3 Engaging Ways to Teach How Characters Respond to Events (2nd Grade RL.2.3)

Teaching students how characters respond to events in a story is one of the most important early comprehension skills in 2nd grade. It’s also one that can be tricky for students to master!

According to the Common Core standard RL.2.3, students should be able to “describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.” But here’s the challenge: many students can retell what happened in a story, but struggle to explain why a character made a certain choice or how they reacted to events.

Because this is ‘the simple classroom’, I definitely have ideas on how to help students master this standard, in the simplest way possible!

Here are three engaging, low-prep ways to teach RL.2.3 — including one of my favorite free sticky note lessons that always makes an impact.

1. Start with a Sticky Note Mini-Lesson (FREE IDEA!) 🎉

This is one of my go-to ways to introduce character traits and set the foundation for teaching how characters respond to events. It’s quick, memorable, and always gets students giggling!

Here’s how it works:

1. Give each student a sticky note.

2. Ask them to write down a character trait about you as their teacher.

3. Have students come up and stick their notes all over you — arms, shirt, sometimes even your face!

4. Once you’re covered in traits, read them aloud and group similar ones together (e.g., “kind,” “helpful,” “funny,” etc.).

5. Then, present your students with different scenarios and ask them to predict how you would respond based on the traits they observed.

For example:

• “If everyone got up and left the room without permission, how would I react?”

• “What if everyone raised their hand and waited quietly — what would I do?”

• “If I woke up late and had no coffee, what might happen?”

Students quickly learn that character traits influence actions, and that understanding traits helps them predict how a character will respond to events. It’s fun, interactive, and creates a strong anchor for your RL.2.3 mini-lessons.

2. Dive Deeper with the Character Traits Enrichment Project 🎭

Once students understand the connection between traits and responses, they’re ready to apply this skill more independently.

The Character Traits Enrichment Project takes character analysis to the next level with a multi-day project that challenges students to:

• Identify character traits based on evidence

• Analyze how and why characters react to events

• Compare and contrast how different characters handle challenges

This project is designed for small groups, independent practice, or enrichment, making it a perfect way to stretch your higher-level thinkers while reinforcing RL.2.3 skills for everyone.

3. Provide Repeated Practice with Character Reading Passages 📚

After your sticky note mini-lesson and deeper project work, your students still need repeated, targeted practice to really master this standard.

That’s where my Character Reading Passages come in.

This set includes short, engaging passages written specifically to target RL.2.3 skills. Each passage is paired with comprehension questions that ask students to:

• Describe how a character responds to an event

• Use text evidence to support their answers

• Build confidence by practicing with multiple examples

They’re perfect for:

• Guided reading groups

• Literacy centers

• Homework

• Assessment

When you combine an interactive mini-lesson, a deep-dive project, and targeted passage practice, your students will finally click with RL.2.3. They’ll stop just retelling the story and start explaining why characters act the way they do — a huge step in developing strong comprehension skills.

Here’s everything you need to get started:
✨ Character Traits Enrichment Project
✨ Character Reading Passages

Save this post, try the free sticky note lesson on Monday, and watch your students light up when characters finally make sense!