Character maps are a helpful tool for students to use as they're reading, although they can also be used after completing a book. In this activity, students will create a character map of the characters in Towers Falling, paying 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 Towers Falling.
Student Instructions:
Ascertain that the students have gone through the novel and have an essential understanding of Deja's personality and place in the narrative as well as the narrative itself. After finishing the story, have a general discussion with the students regarding the events of the story, the characters, and the purpose of the story.
Ask students to give a description of Deja's features and background information. How do her looks and upbringing affect her experiences and viewpoints? Talk about her experience with schools and others before she got admitted to her new school. Students can also discuss Deja’s life at home with her family, her upbringing, and her responsibilities.
Ask the students to analyze the purpose of Deja’s character and how she deals with difficult situations. For instance, even though she goes to an elementary school she helps at home and takes care of her younger siblings because her mom works all the time and her dad is sick. Students can assess such events and formulate Deja’s personality and her goals in the story.
Talk about any internal or external conflicts present in the story and how Deja deals with these conflicts. Students can also reflect on how Deja’s character experienced growth and development with the help of these conflicts.
Ask students to reread the book and identify particular instances, quotations, and passages that provide light on Deja's personality. This may refer to her ideas, deeds, and communications with other characters. Students can highlight any such instances which they want to refer to while presenting their analysis.
Deja, Ben, and Sabeen are the three major protagonists in "Towers Falling". They are fifth graders who become close friends at their Brooklyn school. Other characters such as Deja’s Pop and Miss Garcia also play a significant role in the development of the narrative.
Deja starts off with little background knowledge and a distant perspective on 9/11. Her viewpoint shifts as she gains more information about the incident and how it affected her community, and she gains a deeper comprehension.
As they collaborate on their class assignment, the three protagonists get close. Their mutual investigation of 9/11 helps them both develop as people and deepens their connection. Initially, Deja is ashamed of her background and is scared of making friends but Ben and Sabeen’s persistence helps them form a great bond of friendship.