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!
For this character map, try using "OSCAR" so that students can analyze multiple aspects of a character. OSCAR is an acronym for:
| DEFINITION | EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|---|
| O |
Other Character's Comments
What do other characters say about the character? |
"Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my friend. His reserve had been always excessive and habitual." |
| S |
Speech
What does the character say about others or themselves? How can we infer meaning and traits from what a character says? |
"In this unnerved, in this pitiable, condition, I feel that the period will sooner or later arrive when I must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR." |
| C | Physical Characteristics
What does the character look like? What descriptive words are used to describe them? |
"We sat down; and for some moments, while he spoke not, I gazed upon him with a feeling half of pity, half of awe. Surely, man had never before so terribly altered, in so brief a period, as had Roderick Usher!" |
| A | Author's Attitude
How does the author feel about this character? |
The narrator mentions that Usher is convinced that his family mansion had obtained a "dint of long sufferance" over his spirit. |
| R | Reader's Reaction
How do you, as the reader, feel about the character? |
The way that Usher is described is creepy, and weird. He thinks his house is making him sick, and he seems oddly connected to his sister. |
The other character you can use this map with is the narrator. While Madeline never speaks, utilize the concepts of direct and indirect characterization with your students to decide what kind of character she is. Your students will have a lot of fun imagining what she looks like before and after her temporary entombment!
(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.