Character Analysis Templates

Exploring the Use of Character Trait Analysis Templates

Character analysis is a fundamental skill in literary studies, allowing students to dive deep into the minds and motives of the characters they encounter in books, plays, and other forms of storytelling. One effective tool for fostering this skill are character analysis worksheets.

These templates typically include sections or prompts for recording key details about a character, such as:

• Background and Backstory: Information about the character's history, upbringing, and life experiences, including any significant events that have shaped them.


• Personality Traits: A description of the character's attributes, including their strengths, weaknesses, virtues, and flaws.


• Motives and Goals: The character's desires, goals, and the reasons behind their actions and decisions throughout the story.


• Relationships: Details about the character's interactions with other characters in the narrative and the impact of these connections on their development.


• Character Arc: How the main character changes and evolves over the course of the story, including any transformations or personal growth.


• Dialogue and Speech: Analysis of the character's speaking patterns and the way they communicate with others.


• Role in the Plot: The character's significance to the overall plot and their contribution to the central conflict or themes of the literary work. A character list template simplifies the process of organizing and comparing various characters in a story, making it easier for readers to track their character traits, roles, and their relationship with others.

Importance of a Graphic Organizer for Character Analysis in Literary Studies

Templates for character analysis play a crucial role in English studies for several reasons:

• Enhanced Comprehension: They help readers and students gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the characters, enabling them to connect more deeply with the story.


• Critical Thinking: These templates encourage critical thinking by prompting readers to analyze and interpret a character's actions, motives, and development.


• Exploration of Themes: Analyzing backgrounds and personalities often leads to insights into the broader themes and messages conveyed by the literary work.


• Tracking a Character's Development: By tracking a character's journey, students can better appreciate the complexity of a character's development and how it contributes to the narrative's depth. With a character traits graphic organizer, character traits become more visually accessible, allowing students to identify patterns and gain a deeper understanding of how personalities shape the dynamics within a story.


• Engagement: Engaging with characters on a deeper level can make books more engaging and relatable, fostering a greater appreciation for storytelling.


• Literary Discussions: These templates provide a structured foundation for discussions and classroom activities related to fiction, facilitating meaningful conversations. In English class, students often use a template for analysis to thoroughly examine and understand the complex personalities in the stories they read.

Character Traits Analysis Templates in Different Subjects

• Literary Analysis Use these templates to delve into the depth and complexity of literary characters' personalities, motives, and roles in a story. Explore a character's backstory to understand their development throughout the narrative. Discuss the specific traits to gain insights into their actions and decisions.


• Activities for Kids: Simplify these templates to make them accessible for younger learners, helping them understand the fundamental aspects of characters in stories. Encourage kids to describe characters' personalities and understand their motives through age-appropriate prompts and templates.


• Compare and Contrast: Utilize these templates to compare and contrast two or more different characters within a single story or across multiple texts. Discuss how characters' backgrounds influence their interactions and contribute to the plot in a fiction text.


• Creative Writing: Create character profile templates as a resource for creative writing projects. Writers can use these templates to develop well-rounded characters for their stories. Explore a character's background, physical appearance, and character traits to bring them to life in a narrative.


• Film and TV: Extend analysis to visual media by using templates to dissect the personalities and actions of characters in movies and TV shows. Examine how feelings and behavior, speech, and personal traits contribute to the unfolding of the story.


• History: Apply analysis to historical figures to gain insights into their motives, actions, and impact on the world. Investigate the background and life experiences that shaped these figures' decisions and contributions to history.


• Psychology and Sociology: Adapt for academic purposes in psychology or sociology courses to explore the complexities of individuals. Explore real-life individuals by examining their background, motives, and traits.


• Theater and Drama: Implement in drama classes to help actors and directors understand the depth of theatrical characters. Explore how a protagonist's background and backstory influence their portrayal on stage.


• Marketing and Advertising: Utilize templates in marketing and advertising campaigns to create relatable and memorable brand characters. Develop in-depth profiles that reflect the values and style of a brand's spokesperson.


