Wednesday, April 8, 2009

What Character Could You Be?

As we continue the read aloud of Larger-Than-Life LARA, written by Dandi Daley Mackall in Reading Workshop, the characters are coming alive. This book has a wide variety of characters, each explained in enough detail so that the reader can identify with them. In fact, Dandi makes it easy for the reader to picture him/herself in the book.

Laney, the main character was described in detail in the post Laney is Larger-Than-Life.

LARA is new student at Paris Elementary School. No matter how mean someone is to her, she is nice. She responds to meanness by being kind with a friendly poem. She thinks independently, and always has a smile. She is huge, so fat that she blocks the light around her coming into the door, and needed a special chair and desk.

Joey Gilbert is a leader. Laney does not like him, but he is a hero to the other boys in the class. He is the class bully. He is mean to LARA and picks on other people. He is a good baseball player, but he won't let the girls play.

Wayne is the class clown. He laughs the loudest, and thinks everything is funny, even when he doesn't know what is going on. He is Joey's sidekick.

Maddie is the class princess. She has pretty blonde hair, and thinks she is all that. She wears all the latest styles, dressing like the high school girls. She wants to be the center of attention. She wants everyone to know who she likes and who she doesn't.

Sarah is a follower. She is insecure and usually doesn't think for herself. She wants to fit in with the popular crowd. Every decision she makes is based on what Maddie says and does.

The brothers (Laney's) are mean, skip school, don't like Laney or appreciate what she does. They argue and fight constantly.

Laney's dad has a bad temper, hates his job (and his life). He drinks way too much.

Good readers can relate to characters based on one trait, or many. To enjoy a book though, the reader must understand the characters. Frequently, one characteristic shared between the reader and someone in the story creates involvement and connects the reader to the story.

What character are you connected to? How are you connected?
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32 comments:

Jessika W. said...

I think I am like Joey Gilbert because I think I am a leader. I don't pick on people but I am a good softball player and he is a good baseball player. I would let boys play softball but they probably don't want to.

Seth R said...

I can relate to Wayne because sometimes I can talk a lot. I cant relate to Lara because I don't smile all the time if I was like that I couldn't stand it. I don`t think I am like Joey I don`t go up to someone and say your a pig and I am not that stupid to put my name on a nasty note.

Jacob Y said...

I can relate to Wayne Because he is a class clown and that is what i am, i am not a big mouth like wayne is.

colin h said...

I think I am like Laney's brothers because I don't like one of my sisters. And I don't appreciate her at all. And

Tyler A. said...

I'm connected to Lara because I got a hunger issue. I say I'm FAT Lara is 300 pounds and i thought I was heavy

Sam.R said...

I think I am most like Joey. I am a leader. I am not afraid to tell people what I think. I can stand there and tell anyone how I fell about something.I am not mean though.

Peyton G said...

I would have to say I'm most like Maddie. I think that because i wear whatever is In style and so does she. I usually and In all the drama so you could say I am like her. Maddie has a best friend that goes everywhere with her, I also have a best friend.

Ryan V said...

I think I am like Joey because I play baseball and I am not afraid to tell people what I think. I can be mean occasionally. I do not like people treating me nice all the time and I like to take advice from other people.

James Ebert said...

I can relate with Wayne because I act like the class clown all of the time. I can relate to Laura a little bit too because I get picked on a lot at school by kids. Wayne is the one I can relate to the most because I have always been the class clown ever since first grade.

Seth Ref said...

I think I'm like lara because nobody pays attention to me I'm like a ghost to everyone.

colton w said...

I think that I am more like Lara than anyone. I like school just like Lara. She is nice to everyone and well I try to be nice to everyone. Also I like to make poems just as much as she does. She is great at remembering names and I am great at remembering names too.

Kayla M said...

I think I am most like Lara because she smiles a lot and I smile most of the time. I mostly don't get picked on but I have before so I under stand what she is going through. Most of the time I don't get mad if some one picks on me I just let it go. Also she is nice to people and I am nice to people unless they are mean to me. When some one is mean to me I don't respond with a friendly poem that is one way we are different but mostly we are the same.

corbit c. said...

I think I relate to Lara. I think this because she is nice and I'm nice. Another way we are the same is we both got picked on. Lara got picked on by Joey. Like I get picked on by my brother.The last thing that we are alike is we are both tall.

Paitaan W. said...

I would say I am like laura Because she smiles a lot and I smile a lot plus I thought I was fat I nothing to her. But that is mean so I would not say that. I would try to be nice to her to make good friends with her and I would be there when she need me.

Cyranda H. said...

I am connected to Lara because I can some what say a lot of nice things to people. If I like them or not because if you say something mean to someone that means that you are going to get picked on probably. Another is that I like to smile or if I am mad I don't like to smile at all. If someone makes fun of me sometimes I ignore them but if it is something really mean then I always think to myself what can I do to make them stop making fun of me. I sometimes say will you please not be mean to me because I hate being mean.

jolenem. said...

