Character Analysis
Showing A Character’s Trait
We tell students to "show, not tell" in their writing, but this advice isn't effective until they experience the difference. In this video, we'll put a famous character (of students' choosing) into a mundane situation and develop a fun scene to show off their main traits.
Characters Dressed as Other Characters for Halloween
What if one character dressed up as another for Halloween? Would the Cat in the Hat pick Captain Jack Sparrow, because they're both chaotic yet good-natured people? Would Elsa dress up as The Ice King since they are both lonely?
Analyze Character Change with Depth and Complexity
Your students will use Depth and Complexity to note how a character's main trait changes across a story.
Better Stories Part 4: Character Archetypes
Are students' characters a bit flat? Archetypes give them a strong foundation on which to build their own characters as well as a tool to analyze existing stories.
Introduce Symbolism with Pixel Art
Create a pixelated icon that represents the essence of a character!
Virtue or Vice?
Aristotle noted that positive traits and negative traits are often the same thing, but just in different amounts. The right amount is a virtue, but too much or too little and it's a vice.
Motivation and Moral Development
Can someone do the right thing, but for the wrong reason?
Characters’ Talents and Multiple Intelligences
How do characters from novels line up with Gardner's Multiple Intelligences?
Analyze Characters Using Philosophy
What is the Brick Pig's philosophy? How would he apply it to the characters in Harry Potter?
Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web
Students will determine which of the characters is not like the others.
Comparing Characters’ Bedrooms
What item's in a character's bedroom would reflect their deepest desires? And what if they toured a similar character's room?
Literary Technique: Juxtaposition
Put a grumpy character next to a joyful one and they make each other stand out even more. Opposites are powerful!
A Character’s Playlist
What playlist of songs best goes with a character's change over time?