about a character have changed or use the anchor
chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say,
do, think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the
character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel
what the character feels and want what the
character wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand
the characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can
predict what they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about what
will happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong
emotions and reflect on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions. Page 31
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 We revise our theories about characters as we

Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 10
Concept Readers grow theories about the characters in the stories they read.
Teaching Point Readers notice when characters act in surprising ways.

References Materials

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 32
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate
and Julia Moody DiCamillo
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Anchor chart:
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy  Bringing Characters to Life
Calkins  Sticky notes

Notes  Read aloud chapter 19 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie during the demonstration
portion of this session and chapter 20 at the end of this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, we have been learning a lot about growing ideas about characters. Sometimes we
change our ideas about a character, and sometimes a character acts in surprising ways. Today I
want to teach you that, just like people can surprise us, sometimes a character surprises us. We
think the character will act one way, but he or she acts another way. When this happens, we ask
ourselves, “Why did the character do that?”
Demonstration/  Explain that your theory about Otis is that he is shy and quiet. He keeps to himself. Music
Teaching is how he expresses himself. Explain that you are going to read aloud and ask students to
listen carefully as Opal and Otis talk in the pet store.
 Read chapter 19 aloud. Think aloud how Otis acted in a surprising way when he was
confronted by the police officer and explain why you think he reacted that way.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about a time when a character in their books acted in a surprising
Involvement way.
 Have partnerships turn and share how their characters acted in a surprising way and help
each other talk about why they might have done that.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
 Optional: You might want to refer back to the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane, on page 192 that shows Edward acting in a surprising way.
Link So readers, as you read today, make sure that you are on the lookout for places where the
characters in your stories have acted in surprising ways. You already have theories about the
characters in your stories. When your character does something really surprising, ask yourselves,
“Why did the character do this?” You are trying to build a more complete picture of this character
– both his patterns of behavior and his moments of surprising behavior.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to notice when a character is acting in
Conferring surprising ways.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that shows how you noticed surprising behavior in Otis
and your thinking, your theory, about him.
 Have students jot how their ideas about a character that acted in a surprising way or use
the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
 Read aloud chapter 20 of Because of Winn-Dixie.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say, do,
think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the
character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel what
the character feels and want what the character
wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand the
characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can predict
what they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about what will
happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong emotions
and reflect on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.
Page 34

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012.
We revise our theories about characters as we
continue to read.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 11
Concept Readers grow theories about the characters in the stories they read.
Teaching Point Readers anticipate that characters will struggle and grow.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 35
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
and Julia Moody DiCamillo
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Anchor chart:
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy  Bringing Characters to Life
Calkins  Sticky notes

Notes  Read aloud chapters 21 and 22 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie before this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, I want you to think for a moment about how you go through growth spurts over the
summer and when you come back to school in the fall, you notice how friends that you haven’t
seen in weeks have changed. Some kids are taller. Some kids are not as shy. People are like that.
We don’t stay the same. We change. Today I want to teach you that characters, like people in our
lives, don’t stay the same. We notice when a character changes, and we think about those
changes.
Demonstration/  Explain that we know Opal really well by now. She really is a friend, and because we know
Teaching her so well, we are beginning to notice a change in her. When we are well into the book,
we think about what a character is like at the beginning of the book, because change
means that something is different. In the beginning of the story, Opal struggled with the
loss of her mother and her loneliness. We saw her make friends with grown-ups, and she
had a soft spot in her heart for animals. She also had a lot of courage.
 Reread the middle paragraph on page 147 in chapter 21 aloud. Think aloud Opal couldn’t
stand Amanda at the beginning of the story. Now, near the end of the story, she seems to
be changing. Now she seems happy to have Amanda at her party, and Opal is being nice
to her. Opal is opening herself to a kid her own age. Opal and Amanda might be a bit
alike, as they both like stories and both suffered a loss. Opal might be learning how to
give people second chances. Characters often change near the end of stories.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about what the characters were like in the beginning of their stories
Involvement and how they have changed.
 Have partnerships turn and share how their characters have grown and changed.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
 Optional: You might want to refer back to the book, the Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane, on page 120 that show us how Edward struggles and grows with the help of Bryce.
Link So readers, I know you are growing theories about your characters and predicting what they will
do next. As you do all this thinking, you should also be on the lookout for change in your
characters. Pay attention to whether the character changes toward the end of the book and how.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to notice whether a character changes
Conferring and how.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that shows how you noticed how and why Opal changed
toward the end of the story.
 Have students jot how their ideas about a character changed or use the anchor chart,
Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say, do,
think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the
character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel what
the character feels and want what the character
wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand the
characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can predict
what they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about what will
happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong emotions
and reflect on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.
 We revise our theories about characters as we
This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 37
continue to read.
 We notice when characters act in surprising ways.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 12
Concept Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
Teaching Point Readers understand that characters face challenges that become turning points.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 38
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate
and Julia Moody DiCamillo
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Anchor chart:
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy  Bringing Characters to Life
Calkins  Sticky notes