I think that I am a little like Laney. I might be an only child and I might not be poor but other than that I think I am like her. One reason I'm like her is because she sticks up to people. Another is that she dose not like to say mean stuff to people about people.She keeps it to herself.

Lily W said...

I think I am most like Laney. I am a tomboy but not poor. I sometimes lie to get out of trouble and I am not always nice.(to my little brother.) I have a mom's responsibility at home because I am the only girl there when my mom is at school. I have a mean brother that beats me up(or tries to) but I don't like plays or baseball. My dad didn't steal cable but I have a good imagination. I Digress a lot and get distracted easily. I collect books, not that the library throws away but from book fairs and stores. I think that I can relate to like Laney a lot. Except for some things like poor,in the fourth grade, doesn't ride the bus and Low self-esteem.

Tyler Ph. said...

I relate to Wayne because he is the class clown. I am the class clown. Well I try to be.

Amber said...

I am like Laney. I Study people without them knowing, I have a bunch of sometimes nice and sometimes mean/evil thoughts about the people I study. We both have a dad and brothers, but I have one brother and two sisters.(And a mom!) We both don't think much about ourselves, but still my grown-up family members are trying to make me feel good about myself and not be shy. I don't think Laney talks much but I probably do....... maybe to much. ( I don't talk to much do I?)

Rachael said...

I think I am sort of like Sara! I think that I am more like Sara because I really don't care what I do as long as I am with my friends. I just do what the other kids do. Although I will do something out of the blue occasionally, but that is me.

Christian W. said...

I think I can relate to Joey. I can relate to Joey because I am a leader. Sometimes I do pick on people, but I don't start it. When people start picking on me I pick back. Usually I lose my temper and that sometimes starts a fight. I am also good at baseball. I don't think girls should play BASEBALL, but I think they should play softball. I am also kind of like Wayne. I laugh about things a lot. I don't really think I am anyones side kick though.

Christian S said...

I relate the most to Sarah because most of the time I don't think for myself and I also always think that everyone is talking about me. I get suspicious when I hear my name being whispered in the hall, the classroom, the cafeteria, and practically everywhere. Plus I normally just base my choice on what everyone else thinks.

kyndrah t. said...

I think I relate to Maddy. I can be a brat sometimes and I'm a leader. I'm also kind of like Lara because I get piked on a lot. I'm definitely sure I'm not Joey I can be mean but not as mean as him. Another reason I'm not like Joey is that I'm not as stupid as him, I can spell.

Tyler S. said...

I think that I am connected joey.I like to play baseball too. I am the pitcher also. I know that you half to fallow through. He don't act like me though.

Austin S said...

I think that I relate to Wayne because I usually just start laughing out of the clear blue. I can also laugh harder can anybody in my family.

heatherp. said...

I am A little like Lara because I always have a smile on my face the same has her. I also really like school it is the only place that I get away from my brothers. I am like Lara because I am not mean to people. No matter how mad I get at them I do not tell them. I might tell them that I do not like it but I will not ever do any thing back to them. I have been made fun of not really any more. I got made fun of because I am short. I still did not really let that bother me. I have people that are there for me and I think that Lara will latter on in the story. I think that Laney will be friends with Lara and I have a friend that is like Laney her name is Desire'.
I am not fat but that is ok. I think that if Lara moved to our school I would be her friend.

madeline w said...

I think that I am more like Lara because I try to smile most of the time I also try to be nice ,I can't say I never been mean but either than that I am an Independent thinker like her.

Taylor said...

I think I relate to Laney a little bit, because me and my sisters bicker sometimes....half the time....a lot but not lately. I'm sarcastic like her. But I also think I'm a little like Joey too. I'm not afraid to tell people what I think most of the time. I like to play baseball or softball at our family reunions. This is my last comparison, I also like Wayne. I laugh at things I don't know were laughing about half the time, and at my old school I was the class clown.

Bree said...

I think I am most likely Laney because she has class mates that really bug her and so do I. I am not the type of person to keep my opinions and thoughts bottled up, sometimes I do,sometimes I don't. I do have a family member that dropped out of school, Like Laney's brothers skip school.

Payge said...

I think I am most like Laney. I think I am like her because she has a big imagination and I have a huge imagination. I don't have a huge self-esteem, but when I want one I can have one. My dad is a drunk but I don't have to live with him.

Amber said...

Seth Ref. If you're like a ghost then you wouldn't be coming here. You would grow up to be a baad man! But I have never seen you do anything bad before! Ms. Bowlby is your teacher, and if you were not noticed, thn she wouldn't be teaching you. So think about it and who all likes you, as in hang out friends. Right everyone?

Brianna H. said...

I hate it when people tell way before the book. I like hearing the good part before knowing it because Mr. McGuire makes it sound exciting.