Take a class trip to the school or neighborhood library. Assist students in choosing books with interesting characters. Encourage them to choose characters with traits similar to their own. Allow students to bring a favorite book from home if they prefer.
Give the students drawing paper, crayons, pencils and markers. Ask them to draw pictures of their favorite literature character. Students can cut out their pictures and make a collage if they like.
Have students take turns discussing their favorite book characters. Encourage them to decide what they have in common. Ask open-ended questions to promote discussion. Have them point out examples from their book and drawings.
Assign students to groups. Have each group write a brief character play. Characters don't have to be from the same or even similar books. Skits that include odd varieties of characters will be more interesting and funny.