Character Exploration

Overview

Today students explore story characters in Wombat Tales: A Story Adventure by describing personality traits and guessing motivations using clues from the text and illustrations. Students will discuss in pairs, then create a simple character description and (for some) a diary entry from a character’s perspective.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• describe characters’ personalities using language from the story and picture clues
• discuss how language and images create characters, settings and events
• use evidence (words/illustrations) to explain why they think a character feels a certain way
• retell and adapt parts of the story by acting or speaking as a character (briefly, in today’s focus)

Success criteria

Students can:

• share at least two character traits with a partner (e.g. “Curious”, “Brave”, “Kind”)
• match each trait to a clue (a story event or an illustration detail)
• use simple “I think…” and “because…” sentences to explain choices
• write or draw a character diary entry (extension only) using a character’s perspective cues

Curriculum links

• Literature: discuss how language and images are used to create characters, settings and events - Literature: discuss plot, character and setting features of stories - Literature: discuss literary texts and make connections; share responses using drawing and role-play - Literature: orally retell or adapt a familiar story using plot/characters and structure, including role-play ## Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Story warm-up (visual clue). Teacher displays one illustration from Wombat Tales showing a character in a key moment and asks, “What is the character like? What makes you think that?” Students do a quick think then point to one clue in the picture (face/body/action).

2. 5–12 min · Explicit teaching: trait + motivation. Teacher models a “Trait → Clue → Motivation” talk using a familiar character:

• “This character is curious.” (Trait)
• “I see/hear … in the story.” (Clue)
• “So they want to … / they feel ….” (Motivation) Teacher creates a class anchor chart: Trait (one word), Clue (sentence starter), Because (because the story shows/illustrates…).

Students repeat the model twice with choral response using sentence stems:

• “I think ___ is ___ because ___.”

3. 12–22 min · Pair discussion: Character Trait Sort. Teacher gives each pair a small set of picture cards or printed excerpts (very short lines) showing events/actions for one or two characters. Students sort cards into two groups: Trait words (e.g. brave, worried, helpful) and Clues (what happened/what the picture shows), then share one full explanation using “I think… because…”

Teacher circulates to listen for trait clarity and “because” reasoning, not just feelings.

4. 22–30 min · Hands-on writing: “My Character” mini-poster. Teacher demonstrates a template:

• Character: ______
• I think they are ______ and ______
• Evidence: ______
• Motivation: They want/need to ______ Students complete their mini-poster using a word bank and draw one simple picture showing the clue.

5. 30–38 min · Share time + quick teacher feedback. Teacher invites 6–8 pairs to share their trait explanations while the class listens for: “Did they include a clue?” Students share; listeners give a quick thumbs-up if they heard trait + because.

6. 38–45 min · Exit ticket (evidence sentence). Teacher writes the stem on the board: “I think ___ is ___ because ___.” Students complete one sentence independently (or with support using a word bank and picture prompts).

Resources

• One printed/visible Wombat Tales illustration per character moment
• Trait word bank (short, high-frequency adjectives with matching icons)
• Picture/event cards or very short printed story extracts (teacher-prepared)
• Character Trait Sort worksheet or card sets (pairs)
• “My Character” mini-poster template
• Exit ticket slips with sentence starter
• Coloured pencils/crayons and highlighters
• Optional: small character cut-outs for role-play prompts
• Dyslexia-friendly reading supports: audio device or teacher-read excerpt cards; high-contrast text; larger font print options

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observation during Pair Discussion (trait + clue accuracy)
• Formative: mini-poster check (two traits and at least one evidence clue)
• Exit ticket: one complete “I think… because…” sentence to confirm understanding

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters (“I think __ is __ because __”), word bank with icons, and a single-clue option (“one evidence only”).
• Support: allow students to record evidence by circling a picture detail instead of reading multiple lines.
• Extension: students write a diary entry from the character’s perspective (2–3 sentences) using “Today I…” and at least one motivation clue.
• EAL/SEN: pre-teach 3–5 key trait words with gestures; offer choice of drawing plus one labelled sentence.
• Dyslexia-friendly options:
• teacher reads the short excerpt aloud while students match picture clues
• use audio-recorded story snippets (or teacher read-aloud)
• provide large-print cards, reduce visual clutter, and allow response via drawing + colour-coded labels

Extension (optional — for advanced learners)

• Diary entry (character perspective): Students write 4–6 diary “sound-bites” or 2–3 full sentences: “Dear Diary, Today I felt __ because __. I want to __.”
• Students include one trait word from the anchor chart and one story clue from the sort activity.