Characters from A to Z

Teaching Pre K-8, Apr 2000 by Hurst, Carol Otis

Get kids talking about books with this terrific game.

Years ago we did an alphabet of characters from children's literature, but so many new books have come out since then, the choices have changed.

The alphabet of characters is a good way to get kids talking about books. Make sure that the books from which these character names come are prominently displayed in or near the library.

Character posters. You can organize a contest by putting up 26 posters. Display the appropriate letter on each poster. If you've got an alphabet book which is falling apart, you might want to dismantle it and use those letters on the posters.

Photocopy or scan pictures of the various characters and paste them on the poster for their first initial. Number each character on the page.

Let the fun begin. Have entry blanks available in the library and announce that you're having a contest, open to all grade levels, to identify familiar characters out of context. The entry blank should list the first letter and the numbers for the answers. Entries can be made by entire classrooms, small groups or individuals, with a winner announced in each category. The students can get help from any source except you. Speaking of which - I need help for the X poster. Any suggestions? Here are my suggestions for the other letters:

Carol Otis Hurst, a former librarian, is a master storyteller, a children's literature consultant and a Teaching Editor of Teaching K-8. E-mail: Carol Hurst@aol.com; www.CarolHurst.com