CLASSROOM MATERIALS These classroom materials and activities were developed by our curriculum team and are meant to be used for the classroom before and after the broadcast.   D.J. MacHale The Lost City of Faar • LESSON 1 • LESSON 2 • LESSON 3

CLASSROOM LESSON 1:
Character Trading Cards

BOOK TITLE: The Lost City of Faar
AUTHOR: D.J. MacHale
LESSON PLAN AUTHOR : Kathleen Robbins

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8
LESSON DURATION: 60 Minutes

OBJECTIVE

• Students will develop an understanding of the characters throughout the reading of the story

• Students will demonstrate knowledge of characters by creating trading cards that explore the main characters, allow students to determine personal feelings, and also make connections to each main character

MATERIALS

• Character Planning Sheet: Download PDF

• Transparency of Character Planning Sheet

• Computer (With Internet Access)

• Online Character Trading Cards Tool

• Sample Completed Trading Card

MOTIVATION

• Play a character guessing game with the students. Give students clues one at a time and have them race to be the first to determine the mystery character. Continue until all characters have been guessed. Characters to include are Bobby Pendragon, Tipton Press (Uncle Press), Vo Spader, Saint Dane, Mark Diamond, and Courtney Chetwynde.

• Example questions are as follows:

  Bobby Pendragon                                                 Uncle Press
  1. Recently discovered he is a traveler             1. He is a Traveler
  2. Nephew to current Second Earth traveler     2. Uncle to Bobby Pendragon

  Saint Dane                                                          Vo Spader

1. He is a Traveler                                             1. Is an aquaneer in Cloral
2. Wants to destroy Halla                                   2. Known for saying: “Hobey-Ho!”

NEW INFORMATION

• Discuss the importance of knowing and being able to describe characters in a story. (Helps students understand the story better, think more deeply about what they are reading and make personal connections)

• Explain the Character Trading Cards and how they help to explore the characters from the story. (Explores several literary elements and helps the reader deepen understanding)

• Explain to students how they will fill in the Character Planning Sheet throughout the reading of the story. After reading the book, the planning sheets will be edited, and the information will be transferred to theOnline Character Trading Cards Tool to make the cards. 

MODELING/GUIDED PRACTICE

• Explain each section of the Character Trading Cards and the type of answers that might go under each section. The parts are explained clearly on the Character Planning Sheet. Go through the Character Planning Sheet on a transparency using an example character. *(A good example might be a character from a recently studied story in the classroom) Another option to model this process would be to use a character from a popular story most students would know. The Sample Completed Trading Card may also be useful to demonstrate.

• Allow students to be a part of this process. Begin modeling answers but then allow students to come up to the overhead and become a part of practicing this character analyzing process.

PRACTICE/APPLICATION

• Students will fill out the Character Planning Sheets throughout reading. (Some parts cannot be filled out until the end of the book is read)

• Throughout the reading of the book, allow students to discuss answers in Literature Circles. Have students compare, contrast, and share ideas that are developed on their planning sheets.

• After finishing the book, have students finish filling in open spaces. Next, have students trade papers, look over each other’s planning sheets, and discuss any changes (Check for spelling, grammar, and accuracy to story)

• Go to computer lab and create cards using the Online Character Trading Cards Tool.

• When finished, students can print the completed card (See Sample Completed Trading Card), cut out the two pieces, and tape them together to make a two-sided card. The trading card then needs a photo, so the character card includes space for students to attach or draw a picture of each character.

CLOSURE

After creating cards, possible uses include:

• The Guessing Game - the names of the characters are hidden on the cards and students try to guess the character’s name by reading clues.

• Pendragon Guess Who – have students pair up and take turns asking characteristics about characters to try and guess their partner’s chosen character (Similar to the children’s game Guess Who)

• “Best Character for the Job” Give students adventures, scenarios and stories and have students determine which character would go best with each one and explain why. 

EVALUATION

• Students will be evaluated using a rubric that looks for completion of all sections, accuracy of statements, and depth and thought that is put into writing.

EXTENSION

• Have students make a trading card for themselves. Allow them to insert themselves as a character in the story. Encourage students to decide the role they want to play and how they could fit into the story. 

NCTE STANDARD 2

Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

NCTE STANDARD 3

Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

NCTE STANDARD 4

Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

NCTE STANDARD 5

Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

NCTE STANDARD 7

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

NCTE STANDARD 8

Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

SOURCES

http://www.readwritethink.org

Character Planning Sheet