Notes  Read aloud chapter 23 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie during the demonstration
portion of this session and chapter 24 at the end of this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, yesterday we learned that characters, like people in our lives, don’t stay the same.
Characters change as events occur that cause the character to struggle and grow. Today I want to
teach you that sometimes readers come to a part that makes our hearts race. We know that our
characters are facing challenges and that these challenges are likely to become a turning point in
their lives.
Demonstration/  Explain that at the end of chapter 22, the rain began to pour down on Opal’s party. You
Teaching will read aloud all of chapter 23 and think-aloud how your heart is racing as you imagine
what Opal might be feeling.
 Explain that Opal is about to face a challenge. Have students turn and talk about what
they think this challenge might be (losing Winn-Dixie).
 Explain that if Opal loses Winn-Dixie, it would be just like losing her mama. Have students
turn and talk about how this might become a turning point for Opal. Has she changed in
ways that might prepare her for this loss (has learned how to make friends, has reached
out to others, has relationships with others)?
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about a heart-racing moment in their independent reading books and
Involvement consider the challenge the character faced.
 Have partnerships turn and share the challenge their characters faced. Have them discuss
how these challenges might become turning points for their characters.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
 Optional: You might want to refer back to the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane, on page 135 paragraph one and pages 195-196 when Edward faces moments that
becomes a turning points.
Link So readers, as you read today or any day, remember that characters often face challenges.
Whenever your heart races, your character is probably about to face something. Read closely,
knowing that the challenge is likely to cause a turning point for the character.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to notice whether a character is facing a
Conferring heart-racing moment and how a challenge might become a turning point.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that shows how you noticed whether a character is facing
a challenge and how it might become a turning point for the character.
 Have students jot their ideas about how a challenge might become a turning point for the
character or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading
in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.
 Read aloud chapter 24. This chapter will be referred to in Session 13 as students learn
how characters find what it takes to persevere.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say, do,
think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the
character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel what the
character feels and want what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand the
characters.
 When we understand the characters, we make detailed
predictions about what and how they will do or say next.
 We notice places that make us feel strong emotions and
reflect on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.
 We revise our theories about characters as we continue
to read.
 We notice when characters act in surprising ways.
 We anticipate that characters will struggle and grow.Page 40
This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012.

 We understand that characters face challenges that

become turning points.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 13
Concept Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
Teaching Point Readers understand that characters have what it takes to overcome challenges.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 41
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Notes  Reread aloud chapter 24 in the story Because of Winn-Dixie during the demonstration
portion of this session and chapters 25 and 26 at the end of this session.
 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, we know that the characters in our stories face challenges just like people in the world
face challenges. In the stories we read, our characters often find ways to solve their problems.
Many times characters already have what it takes to solve these challenges themselves.
Demonstration/  Explain that stories almost always include an external story – the action, description, and
Teaching dialogue – and an internal story – the characters’ motivation, thoughts, understandings,
and feelings. Opal’s biggest challenges are the hole that Opal has in her heart since her
mom left and the emptiness she feels now that Winn-Dixie is lost. Have students listen
carefully for how Opal overcomes these challenges as you read aloud chapter 24.
 Explain that in the external story that takes place at this point in Because of Winn-Dixie,
Opal and her dad are physically trying to overcome the challenge of finding Winn-Dixie in
the thunderstorm. They are walking, looking, whistling, and screaming his name as they
pass all the places where Opal made friends.
 In the internal story, Opal and her dad are emotionally connecting with each other as they
try to overcome the challenge of coming to terms with all that they have lost. Opal
confronts her dad about giving up and about hiding from the world. Her dad realizes how
much he loves Opal and they gain a greater bond as they finally open up to each other.
They understand that you can only love what you have while you have it.
 Explain that readers sometimes have to dig deep to understand the internal story and
figure out how the characters are confronting their challenges and overcoming them.
Characters usually have what it takes to solve their own problems.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about the place in their independent reading books where their
Involvement character found ways to overcome a challenge. Have them consider both the external
and the internal story.
 Have partnerships turn and share the ways their characters overcome their challenges.
Have them include the external story and the internal story in their discussions.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
Link So readers, as you read today, make sure that you keep your eyes open for the external story and
then dig deeper for the internal story to help you figure out ways the characters are facing their
challenges and overcoming them. Remember that characters often have what it takes to solve
their own problems. As you read today, pay attention to ways in which your characters face,
confront, and overcome their challenges.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to notice how a character faces,
Conferring confronts, and/or overcomes a challenge.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that shows how you noticed how and why Opal confronts

