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will explain the term “antagonist” (person opposed to or who competes with a protagonist) and identify antagonists from the same familiar stories discussed in Lesson 1. I will chart typical characteristics of antagonists (unkind, dishonest, greedy, etc.). I will mention that antagonists do not need to be completely bad or unkind, and can have some positive qualities or motivations as well. I will say that today, we will be focusing on antagonists that have mostly negative characteristics.

Ask: How did I determine that this character was the antagonist? Students should explain that you thought about the characteristics of the character, and thought about the characteristics of typical antagonists (unkind, unhelpful, dishonest, greedy, etc.), and decided that this character was the antagonist because they opposed the protagonists discussed in Lesson 1 and showed some of the same characteristics.

will identify the old woman and the stepmother as the antagonists in Hansel and Gretel retold by Rika Lesser. We will chart evidence from the text that proves they are antagonists.

will identify an antagonist from your independent reading book. You will write a paragraph about the antagonist, supporting your answer with evidence from the text.

TIP: You may want to have students listen to Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky for the Independent Practice. For an alternative Independent Practice, have students create a “Wanted” poster for the antagonist. They should draw a picture of the character’s face, and write the negative qualities and actions beneath their drawing.