Character Development Lesson
Character Development
Character Development Extensions
Extensions
Character Development PDF Downloads
Character Development Matrix and Simon Harrington Example
Complete Character Development Unit
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5 Character Development
Episode: Jesse Owens
Lesson Overview
The purpose of the lessons in this unit is to help Ohio students in grades 3-7 learn the characteristics of the literary text Character Development indicators that they must master for their respective Ohio achievement tests. Special care has been taken to dovetail the lessons with the indicators and the types of questions commonly asked on Ohio tests.
Ohio Academic Content Indicators
2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BA.L05.I01
Explain how a character’s thoughts, words and actions reveal his or her motivations.
2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BA.L06.I01
Analyze the techniques authors use to describe characters, including narrator or other characters’
point of view; character’s own thoughts, words or actions.
2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BA.G07.I01
Explain interactions and conflicts (e.g., character vs. self, nature or society) between main and minor characters in literary text and how the interactions affect the plot.
Ohio Achievement/Proficiency Tests
Character Development Question Types
General
- List x number of characteristics of Character X. Use details from the selection to support your answers.
Emotions
- Quotation XXX from the selection describes Character Y. From a list of feelings, choose the one which tells how Character Y feels.
- Character X feels Emotion Y. Give details from the story that show why the character was feeling Emotion Y.
- Quotation XXX from the selection describes Character X. Which word from the quotation tells how Character X is feeling?
- How does a Character X feel (at the time of, about, after) Event X?
Conflict
- Given a list of feelings, choose how Character A feels about Character B?
- How does Character A feel about Character B? Give examples that support your answer.
- Why did Character A have a problem with Character B?
Thoughts/Actions/Behaviors/Attitudes/Motivations
- What does Character X think about Event Y?
- List x number of reasons why Character Y says Quotation Z.
- Given a list of reasons, choose the reason why Character X acts or behaves in the way she/he does?
- Why does Character X behave (or not behave) in Manner Y at Point Z in the selection.
- Given one or more quotations from a selection, explain why the character who spoke the words said them.
- Given Quotation X, what does the quotation suggest about Character X’s behavior?
- What does Character X believe or think?
- Describe Character X’s attitude at the beginning of the selection and at the end.
- Given Quotation XXX made by Character X in a selection and a list of possible attitudes (motivations/character traits/etc.), which attitude would best fit the character?
- Given Quotation X from the selection, explain why the character who was quoted made the statement and whether the statement holds true throughout the selection. Support your explanation with specific details from the selection.
Jesse Owens
Episode Overview
This episode is about the life of Jesse Owens. It interweaves fact, fiction, and tall tale. The episode begins when Jesse was a boy living on a farm and briefly tells of his move to Cleveland, joining a track team and becoming a champion runner at Ohio State University. The tall tale portion of the episode takes place during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
Teachers will need to need to briefly build a background with their students if they have never been exposed to the United States’ history of the time period in which this episode takes place. Major historical events occurring during this episode are listed below.
Access this episode's Before Viewing and After Viewing discussion guides by downloading the complete unit guide.
Character Development Lesson
Materials:
- Student Handout “Character Development Matrix.”
- Student Handout “Henderson Appleway Matrix.” See the second page of the Character Development Matrix.
Procedure:
- Group Activity:
- Give your students the completed copy of the handout “Henderson Appleway Matrix” that profiles the character Henderson Appleway. Have the students read through the matrix.
- Discuss with the class whether or not they feel that Henderson Appleway is believable and lifelike. Students will probably feel that Henderson is not a believable character as he is just too nice to be real.
- Have the students suggest specific changes that would make the character more believable.
- Challenge the students to create a more believable character than Henderson.
- Display the handout “Character Development Matrix” for the students. The handout may be displayed via computer or each student may be given a blank copy. Brainstorm with the students the attributes of the person based on the matrix.
- Individual Activity:
- Assign the students to develop a new character from their own imaginations and write a character sketch about the character.
- Students may use the Character Development Matrix handout as they see fit. They may simply refer to it for ideas, jot notes on it, or fill it in completely.
- Write a character sketch once they have finished the pre-writing personal brainstorming and organizing.
- Information and samples of character sketches can be found at the following sites:
- “The Character Sketch”
- “Writing a Character Sketch”
- “Character Sketch or Analysis”
- “How to Write a Character Sketch”
- “Character Sketch” Key Points
- “Grandma Atkinson” A Character Sketch
- Examples of character sketches written by students
- Share the students’ work orally, in a class book, or online.
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