• Legal Studies: Adapt templates for legal studies to examine the backgrounds and motives of individuals involved in legal cases. Investigate how a person's traits may impact their behavior and decision-making in a legal context.

Teaching Character Traits: Graphic Organizer Template Ideas

Elementary School (Grades K-5):

• Collage (Grades K-2): Have young students cut out pictures from magazines or draw their own characters and make a collage that includes the character's name, character traits, and a simple description.


• Trait Bingo (Grades 3-5): Design bingo cards with character traits (e.g., brave, kind, smart) and have students fill in the character trait as they read a story. This encourages them to identify character traits.

Middle School (Grades 6-8):

• Trading Cards: Have students draw trading cards for characters in a book or historical figures. Each card should include a picture, character traits, motives, and a brief biography.


• Interviews: Encourage students to role-play as main characters from a story and conduct interviews with each other. They can use templates to prepare for and document the interviews.

High School (Grades 9-12):

• Comparative Analysis: Assign students a main character from a classic novel and ask them to compare that protagonist to a protagonist from a contemporary work. They can use templates to organize their analysis and present their findings.


• Analysis in Film: Watch a film or TV series in class and have students complete analysis for the main characters. Discuss how the development of a protagonist in film differs from a fiction book.

Cross-Grade (Adaptable):

• Character Creation (Grades K-12): In creative writing classes, students of all ages can use these templates to make their own fictional characters. Younger students can focus on basic personality traits, while older students can explore deeper aspects of a character's development.


• Historical Figure Analysis (Grades 6-12): Provide a list of historical figures relevant to the grade level and ask students to research and complete analysis for their chosen figure. This can be adapted for varying levels of complexity.


• Literary Circles (Grades 6-12): Form literary circles or book clubs where each group selects different literary works to read. As they discuss their books, students can use templates for analysis to guide their discussions and presentations.


• Character Analysis Presentations (Grades 6-12): Have students select a protagonist from a book they've read and construct presentations using templates. This can include profiles, visual aids, and explanations of the character's significance in the story.

These activity ideas can be adapted to different grade levels and are designed to engage students in analysis while accommodating their age and skill levels.

10 Steps to Make a Character Analysis Handout

1. Define Your Purpose: Determine the purpose. Is it for literary analysis, historical figures, film characters, or something else? Clarify the focus, such as studying background and backstory.


2. Select a Format: Choose a format that suits your needs, whether it's a character list template, character analysis graphic organizer, or a chart. The format should align with your educational objectives.


3. Identify Key Elements: List the essential elements you want to include. This typically includes sections for teaching personal attributes, motives, and other relevant details.


4. Consider Age Group: If creating a character analysis for kids, simplify the language and structure to make it more accessible to younger learners. Ensure that it is age-appropriate.


5. Research and Reference: Familiarize yourself with the character you're analyzing. Collect information about their background, backstory, and traits. This research will inform the content.


6. Design: Make a clear and organized layout. Use headings and subheadings to categorize information, making it easy for users to fill in details.


7. Include Prompts: Add prompts or questions that guide users in their analysis. For example, ask about the character's traits, motives, or role in the story. These prompts encourage deeper thinking.


8. Visual Elements: Consider incorporating visual elements into your work. If relevant, include spaces for drawings, images, or symbols that represent the character.


9. Customize for Specific Needs: Tailor it to your educational objectives. For instance, if you want to focus on a character's traits, make sections for positive and negative character traits, and ask users to provide evidence from the text or story.


10. Review and Test: Before finalizing, review it for clarity and completeness. Test it with a sample analysis to ensure it effectively guides users in analyzing a protagonist's background, backstory, and other relevant aspects.

Remember that templates for character analysis can vary widely in complexity and scope, so adapt them to suit the specific goals and age group of your students or audience.

More Storyboard That Resources and Free Printables

• Character Analysis Worksheet
• Character Map
• Character Comparison Worksheets
• Text Analysis
• Book Report Planning

{Microdata type="HowTo" id="1919"}