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
and overcomes her challenges.
 Have students jot how their characters confronted and/or overcame a challenge or use
the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.
 Read aloud chapters 25 and 26 in Because of Winn-Dixie.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say, do,
think, and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the
character is like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel what the
character feels and want what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand the
characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can predict what
they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about what will
happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong emotions and
reflect on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.
 We revise our theories about characters as we continue
to read.
 We notice when characters act in surprising ways.
This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 43

 We anticipate that characters will struggle and grow.

Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 14
Concept Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
Teaching Point Readers understand that secondary characters also have important roles in stories.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 44
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, we have come to know Opal very well in the story Because of Winn-Dixie. We watched
her learn and grow and change from the beginning to the end of the story. Other characters,
called secondary characters, in the story also had very important roles. They helped Opal
overcome the giant hole in her life. Wise readers know that it is important to keep an eye not only
on the main character, but also on these secondary characters. They often influence the main
character or teach the main character something important.
Demonstration/  Explain that one secondary character in the story Because of Winn-Dixie is Amanda. At
Teaching first, Opal thought that Amanda was a mean, pinch-faced girl. After she learned that
Amanda’s brother drowned, Opal began to treat her with kindness. She learned not to
judge a person too quickly.
 Have students think about another secondary character, Gloria Dump, and her role in the
story. Have them turn and talk about how she influenced Opal in the story.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about a secondary character in their independent reading books and
Involvement the role of that character in the story.
 Have partnerships turn and talk about their secondary characters and how they influenced
the main character or taught the main character something important.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
Link So readers, as you read today, pay close attention to the secondary characters and the role they
play in the stories you are reading. Think about whether they are influencing your main characters
or teaching them something important. Mark places where a secondary character seems to play
an important role in your story.
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to notice the role that secondary
Conferring characters play in their stories.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that explains how a secondary character influenced the
main character or taught the main character something important.
 Have students jot ideas about their secondary characters or use the anchor chart,
Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say, do, think,
and decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the character is
like on the inside.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel what the
character feels and want what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand the
characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can predict what
they will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about what will
happen, but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong emotions and
reflect on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.
 We revise our theories about characters as we continue to
read.
 We notice when characters act in surprising ways.
 We anticipate that characters will struggle and grow.
Page 46

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012.
We understand that characters face challenges that become
turning points.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 15
Concept Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
Teaching Point Readers learn vicariously alongside the characters in stories.

