Describe Characters and Settings

Every story has two building blocks that bring it to life: the characters — the people or animals the story is about — and the setting — the place and time where the story happens. Great readers pay close attention to both.

Describing a character

• Look at what the character does, says, and thinks — these reveal their traits.
• Look at how they feel — emotions change across the story.
• Example: "Rosa ran to help her friend without hesitating." → Rosa is brave and caring.
• Ask: "What kind of person is this? How do I know?"

Describing a setting

• The setting answers: Where? and When?
• Look for place words: forest, city, kitchen, mountaintop.
• Look for time words: one winter morning, at dusk, long ago.
• Look for sensory details: what the character sees, hears, or feels about the place.

Using evidence from the text

• Always point to a detail in the story that shows your description.
• Say: "I know this because the story says…" — that is text evidence.