When you write a story, you have
to decide who will be in it. The people in a story are called
characters.
In Civil War on Sunday, Jack
and Annie visit a field hospital in Virginia. They meet the
famous nurse Clara Barton, an escaped slave, and a young drummer
boy. Jack, Annie, Clara Barton, the escaped slave, and the
drummer boy are all characters in the story.
Before you start to write, think about the characters you
might put in your story. What will each character do? Why
is he or she important to the story? In what ways are your
characters alike? How are they different? What can your characters
learn from each other?
One last thing to remember: your characters don't always have to be people. If an animal
plays a part in the story, that animal is a character, too! Henry the pteranadon, Peanut
the mouse, and Teddy the dog are all characters in Magic Tree House adventures.
Morgan's Mission:
- Pretend that Jack and Annie have an adventure in your town.
- Make a list of five characters they might meet.
- Describe each character.
Annie's Secret Writing Tip: The "I Am"
Game
You can learn a lot about characters by pretending to be
them!
Pick one of the characters in Civil War on Sunday.
Pretend you are that character. How you would answer these questions:
How do you feel?
Are you tired?
Are you happy?
Are you homesick?
Are you angry?
Hungry?
Scared?
Proud?
Play the "I Am" Game
Think of a character.
Write down the character's name.
Then write as many sentences as you can, starting each sentence
with "I am."
For example:
Character: Peanut
I am Peanut the Mouse.
I am small and furry.
I am very friendly.
I am happy to visit Frog Creek.
I am hungry because I haven't eaten today.
I am ready for an adventure!
Jack's Research Tip: Historical Characters
You may want to use real people as characters in your story. In Civil War
on Sunday, an important character is Clara Barton. Clara Barton was a real-life nurse
during the Civil War.
When you put people from history in a story, you need to do research to find out
the facts about their lives.
Be a Fact Finder:
Pick a famous person in history. You can choose someone from this list, or pick
someone else you've read or heard about.
Helen Keller
Sacajawea
Harriet Tubman
Abraham Lincoln
Thomas Edison
Go to the library. Take a notebook. Ask your librarian to help you find some facts
about that person.
- When were they born? Where?
- How did they look?
- What kinds of clothes did they wear?
- What sorts of things did they say?
- Why are they famous?
Imagine Jack and Annie meet this person. Write about it!
Learn more about reading and writing when you check out other lessons:
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