As students read, a storyboard can serve as a helpful character reference log. This log (also called a character map) allows students to recall relevant information about important characters. When reading a novel, small attributes and details frequently become important as the plot progresses. With character mapping, students will record this information, helping them follow along and catch the subtleties which make reading more enjoyable!
In this activity, students will create a character map of the characters in Ghost. They will pay close attention to the physical attributes and the traits of both major and minor characters. Students can also provide detailed information regarding the challenges the character faces, the challenges the character imposes, and the importance of the character to the plot of the story.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a character map for the major characters in Ghost.
Student Instructions:
Requirements:
To understand a character's impact on a story, first help students to create a list of what a character does throughout the story. This will help them begin to understand what motivates characters, and why they do what they do.
After students see the choices that individual characters make, it is important to help them see how the characters relate to each other. Whether a character imposes a challenge on another character, or feels the challenge of a character doing that to them, this is an integral part of the story.
The resolution of a story finds the characters in a certain place. They may be happy ever after, sad ever after, or even dead ever after. If students understand how the story ends for the main characters, then they will better understand the point of the story.
A character map can be created in a variety of ways, and is a technique to visually show who each character is. It discusses physical traits, what a character says, and how a character's actions impact the story. This helps students to more deeply understand the story.
The conflict or tension in a story is what moves the story along. The challenges that characters face feed into that tension, and so it is important to understand what challenges each character faces, as well as the challenges each character imposes on others.
Castle Cranshaw, also known as Ghost, is a seventh grader who has faced some troubles in his life. He joins the track team at school and with the help of a kind mentor, he realizes that he should run toward his future rather than run away from his problems.