Grade Levels: 2-4
- Students will identify character
traits and personalities based on an author's descriptions
- Students will use their own descriptions
and interpretations of characters to enhance their understanding
of them and the story.
- Students will identify elements
of character development.
- Students will use specific quotes
and descriptions from the book to support their interpretations
- Students will make meaningful connections
between characters and their own personal life experiences.
- Geronimo Stilton books (This lesson
can be used with any Geronimo Stilton character.)
- pencils or pens
- writing paper
Prior to this lesson, assign any Geronimo Stilton book
as independent reading so that students will be prepared
to discuss its characters in class. You may also wish to
read the book aloud in installments. Then proceed with the
1. Tell students that an author develops a character by
describing his or her appearance, thoughts, and actions,
along with his or her relationships with other characters.
Based on these criteria, ask students to describe Geronimo
and his friends' traits and personalities by printing out
and distributing a Character
Sheet and Traits List. You may wish to have them fill
one out for each character in the book. Invite students
to examine the development of the Geronimo characters more
closely by asking what their first impressions of each character
were. Did the character change over the course of the book?
If so, how, and what prompted the change? For older students,
you can explore character-related literary terms in greater
depth by distributing an Understanding
"Character" Analysis sheet.
2. Have students find and write down three to six quotes
from each character that reveal something about his or her
personality. Students should then provide details about
how each quote reflects the character's way of thinking.
Invite volunteers to share their writing with the class.
If students interpret a character's quote in different ways,
encourage them to discuss and debate their interpretations.
For younger grades, you may wish to ask students to pick
three to five traits from their Character Sheet and Traits
List, and then have them write down or verbally recall real-life
situations where they've seen those same traits in themselves
or other people.
3. Invite students to use their own life experiences and
knowledge of previously read books to make more meaningful
connections with the characters. Have them complete the
- This character is like _____________.
- This character reminds me of _____________.
- This character's way of thinking could help me understand/make
plans for _____________.
4. Have students summarize what they have learned by creating
a mobile based on their character. Using a wire coat hanger,
pieces of string, and construction paper, they can cut out
and hang a variety of shapes with the following information
written on each.
On one shape:
Picture of character
Description of character
Favorite motto (students can make this up)
On a second shape:
Strengths of character
On a third shape:
Weaknesses of character
For older grades, other shapes may include:
Encourage students to use shapes and colors that reflect
a particular character's traits. For example, a light blue
circle might show that a character is calm or open-minded;
a red square might indicate he or she is often rigid or
1. Have students make more real-world connections by
applying their study of fictional characters to real people.
Ask them about how they decide what a person is like and
whether or not they like that person. What do they notice
about a person that can help them decide? Why is it important
to figure out people in this manner? Have students think
of a person they know well in real life and discuss or write
about how they got to know that person. What were their
first impressions of him or her, and what were those impressions
based on? Did those impressions change as they got to know
the person better? Why or why not?
Teacher Observation: Were students able to accurately describe
characters' traits and personalities? Were they able to
provide good examples of quotes and situations that backed
up those descriptions?
- Were the students successful or
- Were students able to identify
elements of character development and use them to determine
characters' traits and personalities?
- Did students enhance their understanding
of Geronimo Stilton characters and their own personal
lives by making meaningful connections between the two?
1. Have students pretend they are a Geronimo Stilton character
who is writing a letter to another character in the series.
What would he or she write about? When students are finished
with the letters, ask volunteers to share theirs, discuss
the characters' traits, and explain how those traits influenced
their writing. You may also wish to post the letters on
a bulletin board, cover up the characters' names, and have
students guess the characters' identities based on the messages.