A character's feelings may change from the beginning of the story to the end.

     2
  x 3
    6

In the following story,                         
"Multiplying Makes Me Sick!"                              
by Linda Owens, *
notice how Jerald's feelings change.             

Think about what made his feelings change.

          Jerald loved third grade.  He had the best time each day in Mrs.
  Harold's room.  First, they did reading each morning.  Jerald loved
  that class.  They read great stories out of their reading books.  Some
  of them were plays and they all took turns acting out the story.  They
  could work in their workbooks.  That was fun, too.  But, there was one
  big problem with third grade.  They had to MULTIPLY in math!

        Jerald did not want to spend time each day studying the
  multiplication facts.  They said the multiplication facts in class.  His
  parents called out the multiplication facts at home.  This was NO fun
  for Jerald.  He liked to add and subtract.  He just hated learning the
  multiplication facts.  Then, one morning Mrs. Harold came into the
  classroom.  She was holding a tape recorder, microphone, and a
  headset.  She told Jerald he was in charge of the lesson that day. 
  Everyone was going to be recording the multiplication facts.  Jerald
  loved this!  It was just like being a star holding that microphone.  He
  held it out so everyone could be heard.  Mrs. Harold told Jerald to
  make sure he told the class to go home and study because they would
  record the lesson again the next day.  Jerald went home and learned
  each and every fact.  He wanted to make sure he could answer each
  one the next day.  Multiplication was great Fun!

  How did Jerald feel about
  multiplication at the beginning of the story?

  How did Jerald feel about multiplication at the end of the story?

What happened in the story that made Jerald change his mind about multiplication?

Now, read "Are You Ready, Sam?" * to see how Sam's feelings changed.

           The clouds hung low in the gray sky.  The chirping of the bluebirds woke me from my restful sleep.  As I slowly woke, I got a funny feeling in my stomach.  Today was the day.  Today, I had to do something I have been afraid to do for a long time.  Breakfast was normal and I began to relax.

            Mom came into the kitchen asking, "Are you ready, Sam?"

            "Yes," I answered quietly.  I wasn't really!

            The school bus came on time, and I sat with my friend, Billy. 
  We chatted about baseball and trading cards.  It was a great way to
  get my mind off of what I had to do today.  As we approached the
  school, I could feel my heart beating.  My hands were starting to
  sweat.  I hated this!

            I entered Mrs. Owens' class.  She was smiling, and saying
  hello to her students as she did every morning.

            "Hi Sam," she said as I walked in.

            "Hi," I said and quickly sat in my seat.  We said the pledge,
  and then took our spelling test.  I looked at the clock.  The time was
  near.  I hope I am not first!  Mrs. Owens said it was time to begin our
  special day.  Special day?  That's a joke.

             Mrs. Owens announced, "Sam, you'll be first."

             I got up slowly, looking at the ground as I walked to the
  front of the room.  I looked up, and everyone was staring at me.  Mrs.
  Owens must have known I was nervous because she came by me, and
  put her hand on my back.

            She said to the class, "Sam has worked very hard on his
  report, and I know it is very interesting."  Then she turned to me and
  asked, "Sam, what did you like best about your report on Hawaii?"

             I thought about the fun things I had read about surfing, and
  I started to talk.  Before I knew it, I was telling the class about
  everything I had learned.  I talked in front of the whole class, and it
  was fun.  It wasn't scary after all.  The class clapped as I finished
  and Mrs. Owens was smiling.  I was proud of myself.

How did Sam feel at the beginning of the story?

  How did Sam feel about giving the report at the end of the story?

What made Sam's feelings change?

Events within a story can change how a character feels.

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