Curated OER
The Secret life of Minor Characters
Students read Julius Caesar line by line. They discuss what is going on in a particular scene. Each student in a group takes the role of an assassin and comes up with a clear characterization and motivation. They share and watch within...
Curated OER
Convincing Characters
Students create vivid, active characters for a story. In this character lesson, students discuss the characters in books they are familiar with. Students create a list of novels they have read and discuss the character types. Students...
Curated OER
Character's Qualities
Sixth graders analyze the a character's qualities and the effects of these qualities on the plot and the resolution of the conflict in the story "The Pigman and Me." They develop a list of the qualities, discuss if these qualities were...
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast: Miss Nelson is Missing
Compare and contrast two characters from the book Miss Nelson is Missing. Using a Venn Diagram, have pupils compare and contrast personal characteristics between Miss Nelson and Miss Swamp. Individuals can then share their responses with...
Curated OER
Introduction to Drama
Introduce your class to drama! You cast each pupil as a different character from a story you have read. They are given a general outline of the scene, act out the scene multiple times, then discuss the weak and strong aspects of each...
EngageNY
Close Reading to Learn about Lyddie’s Character
Scholars work in pairs to analyze the characters, plot, and setting of Katherine Paterson's novel, Lyddie. Next, they apply what they learned about the characters' feelings and motivation to perform a mini reader's theater.
Curated OER
The Ups and Downs of don Pasquale: Mapping the Emotional Journey of Characters in Don Pasquale
Students listen to and retell the story of Don Pasquale. They evaluate the emotions of the main characters. Students create a graph of the emotions of Don Pasquale.
Curated OER
Taming of the Shrew: Act 2 Questions
Activate higher-level thinking and reading comprehension skills with these questions about act 2 of Taming of the Shrew. Literary analysts respond briefly in writing to 5 questions about plot, characters, motivation, and personal...
Mission Valley Ambulance
The Crucible
Prepare readers of Arthur Miller's The Crucible for a timed, in-class essay assessment with seven graphic organizers that ask individuals to note conflicts, both internal and external, characters' actions, possible motives, and changes...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Shakespeare's Macbeth: Fear and the Motives of Evil
High schoolers use an online search engine (or a printed concordance) to locate passages that highlight Macbeth's response to fear and his descent into evil. They analyze the motives of Macbeth's increasingly desperate and evil actions.
Curated OER
Comparing Cinderella and The Rough-Face Girl
Pupils examine similarities and differences between cultures. They'll see that literature, reading, and story telling is something all cultures have in common. They should construct Venn diagrams to help them compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
AWARD CERTIFICATE FOR A CHARACTER
Connect to real-world experiences by having your primary learners create an award certificate based upon literal and inferential information from a story. They present the award to a character from a story and explain the criteria used....
Scholastic
A Reading Guide to Sarah, Plain and Tall
Eliminate the hard work of creating an entire literature unit with this reading guide for the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall. From background information about the author and her motivation for writing the story to reading comprehension...
Curated OER
Story Elements
Third graders identify story elements. In this story elements lesson, 3rd graders look at main idea, characters, point of view, theme and setting. They create a five paneled comic strip from a book.
Curated OER
Characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Stories
Young scholars read literature by Nathaniel Hawthorne and write an essay comparing the main characters in the two stories. In this character analysis lesson plan, students read the stories Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black...
Curated OER
Into the Wild: Creating Characters
Students analyze well-known fairy tale characters to learn about characterization. After choosing two fairy tale characters and determining what the characters most want and most fear, students switch characters and stories. They...
Curated OER
We Tell Stories
Young readers bring characters to life by working in small groups to script and perform stories that contain a community concept. Detailed questions and activities are outlined for the class. Consider having your groups create...
Curated OER
What a Character!
Guide your readers to explore character traits. As a class, discuss and record the traits of a commonly-known fairy tale character. Then do the same with the main character in the class novel. Finally, have learners use magazines and...
EngageNY
Close Reading of The Boy Who Loved Words: How Do People Build Their Word Power?
Third graders practice the skills of identifying the main message in a story, describing the main character, and sorting the key details of a story into specific categories. The story they read is, The Boy Who Loved Words. Using a...
Curated OER
Gettin' Through Thursday
Have your class explore active reading strategies! In this guided reading lesson, learners make personal connections to characters having a bad day as a prior knowledge activation discussion. After reading Gettin' Through Thursday, class...
Curated OER
Character Development: Cancer - A New Treatment
Students explore the concept of character development. In this character development lesson, students watch a video segment regarding a family's struggle with cancer. Students examine the personality, situation, motivation, and actions...
Curated OER
Literary Response and Analysis Theme Literature
Analyze the central idea or literary theme found in a series of quotes from the Shakespearean play, Hamlet. For literary analysis, learners paraphrase excerpts from the play and then identify the characters' motivations for their speech.
Novelinks
Wuthering Heights: Unsent Letters
To demonstrate their understand of the characters in Wuthering Heights and their motivations, readers assume the identity of one of the characters and write a letter to another character in the Bronte's novel.
Curated OER
The News Behind the Story
What a fun way to analyze plot, setting, and character. Learners review story elements, read a short fictional story, then turn the events of that story into a headlining news paper article. Not only does this lesson plan engage critical...