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English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes

Character traits and motives

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RL.4.3England: Y4/5 ReadingEngland: KS2 SATs ReadingEngland: 11+ English

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Character traits and motives.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Characters and setting

Leads to: How characters change

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Characters and setting). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. On a snowy morning, Ollie and his sister built an igloo in the garden. When does this story happen? (on a hot night / in summer / on a rainy afternoon / on a snowy morning) → on a snowy morningPrompt: What does the character say and do?
  2. Gus the goat loved to climb. He climbed rocks, hills and even the farmer's shed! What does Gus love to do? (climb / sing / sleep / swim) → climbPrompt: What does the character say and do?
  3. Bear yawned and stretched. "Time to sleep until spring," he said, and curled up in his cave. Who is the main character? (the cave / Spring / Bear / a bird) → BearPrompt: What does the character say and do?

Hook · 3 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: Character traits and motives. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: "I'm the fastest runner in the whole school," Kyle said for the tenth time that day. "Nobody can beat me." Which word best describes Kyle?
  • Step 1: A character's words and actions reveal what they are like and what they want.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: boastful
  • Answer: boastful
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Jon always checked his work twice, sharpened his pencils before every test and kept his desk perfectly neat. Which word best describes Jon? (forgetful / messy / careful / rude) → carefulPrompt: What does the character say and do?
  2. Raf took the biggest slice of cake, then grabbed the last cookie before anyone else could. Which word best describes Raf? (greedy / patient / generous / shy) → greedyPrompt: What does the character say and do?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Raf took the biggest slice of cake, then grabbed the last cookie before anyone else could. Which word best describes Raf? (patient / generous / shy / greedy) → greedyPrompt: What does the character say and do?
  2. Even though she was scared of heights, Mei climbed the ladder to rescue the kitten from the roof. Which word best describes Mei? (brave / lazy / careless / selfish) → bravePrompt: What does the character say and do?

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Characters and setting.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: How characters change.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Character traits and motives

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Lena kept asking questions: Why is the sky blue? How do birds know where to fly? What is inside the Earth? Which word best describes Lena?

    • A. curious
    • B. lazy
    • C. bored
    • D. unkind

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter

The storm had been building all afternoon. By the time the sun set, waves as tall as houses were hurling themselves against the rocks below Gull Point Lighthouse, and the wind screamed around the tower like a wild animal. Nell pressed her face to the window of the little cottage. Her father had rowed to the mainland that morning to fetch the doctor for Mrs Penrose, and the sea had turned before he could return. Now, for the first time in her twelve years, Nell was alone at the lighthouse. She knew what that meant. Every night at dusk, the great lamp at the top of the tower had to be lit. Without it, ships would have no warning of the rocks. Nell grabbed the lantern and her father's oilskin coat, which hung down past her knees, and pushed open the door. The wind nearly knocked her flat. Bent double, she stumbled across the yard and into the tower. There were one hundred and twelve steps to the top. Nell had climbed them hundreds of times, but never in the dark, never with the whole tower trembling. Halfway up, her lantern flickered and almost went out. She stopped, cupped her hand around the flame and whispered, "Not now. Please, not now." At the top, her fingers were numb with cold. She trimmed the wick the way her father had shown her, filled the oil and struck a match. Nothing. A second match. Nothing. With the third, a tiny flame caught, grew and then blazed, and the great lens began to turn, sweeping its beam across the furious sea. Far out in the darkness, a ship's horn sounded twice. Nell did not know whose ship it was. But she knew that, tonight, it would find its way home.

  1. Question 2

    Read "The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter". Which word best describes Nell?

    • A. careless
    • B. selfish
    • C. lazy
    • D. courageous

The Drone at the Marsh (a play)

CAST: NIA, a young volunteer · AMIR, her older cousin · MRS HOLT, the nature reserve warden SCENE: A wooden bird hide at the edge of a marsh. Early morning. (NIA peers through binoculars. AMIR carries a small drone and a controller.) AMIR: (cheerfully) Watch this, Nia. I'll fly it over the reeds and film the whole marsh. NIA: (lowering the binoculars) Wait! The terns are nesting out there. AMIR: It's only a little drone. They won't even notice. (MRS HOLT enters, holding a clipboard.) MRS HOLT: Morning, both. Is that a drone? AMIR: (proudly) It has a 4K camera. MRS HOLT: (gently) Birds may think a drone is a hawk. If the parents fly off their nests, the eggs can get cold. NIA: So filming them could hurt them. (AMIR looks at the drone, then at the marsh. A pause.) AMIR: (quietly) I didn't know that. Could I film the car park instead, and show people where the hide is? MRS HOLT: (smiling) That would be very helpful.

