Lesson 5: Creating Characters

Do you ever notice on the playground that no one is who they seem to be? One boy pretends he is a major league pitcher. A girl makes believe she is on the Olympic Soccer Team. I knew one teacher who pretended she was the ruler of the world - and she was pretty convincing.

Characters are the people and creatures in our poems. They can be real or imagined, heroes or villains. Read the poem below titled The Dawg Doctor. Click the play button to listen to the poem while you read.

The Dawg Doctor

I'm the dawg doctor
I fix dawgs.
I look in their eyes for motes,
I stare down their long dark throats,
Examine their furry coats,
Then I jot down some notes.
If they're feelin' hot,
I give 'em a shot.
If they're seein' lots a little dots,
I tell 'em what they gots.

I check 'em for tics and I comb 'em for fleas,
Make sure if you're bit, you don't get rabies.
I tap 'em on their knees, see if they sneeze.
And I check their pee-pee
To see if they have the heebee-geebees.

So, if your dog starts a-gaggin',
Or his tail stops a-waggin',
Or his chin starts a-saggin',
And his spirit starts a-flaggin',
Then call me.
I'm the dawg doctor.
I fix dawgs.

Write a short poem now that introduces an imaginary or real character.

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