Tip #137 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley, Trombly) - book characters

 


Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.

                                                     #137

Until We Meet Again

 

If you don't know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.

~Henry Kissinger

 

Chances are you have read a book (or several books) in which you have easily been able to identify with the characters. Perhaps a particular character reminded you of yourself or someone close to you. Your child has probably been able to relate to many of the characters he reads about also.

Today, talk with your child about his favorite characters in the books he has read. Encourage him to talk about two characters from different books. Discuss their similarities and differences, likes and dislikes. Then ask your child what he thinks the two characters might say to each other if they were to meet. For example, what would Nancy Drew think of Stacy in The Babysitter’s Club? Would they get along? Perhaps they might work together to solve a mystery!

After verbally discussing the meeting of two characters from different books, ask your child to write a conversation between the two. Encourage him to use his prior knowledge (everything he knows about the characters) to make the conversation detailed and informative.

Could you think of two rather un-like characters (like Snow White and Peter Pan) and do the same? Try two “bad guys;” what would a meeting of Captain Hook and Cinderella’s stepmother be like?

You could even try writing a letter to your child first as one character, and then ask him to write you back as the other.

 

If your child seems to enjoy creating this interesting dialogue, he may want to extend the experience into a whole new chapter or short story starring the two characters. He may even want to read his conversation or story to a friend who is familiar with the two characters. Together, his friend and he may come up with even more ideas to expand the story. Who knows where that may take them!


 

   


     Cindy McKinley Alder                                            Patti Trombly

 

For more posts about the authors and their books (this is not the only one), click HERE.

For excerpts from more books, click HERE. 

For more excerpts from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents, click HERE.

          For more posts about books about parenting, click HERE. 



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