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. With character mapping, it’s easy for students to follow along and catch the subtleties which make reading more enriching.
Clicking "Use This Assignment" will copy both the example above as well as a blank template for you to customize as desired. You may want students to start from scratch, or provide them with the questions and characters! Use it as is, or to edit it for the level of your class. Printing it as worksheets, for your students to complete while reading, is a fast and easy way to incorporate this character map into your classroom.
| Elie | The author and narrator of Night. Elie is a young man when he is sent to a concentration camp, during WWII. |
|---|---|
| Moshe the Beadle | A foreign Jew living in Sighet. He is initially deported before the others and comes back to warn his people, in vain. |
| Elie’s Father/Shlomo | Shlomo is a highly respected member of the Jewish community, both in Sighet and in their ghetto. He is brave and helps Elie stay positive. |
| Akiba Drumer | A holocaust victim who loses faith in God after the circumstances and experiences of the concentration camp. Elie often focuses on Akiba, as a parallel to his own feelings. |
| Juliek | A musician that Elie befriends in Auschwitz. |
| Tibi and Yosi | Brothers who Elie befriends in Buna. They are Zionists, members of a movement for the re-establishment of the Jewish nation in Israel. Tibi, Yosi, and Elie plan to move there after the war. |
| Idek | Elie’s Kapo, a prisoner who was put in charge of the other prisoners, in Buna. His mood swings were often violent, and when Elie caught him having sex with a Polish woman, Idek had Elie whipped. |
| Franek | A Polish prisoner of war and foreman in the musician's block at Buna. At first, he helps Elie and his father by getting them assigned to the same block for work. However, later, he steals Elie’s gold crown and repeatedly beats his father. |
| Rabbi Eliahou | A well-liked Rabbi who loses his son during the death march. Elie realizes that his son knowingly left his father. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a character map for the major characters.