Describing a Character An important way to create a character is through physical description…

Physical Description I was shooting and sulking when this African- American girl I’d never seen before walked over. She was a couple inches taller than me, but she said she was ten, like me. Her jeans were flopping all over, so I could tell she was as skinny as I was. The thing I noticed right away was that Annie was totally bald. I mean bald as a lightbulb. I know some people lose their hair because of one disease or another, but this girl looked like she shaved her head. Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman

Students as Mentors My grandma is good for us. Her face is kind, old face. Her face is red and pink when she cries…. by Anita Kharel

Teacher as Mentor I loved watching mom combing her dark, long, brown hair that reached proudly to her womanly waist. It brushed my face softly, tickling rosy cheeks while I was seated by the mirror. Hypnotized by mother’s hands delicate movement, my gullible eyes were following her hands up and down, like I was meditating. They were long and light with the beautiful long fingers elegantly finished with square-shaped nails. The hands masterly scooped the tamed rich mane, strongly twisting it into a hairy rope, then skillfully, she wrapped it around the imaginary center on top of her beautiful head. The perfect bun nested on the top of the head, making her oval elongated face even thinner.

Draw on the reader’s sense of sight Open your writer’s notebook to physical description page ( grandpa, grandma, parent, friend, cousin, girl, boy, etc.) Write five of your sentences of on a post-it note and share with your group As a group you will decide which physical description helps you best to make an image (picture) of a described person in your mind The writer who wrote the chosen entry will share the entry with the entire class If you need help with the words let us know

Discuss in your group what is needed to describe a character well, so the reader can imagine the character in his/her mind *adjectives (describing words-old, grey, small) * details ( face, facial expression, parts of the body, * specifically chosen words (elderly, withered, scrunched, spongy, shaky, ancient, genuine, etc.) * creating an image or a picture in the reader’s mind-

Let’s Be a Crafty Writer Help your readers make an image in their mind Wrote details that will help your readers understand your message Be a master writer and make your readers infer (“read between the lines”)

Close your eyes. An old man walked slowly, hunched like he had a heavy sack of potatoes on his back. His old body trembled like he was taking his first baby steps and was unsure of his next step, holding his cane with wrinkled hands which were the testament of many decades of hardships on the prairie. Did you have an image in your mind? Why?

Her hands came down towards my face, ready to rest her beautifully elongated fingers on my baby soft cheek and give me a caress. Suddenly, I felt the rough, scaly touch of her loving caress on my face, wondering why it felt like I was being scratched by my sister’s calloused, dirt-worn feet nudging me mischievously under the blanket.