From Unit Plan: Responding to Literature - Character Analysis

Here are some of my favorites resources, which have helped me teach various literary elements and how to respond to a piece of literature. Students have enjoyed all of the fantastic activities that are available in these books, and they are easy to adapt to any piece of literature.

The following books are available in the Teacher Store.

Teaching Literary Elements with Short Stories: Ready-to-Use, High-Interest Stories with Mini-Lessons and Activities That Help Students Understand Literacy Elements and Use Them Effectively in Their Writing by Tara McCarthy
This book has examples of great literature to use when teaching a particular literary element. And it comes complete with a step-by-step teacher's guide.

25 Fun and Fabulous Literature Response Activities and Rubrics: Quick, Engaging Activities and Reproducible Rubrics That Help Kids Understand Literary Elements and Use Reading Strategies for Better Comprehension by Christine Boardman Moen
This resource has awesome activities and rubrics to fit. I give my students a copy of the rubric before beginning the activity, so that they know what is expected of them. These rubrics are easy enough for my students to understand and thorough enough that I don't have to recreate another rubric if I add requirements to the activity.

Awesome Hands-on Activities for Teaching Literary Elements: 30 Easy, Learning-Rich Activities That Tap Into Students' Multiple Intelligences to Teach Plot, Setting, Character, and Theme by Susan Van Zile
I'm big on activities that incorporate my students' multiple intelligences, and this resource contains ten different activities that you can use to assess various literary elements.

Easy-to-Manage Reading & Writing Conferences: Practical Ideas for Making Conferences Work by Laura Robb
There is nothing more powerful than the chance to sit, face to face, with a student and discuss his or her writing. I feel writing is an ever-evolving process, and my students appreciate the time I take to evaluate their progress along the way to a finished product. This resource has helped me conduct effective and efficient conferences.