9469

You Be the Judge

Comprehension Lessons »

Materials judge’s gavel made from cardboard, index cards

Explain Review how readers use their own ideas and experiences to form opinions about the characters in a story. Tell students they will make a judgment about a character and give reasons for making it.

Guided Practice/Practice Elect one student as a judge and divide the rest of the group into two teams. Have each team choose a story they have read recently and write a judgment about a character on an index card along with the reasons they made the judgment. Then choose one of the team members to read aloud the judgment and the reasons for it. The opposing team must argue the opposite side of the judgment and give good reasons for their point of view. The person elected to hold the judge’s gavel must decide which judgment makes the most sense.