Investigating Character Development

Standards (MS CCRS - ELA):

• RL.6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.6.3: Describe how the plot of a literary text unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Objectives:

• TSW analyze the character’s development by completing a character analysis chart that identifies at least three key traits and motivations (Analyzing, DOK-2)
• TSW evaluate the impact of specific dialogue on the character’s growth by presenting a visual representation that highlights at least two key examples from the text and their significance in the narrative (Evaluating, DOK-3).

Welcome Investigators!

As we learn to become great readers, we are looking examining and analyzing a text and plot elements. Today, we are going to investigate how characters develop or change over time.

Characters are the heart of any story. Understanding their development and how they change from beginning to end helps us connect with the story on a deeper level. In this WebQuest, you will examine characters from the text, identify their traits, and analyze how they develop over time.

In this WebQuest, you will embark on a journey to investigate a character's development from a selected text. You will engage in a series of activities that are designed to help you understand how characters grow and change throughout a story. Your final product will include a character analysis chart, a reflection, and a visual representation that you will present to the class. 

Follow the steps below to complete your investigation: ________________________________________________________________________

Step 1: The Passage (Background)

• You should already be familiar with the text from our discussions and reading in class.

  • Here is a link to a free e-book for reference during this assignment:

    • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11/pg11-images.html

• The following website s and videos will provide background knowledge on the author Lewis Carroll.

  • https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/lewis-carroll/m03j2gxx?categoryId=artist

https://youtu.be/p21H6tN64oI?si=l4bE6tC6wC-hG6iR

Step 3: Choose Your Character

• Select a character from one of the texts covered in class.

• Go through the text and annotate evidence of character development.

  • Watch the following video to ensure that you know what character development is and how to find it

https://youtu.be/KC6WY06twwc?si=q7dagnQHrG40GmNL

Step 4: Complete the Character Analysis Chart

Watch the following video on Character Analysis:

https://youtu.be/NRhteCMgYoU?si=uZofbX2FGA5vtj8J

• Complete your own character analysis by identifying:

  • The character's name.

  • The role of the character

  • Key traits (use an online thesaurus for help).

  • The character's relationships

  • Motivations (What do they want? Why do they do what they do?).

  • The actions that drive character development

  • dialogue from the text that supports character development

  • How the character changes from the beginning to the end of the story.

  • The author's intentions

Step 5: Create a Visual Representation

• Design a poster or digital slide that visually represents your character. Include:

  • The character’s name.

  • Key traits and motivations.

  • A quote that captures the character’s essence.

  • Images or symbols that represent their journey.

Step 6: Prepare to Present

• Be ready to share your character analysis as well as your visual representation with the class. Take a moment to practice explaining how the character developed throughout the story and ensure your presentation is complete.

Reflect on Character Development

After completing this WebQuest, reflect on what you have accomplished and learned:

• Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) addressing the following questions:

  • How does this character change throughout the story?

  • What events or interactions cause these changes?

  • Why do you think these changes are important to the story?

Overall, you have learned a lot about character development. Understanding how a character develops over the course of the text lays a foundation for deeper literary analysis and enhances your critical thinking which are both vital for your academic success. 

• Khan Academy

• Youtube

• Project Gutenberg

• Google Arts & Culture

• MS CCRS

This WebQuest was created in alignment with the MS CCRS for a 6th grade ELA classroom.