Curated OER
Poet for a Day
Fourth graders, while in the computer lab after reading the poem, "H is for Hoosier," create an acrostic poem about Indiana. They list words that are unique of Indiana and choose one of those words to create their acrostic poems to share...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Examining Character Motivation
During this unit, students will ask "Why do we do what we do?" They will read different novels to analyze character motivation. Throughout the unit they will debate whether they think characters made smart choices and why. They will also...
Other
Prezi: Julius Caesar Character Traits and Motivations
A slideshow looking at the character traits and motivations of Brutus, Julius Caesar, and Antony in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.RL.9-10.3 Analyzing Characters
Absolute Shakespeare
Absolute Shakespeare: "Julius Caesar" Characters
This guide examines each character's role and motivation.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Modern Little Red Riding Hood: Video
As you watch this updated story of Little Red Riding Hood, notice the traits, motivations, and feelings of the characters in the story. Check out the additional activities including Guided viewing. Students describe characters in a story...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Understanding Fairy Tales Old and New
A collection of digital resources for three different English Language Arts curriculum standards for grades 3-5 that address characters' traits and motivations in works of literature. They focus on modern retellings of old stories and...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Fairy Tales Collection
A collection of digital resources for three different English Language Arts curriculum standards for grades 3-5 that address characters' traits and motivations in works of literature. They focus on modern retellings of old stories and...
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts, Grade 10: Macbeth
Learners explore the ideas of ambition and failure. They learn that conflicts serve as the basis of a text's meaning and that identifying the internal and external conflicts of a story reveals the motivations of complex characters. They...
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: What a Character!
In this lesson, students analyze how a character's personality traits, actions, and motives influence the plot of a story. Students also learn how storytellers use their face, body, and voice, as well as the five senses, to enhance the...
Read Works
Read Works: Kindergarten: Character: Lesson 2: Actions of a Character
[Free Registration/Login Required] A lesson plan, based on Kevin Henkes's Sheila Rae, the Brave, in which young scholars learn how to use text and picture clues to describe and understand Sheila Rae's actions. With free login, users gain...
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Spring in Fialta
This fascinating short story written by Vladimir Nabokov is examined in detail in this comprehensive site. Read about the characters and their motivations as well as a discussion of significant quotations from the story.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Unit: Character Development in Historical Fiction: Bud, Not Buddy
Big Ideas: Authors write historical fiction to show the reader what it was like to live in a certain time period. Readers can use historical fiction to learn about new settings. People are influenced by and react to their setting so you...
TES Global
Tes: Shakespeare: Othello in Context: Power Point Lesson Resource
[Free Registration/Login Required] This PowerPoint presentation provides basic information about William Shakespeare, the Globe Theater, and the tragic play Othello. It explains the major characters in the play and their motivations and...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Hooking Struggling Readers: Using Books They Can and Want to Read
One of the keys to helping struggling readers is to provide them with books that they can and want to read. Fiction for struggling readers must have realistic characters, readable and convincing text, and a sense of the readers'...
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Character Choreography [Pdf]
In this lesson, portraits provide inspiration for students to create character descriptions. Then, basic dance techniques are used to express the traits, motivations, and feelings of the characters as students work collaboratively to...
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Medea
Read about the play Medea, the characters and themes in this fascinating site. Although Euripides lived between 480 and 406 B.C. his plays still hold relevance today. This site explores in detail the characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Antigone
Sophocles famous play, Antigone, is profiled in this interesting site. Read about the characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Candide
This interesting and informative site looks at Voltaire's humorous criticism of power and wealth. Find out about the characters and their motivations in this comprehensive site.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: The Chosen
Chaim Potok's first novel, The Chosen, of two Jewish boys coming of age is examined in depth in this interesting site. Find out more about the characters, their motivations and the themes in the novel.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess' Clockwork Orange contains to be a novel worth reading. Find out about the characters and their motivations in this outstanding site.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Death of a Salesman
This Pulitzer Prize winning play is thoroughly analysed in this excellent site that looks at the characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: A Doll's House
This wonderful play is looked at in depth in this comprehensive site that analyses characters and their motivations.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: The Giver
This young adult Newberry winner by Lois Lowry is analyzed in detail in this informative site that looks at characters and their motivations.