Character Analysis

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.

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?

Your students will use Depth and Complexity to note how a character’s main trait changes across a story.

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.

Create a pixelated icon that represents the essence of a character!

Can someone do the right thing, but for the wrong reason?

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.

How do characters from novels line up with Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences?

What is the Brick Pig’s philosophy? How would he apply it to the characters in Harry Potter?

Students will determine which of the characters is not like the others.

What item’s in a character’s bedroom would reflect their deepest desires? And what if they toured a similar character’s room?

Put a grumpy character next to a joyful one and they make each other stand out even more. Opposites are powerful!

What playlist of songs best goes with a character’s change over time?

Strength and weakness are often two sides of the same coin. Students will explore how a character’s flaw can be a benefit.

Your young students will compare how two characters have changed.

Your 1st and 2nd graders will analyze how a character responded to a challenge.