Get Hooked on Characters!
Top 3 Reasons Characters Matter and Why We Love Them
- We learn about their lives. When we pick up a book, we often look for ourselves in it through the characters. We wonder if they like the same things we do. Do they act the same ways we do? When they do, it can be very validating to us. When they don’t, it can make us more intrigued and interested in other types of people.
- We get to go on a journey with them. As a reader, we are along for the ride. We follow characters to places we have never been. We get to be involved in the situations they encounter. Some might be new to us. Characters prompt us to turn the page and see what may unfold.
- We become invested in what happens to them. We don’t just learn about characters, we care about what happens to them. We like to cheer them on as they struggle to overcome challenges. We become connected to their feelings sometimes, and it may alter how we live our own lives.
As reading teachers, getting readers hooked on characters is a great strategy to help students read with high volume and move along in skill levels! Students will become invested in who the characters are, where they go, and what they do.
Meet a few Kaeden Characters:
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NAME: Sammy (dog) LIKES: hamburgers, boxes, running, car rides, and baths FUN FACTS: |
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NAME: Alex (alligator) LIKES: reading, skateboarding, and being on a team FUN FACTS: |
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NAME: Carla LIKES: following rules, choosing outfits, and dancing FUN FACTS: |
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NAME: Sophie Bean LIKES: roller coasters, ice skating (but not at first), and being included FUN FACTS: |
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NAME: Malcolm and Dandy (Ghost Detectors) LIKES: creating inventions in the basement and telling ghost stories FUN FACTS: |
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NAME: Abby Spencer (Abby and the Book Bunch) LIKES: Katherine the Almost Great books, sleepovers at the library, movie nights, and asking questions FUN FACTS: |
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