Describing Characters and Setting

When you read a story, you can do more than just name the characters and setting. You can describe them! That means telling more about them using clues from the words and pictures. This helps you really understand the story and share it with others.

A character is a person or animal in the story. To describe a character, look for words that tell you how the character looks, how the character feels, or what the character does.

Say a story tells you that Maya is a small girl with a red backpack who feels excited about her first day at school. You now know three things about Maya: what she looks like, what she has, and how she feels. These are all details from the text.

When you describe a character, try to answer questions like these: What words tell me how this character looks? What words tell me how this character feels? What does this character do in the story?

The setting is where and when a story happens. To describe a setting, look for words and pictures that show a place and a time.

A story might say that Sam is playing in a snowy park on a cold winter morning. That tells you the place, a park, and the time, a cold winter morning. Pictures in the book can also show you the setting, like tall snowbanks or bare trees.

Try to describe a setting by naming the place and telling if it is day or night, or what the weather is like.

Events are the things that happen in the story. You can describe an event by telling what a character does and why it matters.

For example, in a story where Leo loses his favorite ball, then looks under the porch, and finally finds it, you can describe three events in order. Describing events with details helps you retell the whole story clearly.

Read this short story part: "Ana stood in her sunny backyard on a warm summer afternoon. She saw a small brown rabbit hop under the fence and chase after it to say hello."

Character: Ana, a girl who is curious and friendly. Setting: a sunny backyard on a warm summer afternoon. Event: Ana sees a rabbit and chases after it. Notice how every detail comes straight from the words in the story.

Next time you read a book, try this. Point to the character and say three words that describe them. Point to a picture of the setting and say the place and the time. Point to an event and describe what the character did.

The more details you find, the better you can describe and retell the story to a friend or family member.

Related lessons

• Identifying Story Elements