After reading, prompt students to reflect on how a selected character changes over the course of the story:

  • How are they different at the end of the story compared to the beginning? What have they learned? What caused these changes?
  • Ask students to select a passage or image that defines the character at the beginning of the book and one that reveals who they are by the end. They can discuss, draw, or write about what these two quotations reveal about the character’s journey.

Additionally for 3-5:

  • Small groups can be assigned different characters before sharing in a whole group.
  • As an alternative, students can use a log, reader’s notebook, or double entry journal (Links to an external site.) to track character changes and their causes during their reading.

Additionally for 6-8:

Encourage students to practice the skills of identifying key traits and actions of characters and collecting textual evidence while reading. Students can note information individually and share with classmates, or students can meet in small groups to collaborate on ideas. Individual groups can be assigned a specific character as a focus for their reading and then share their findings with the whole class. The Character Chart (Links to an external site.) activity from Facing History and Ourselves (Links to an external site.) can be easily adapted for different texts.

After reading, prompt students to reflect on how a selected character changes over the course of the story:

  • How are they different at the end of the story compared to the beginning? What new insights and/or understandings have they gained? What events and experiences caused these changes?
  • Ask students to select a quote or passage that defines the character at the beginning of the novel and one that reveals who they are by the end. They can discuss or write about what these two quotations reveal about the character’s journey.
  • Small groups can be assigned different characters before sharing in a whole group.
  • As an alternative, students can use a log, reader’s notebook, or double entry journal (Links to an external site.) to track character changes and their causes during their reading.

Additionally for 9-12:

Encourage students to practice the skills of identifying key traits and actions of characters and collecting textual evidence while reading. Students can note information individually and share with classmates, or students can meet in small groups to collaborate on ideas. Individual groups can be assigned a specific character as a focus for their reading and then share their findings with the whole class. The Character Chart (Links to an external site.) activity from Facing History and Ourselves (Links to an external site.) can be easily adapted for different texts.
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