References Materials
 Constructing Curriculum: Alternate Units of  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 47
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Study, Mary Ehrenworth, Hareem Atif Khan,  Anchor chart
and Julia Moody  Bringing Characters to Life
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading  Sticky notes
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Readers, today marks the end of our study of the book, Because of Winn-Dixie. We traveled to
Naomi with Opal, meeting all of her new friends, losing and finding Winn-Dixie. And you have each
traveled to different places you have encountered in your independent reading books. Now is the
time to think about the lessons we have learned along the way, side-by-side with our characters.
Book endings make me think about my own life, reflecting on how I live my life now and how I
might want to live it differently. Today I want to teach you that as a character resolves a problem,
we ask what the character knows now that he or she didn’t know at t the start of the story. We
think of the lesson our character has learned and wonder how this book might change the way we
behave in our own lives.
Demonstration/  Explain that Opal has learned some lessons in the book, Because of Winn-Dixie. You are
Teaching going to reread a portion of the text where Opal seems to have grown. Ask students to
listen carefully and try to figure out what Opal has learned and how we might apply these
lessons to our own lives.
 Read aloud from the beginning of chapter 26 on page 177 through page 178.
 Ask students to turn and talk about what Opal has learned (to begin to let her mother go,
to fill her heart with other people, to learn how to cope with missing her mom, learn how
to live without her mom).
 Have students think about how these lessons might change the way we live our lives if we
lose someone near to us. We would still miss that person, but perhaps we could also fill
up our lives with the people who are still present in our lives.
 Refer to the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life.
Active  Have students think about a lesson their character has learned that might also apply to
Involvement their own life.
 Have partnerships turn and talk about these lessons.
 Have one or two students share their responses with the class.
Link So readers, today and every day as you read keep searching for those lessons your characters learn
and ask yourselves, “What have I learned that I can now apply to my own life? How can I live my
life differently because of these lessons?”
Reading and  Conduct table conferences to encourage students to search for the lessons their
Conferring characters have learned and apply them to their own lives.
 After students have been reading for a total of 30 minutes, have them record their reading
on their daily reading logs.
 Share your own notebook entry that details a lesson that Opal learned and apply it to your
own life.
 Have students jot ideas about the lessons their characters learned and how these lessons
apply to their own lives or use the anchor chart, Bringing Characters to Life, to respond to
their reading in another way.
Partnerships  Have partnerships share the place in their books that they wrote about in their writer’s
notebooks and respond back to each other.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
 Have one or two students share with the class.
Teaching Share  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s
teaching point.

Bringing Characters to Life

 We envision and notice what the characters say, do, think, and
decide.
 We use our observations to figure out what the character is
really like.
 We walk inside the character’s shoes and feel what the character
feels and want what the character wants.
 We notice details that help us better understand the characters.
 When we understand the characters, we can predict what they
will do next.
 We make detailed predictions not only about what will happen,
but also how it will happen.
 We notice places that make us feel strong emotions and reflect
on them.
 We notice patterns in our character’s actions.
 We revise our theories about characters as we continue to read.
 We notice when characters act in surprising ways.
 We anticipate that characters will struggle and grow.
 We understand that characters face challenges that become
turning
This document is the property points.
of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 49

 We understand that characters have what it takes to overcome

challenges.
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2

Session 16
Concept Readers learn how stories relate to their own lives.
Teaching Point Readers celebrate the characters in their books and the lessons these characters have learned
that apply to their own lives.

References Materials
 Units of Study for Teaching Reading: A  Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo
This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 50
Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Curriculum for the Reading Workshop,
Grades 3-5, Book 1: Building a Reading
Life, Lucy Calkins and Kathleen Tolan
 A Curricular Plan for the Reading
Workshop, Grade 3, 2011/2012, Lucy
Calkins

Note  Have students sit in a circle in the meeting area today.

 Have students bring their independent reading books to the meeting area.
Connection Yesterday we learned how the lessons that the characters learn in the books we are reading can
help us live our lives differently. We can learn a lot from our characters. We remember feeling a
certain way when our characters solve problems, or overcome a hardship, or make new friends.
Today we are going to celebrate by thinking back to our favorite memories of stories we have read
and the lessons the characters learned. We are going to think of ways that we can grow by
applying those lessons to our own lives.
Celebration  Give students time to prepare, and then have them share their ideas with the whole
group. You might make a class list of the lessons learned as they are shared. Note how
often lessons are similar to those from other books.
 Optional: You might also have students make bookmarks that include one of the lessons
they learned alongside one of the characters in the stories they read.

Conferring Checklist: Bringing Characters to Life

Student Name:

Connecting to characters:
Envisions to learn about the
characters.

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Understanding Characters: Grade 3
Reading Unit 2
Connecting to characters:
Creates ideas about what the
characters are really like.
Connecting to characters:
Empathizes with characters by
connecting with their experiences.
Connecting to characters:
Notices details about the
characters.
Connecting to characters:
Makes predictions of what will
happen and how it will happen.
Connecting to characters:
Notices places in stories that evoke
strong emotion.
Bringing Characters to Life:
Looks for patterns in a character’s
behavior to grow a theory.
Bringing Characters to Life:
Revises theories about characters.
Bringing Characters to Life:
Notices when characters act in
surprising ways.
Bringing Characters to Life:
Anticipates that characters will
struggle and grow.
Learning lessons from stories:
Notices how challenges become
turning points.
Learning lessons from stories:
Notices how characters overcome
challenges.
Learning lessons from stories:
Understands the roles of secondary
characters.
Learning lessons from stories:
Learns lessons alongside
characters.

This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA). Revised 11/8/2012. Page 52