For this hands-on activity from Scholastic, each student needs a white T-shirt and a marker pen. Assign a character to each student and explain that the aim of the activity is to identify the elements used by the author to describe the particular character. Students will fill the front of their T-shirt with a physical description of the character, and a sketch. The character's strengths and weaknesses are to be written on the left and right sleeves, while the back is reserved for examples of any figurative language, like metaphors and plot climaxes that feature the character. Once completed, have students wear and present their T-shirt to the rest of the class.
In this activity, students adopt the guise of a character and complete a journal entry to better understand his personality. Students can complete a written response to a particular scene or event from the text in which the character appears. Alternatively, students can respond to a more general question or theme, like the character's relationships with family and friends, political or religious beliefs or hopes and dreams for the future.
This whole-class activity is based on the idea that students may carry a lot of items in their pockets that offer an insight into their personalities. Apply this logic to a character analysis by deciding on the objects that might be found in a character's pocket. Conduct this activity with students seated in a circle to encourage discussion and debate. As a class, decide on the ten most likely items that a character might have in his pockets, and the reasons for carrying them.
Begin this activity by dividing the class into five groups. Each group is allocated a category to document and explore. The physical group considers the character's physical appearance and how this is portrayed by the author. The social group considers the character's social standing in the text and relationships with others. The emotional group looks at the character's feelings in the story, and reactions to situations and events. The philosophical group focuses on the character’s personal beliefs and attitudes toward life. You can encourage students to use supporting evidence for their ideas through relevant quotes. Each group relates its findings to the rest of the class.