This lesson introduces the concept of identifying the connection between character attributes and the storyline. At the end of the lesson, students are able to:
- Distinguish between attributes of the physical characteristics and character traits.
- Determine a character's characteristics.
- Define the plot.
- Elucidate how the plot and character attributes relate to one another.

- How can literary and factual texts become meaningful to strategic readers? 
- What is the true purpose of this text?

- Physical Characteristics: The appearance of a character. 
- Character Traits: A character’s personality, values, and beliefs. 
- Plot: The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The plot of a story includes a problem and a solution.

- an animated version of “The Three Little Pigs” (optional)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5hI9U19-m0 
- Jon Scieszka. (1996). The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Puffin.
- Patricia Polacco. (1998). My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. Simon & Schuster. (multiple copies)
Teachers may substitute other books to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
- T-chart (L-3-3-2_T-Chart)
- Character Comparison Worksheet (L-3-3-2_Character Comparison)
- character traits and plot worksheet (L-3-3-2_Character Traits and Plot)

This lesson aims to investigate the relationship between storyline and character attributes. Use the checklist below to evaluate the progress of your students: 
- Students are able to differentiate between personal qualities and physical attributes. 
- Students are able to compare the qualities of a text's primary characters. 
- Students can determine how a change in a character's attributes affects the plot, and then use that information to explain how character traits and the plot relate to each other.

Guidance and Clear Instruction 
W: Assist pupils in identifying character attributes and investigating the relationship between attributes and a story's plot. 
H: Use the opportunity to watch or act out "The Three Little Pigs" to get students interested. 
E: Ask students to examine how a character's attributes alter a story's storyline by comparing two different versions of the same tale. Next, ask them to use what they've learned to make predictions about how a different set of characters would alter the storyline of a different novel. 
R: Let students work in small groups to share their thoughts and responses to the qualities of a story's characters and how they relate to the plot. Motivate pupils to reconsider their responses in light of the discussion. 
E: Ask students to write a tale in which the storyline and the major characters' characteristics are related. This is a great way for them to put what they've learned about the relationship between character attributes and plot into practice. 
T: Give pupils a range of resources so they may show that they comprehend concepts at their conceptual levels. 
O: This lesson's learning exercises include large-group instruction and discussion, small-group inquiry, pair work, and individual application of the material. 

Focus Question: What connection exists between a story's plot and its characters' characteristics?

Have students watch an animated version of the tale, like the one recommended in the materials, or ask volunteers to act out the tale of "The Three Little Pigs." Then assign the students to identify the place (a long time ago, in a woodland) and the characters (three pigs, and a wolf).

"What is a story's plot?", you ask. Help children understand that the plot of a tale is the order in which the events occur. Put the definition in writing on the interactive whiteboard or board. Ask students to recall the storyline of "The Three Little Pigs" and enumerate the events in chronological order.

Part 1

Explain the meaning of "physical characteristics" to the class and ask them to list the physical attributes of the three tiny pigs and the wolf from the tale. (The wolf has a thick mane. His voice sounds rough. The little piglets are adorable.)

On the board or interactive whiteboard, write the term "character traits." Declare, "Physical characteristics and character traits are not the same thing. A character's personality, morals, or beliefs are referred to as their qualities. Through a character's actions, we can learn about their character traits."

Ask, "What are some of the wolf's characteristics in the story?" (Arrogant, frightening) "What evidence does the story provide that reveals the wolf's characteristics?" (He clamors to be allowed into the pigs' homes. He demolishes the homes of two of the pigs.) "What characteristics do the pigs have?" (Efficient, astute) "What aspects of their personalities are shown by the story's evidence?" (They construct their homes with materials found in the forest. The final pig is shrewd because he makes use of bricks. The wolf is kept out by them. The final pig comes to his brother's rescue. The wolf is driven away by them.)

Read Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs aloud.

Give every pupil a T-chart (L-3-3-2_T-Chart). Give students the T-chart to complete, which details the character traits and physical attributes of the wolf and the pigs in Jon Scieszka's adaptation of The Three Little Pigs. Next, hold small group discussions among the students about their T-charts. Encourage pupils to consider whether their ideas belong in the correct category and, if so, to revise them.

Part 2

Say, "A story's storyline consists of a problem and a solution. What is wrong with the first version of the Three Little Pigs story?" (The pigs refuse to let the wolf inside their homes despite his desire to do so.) "What is the problem's solution?" (The piglets scare off the wolf with a pot of boiling soup.)

Remind pupils of the qualities that the pigs and the wolf had in the original tale. Talk about the relationship between the character attributes and the story's plot.

Ask, "What is wrong with Jon Scieszka's telling of the narrative?" (The thoughtful wolf sneezes, accidentally blowing up the pigs' dwellings, and then eats them. The wolf asks the pigs for a cup of sugar.) "What is the problem's solution?" (The wolf is taken into custody by the third pig.)

Talk about how Jon Scieszka's adaptation of the story alters the plot due to the wolf and pigs' unique personalities.

Part 3

Give students the Character Comparison Worksheets (L-3-3-2_Character Comparison) and ask them to compare the qualities of Richard and Patricia, the story's two main characters, after reading My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother aloud.

Verify with students that the characteristics they are using in their charts are character traits rather than physical attributes. Observe pupils' comprehension of character traits and record anecdotal information.

After that, assign the pupils to complete the worksheet's questions in small groups. After sharing their solutions with the class, have students debate them in small groups.

Extension:

If students are prepared to go beyond the required reading, they can read one of Aesop's tales with two major characters, such as "The Tortoise and the Hare" (see Related Resources). Ask students to finish the Character Comparison Worksheet and provide answers to the plot-related questions.
Give copies of the character traits and plot worksheet (L-3-3-2_Character Traits and Plot) to students if they require further practice. Examine the tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" to serve as a model for the work. Ask the class to name the Goldilocks character attributes that are crucial to the story's plot. (Irritation, curiosity) Talk about the ways that each character attribute affects the story's plot. (Goldilocks, being naturally curious, enters the residence of the three bears. She sleeps in Baby Bear's bed and eats his food since she is a rude person.) As students complete the worksheet, have them read other stories and complete the examples.