Writing about a Character Worksheet

Talking about a favorite book character is easy for a first grader; getting that same thinking onto paper is the harder step, and it is the step this writing about a character worksheet is built for. Characters are the part of a story young readers latch onto first, so a character is the most reliable doorway into written reading response. The sheet asks a student to name the book, picture the character clearly enough to draw them, and then put two true things about that character into their own sentences — looking closely at who a character is and what they do, which is exactly the work first grade readers are asked to do with the stories they read.

The sheet is one printed page and works with any book in the room, so it can be used again and again without ever repeating itself. A student writes the book title on the line at the top, draws the character in the large open box, and then answers two short questions on solid writing lines sized for first grade handwriting. Because the drawing comes first, a child who is still building writing stamina has already gathered their thoughts before the pencil reaches the lines. Every response on this 1st grade reading response worksheet is the student’s own, so there is nothing to mark right or wrong — the teacher reads for detail and evidence instead. Most first graders finish in about ten to fifteen minutes.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet, one page
• A book title line that runs the full width of the page
• A large bordered drawing box for the student’s character
• 2 short written-response questions about the character
• 4 solid writing lines spaced for 1st Grade handwriting
• Name and Date fields at the top

Why This Helps Kids Learn

• Drawing first makes the writing easier. A student who has just drawn a character has already decided what that character looks like, so the first question is a matter of writing down something they can see rather than inventing it on the spot.
• The two questions ask for different kinds of thinking. One asks how the character looks and the other asks what they do in the story, which separates description from action — the first move toward describing characters, settings and events.
• It works with every book. Because the student chooses the story, the same page supports a class reading twenty different titles, and a reluctant reader gets to write about a character they already love.

Ways to Use It

Hand it out at the end of independent reading time and let students pick any character from what they just read. In a small group, ask each child to say their two things out loud before writing them, and push gently for a detail from the book rather than a guess. Partners can swap finished pages and try to name the book from the drawing and the clues. For a home link, send it along with the library book and let a family member take dictation for the child who has more to say than they can yet spell. Collect a few of these writing about a character worksheet pages over a term and students can see their own sentences growing longer.

Related Resources

• Reading Response Journal
• Beginning, Middle, End Reading Response Journal
• Story Elements Reading Graphic Organizer Worksheet
• Story Elements Song