  1. Question 3

    Read "The Drone at the Marsh (a play)". How does Amir change during the scene?

    • A. He decides to film the nests anyway.
    • B. He stays exactly the same.
    • C. He becomes angry with Mrs Holt.
    • D. He goes from wanting to show off his drone to thinking about the birds.

The Phone-Free Lunch Experiment

For one month, students at Brookfield School tried something unusual: no phones at lunch. Phones stayed in lockers from twelve until one, and the dining hall filled with board games, sketchbooks and a lot more noise. The idea came from the student council. In a survey, 61 per cent of students said they spent most of lunch looking at a screen, and many said they wanted a break but found it hard to stop on their own. At first, not everyone was happy. "I thought it was a punishment," admitted Jaden, 12. "But after a week I'd learned to play chess, and now I actually look forward to lunch." Teachers noticed changes too. Ms Ortega, who supervises the hall, said there were fewer arguments and more students sitting in mixed groups. However, some students said they missed messaging family members during the day. The council will now vote on whether to keep the rule. One suggestion is a compromise: phone-free Mondays to Thursdays, with Fridays left free.

  1. Question 4

    Read "The Phone-Free Lunch Experiment". How did Jaden's attitude change?

    • A. He never noticed the rule.
    • B. He went from seeing the rule as a punishment to looking forward to lunch.
    • C. He became angrier each week.
    • D. He stopped coming to lunch.

The Kite Festival

Amara had spent three weeks building her kite. She had bent the bamboo sticks, stretched the paper tight and painted a fierce golden dragon across the front. It was going to win the prize for best design at the town's kite festival. She was sure of it. On the morning of the festival, the field was crowded with families. Kites shaped like fish, birds and boats bobbed in the breeze. Amara's little brother, Kofi, trailed behind her, clutching a small diamond kite he had made from a plastic bag and two straws. "Mine's not very good," Kofi mumbled. Amara ran, and her dragon rose beautifully – until a sudden gust snapped one of the bamboo sticks. The kite twisted, spun and crashed into the grass. The paper ripped right through the dragon's face. Amara's eyes stung. Three weeks of work, ruined in three seconds. Kofi tugged her sleeve. "You can fly mine with me," he offered. At first Amara shook her head. Then she looked at Kofi's hopeful face and took the string. Together they ran, and the little plastic kite shot up higher than any other kite in the sky. People pointed and cheered. That afternoon, the judges gave Kofi a ribbon for "Highest Flyer". Amara clapped louder than anyone. She realised she was smiling more than she would have if she had won the prize herself.

  1. Question 5

    Read "The Kite Festival". How does Amara change by the end of the story?

    • A. She becomes jealous of Kofi.
    • B. She decides never to fly kites again.
    • C. She goes from wanting to win to feeling happy for her brother.
    • D. She becomes angry with the judges.

Pepper's First Week: A Diary

Saturday. Today we collected Pepper from the rescue centre. She is a skinny brown dog with one floppy ear and one ear that stands straight up. In the car, she shook the whole way home, and I held her blanket so she could smell it. I felt nervous too. Sunday. Pepper hid behind the sofa all day. Mum says rescue dogs sometimes need time to trust people because they do not know what is going to happen next. I lay on the floor and read my comic out loud so she could get used to my voice. Tuesday. A breakthrough! When I got back from school, Pepper crept out and sniffed my shoes. Then she licked my hand. I stayed completely still, although I wanted to cheer. Thursday. We went to the park on her lead. A bicycle rang its bell, and Pepper jumped behind my legs. I knelt down and talked to her calmly until her tail started wagging again. Friday. Tonight Pepper fell asleep with her head on my foot. I didn't move for an hour, even though my foot went numb. I think she has decided she lives here now.

  1. Question 6

    Read "Pepper's First Week: A Diary". Which word best describes the writer?

    • A. bossy
    • B. impatient
    • C. careless
    • D. patient

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Answer key: Character traits and motives

  1. 1. A. curious

  2. 2. D. courageous

  3. 3. D. He goes from wanting to show off his drone to thinking about the birds.

  4. 4. B. He went from seeing the rule as a punishment to looking forward to lunch.

  5. 5. C. She goes from wanting to win to feeling happy for her brother.

  6. 6. D. patient