Character TraitsCMEd

Character Development : 

Character Development adventurous greedy unhappy loving aggressive fearful When you read a story, watch the characters as if they were real people. ©2010 Thinkstock

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shy graceful What does the character say and do? What does the character think and feel? To identify character traits, think of the following: How does the character look? What do the other characters think about the character? How does the character make you feel? ©2010 Thinkstock

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The Name of Your Character: ________ Identify a character trait _____________ If possible, identify another character trait ________________ Use an organizer while you read.

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Kantor, MacKinlay. “A Man Who Had No Eyes.” Sightlines 10. Prentice Hall Canada: Toronto, 2000. “Mr. Parsons emerged from his hotel…And, thought he was very glad to be alive. A few years ago he had been little more than a skilled labourer; now he was successful, respected, admired…Insurance…And he had done it alone, unaided…And he was still young…He was a handsome figure with his immaculate grey suit…” Read the description from “A Man Who Had No Eyes” and identify character traits for Mr. Parsons ©2010 Thinkstock

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Character Name: Mr. Parsons He emerges from his hotel. He is glad to be alive. He is very proud of his success in insurance. He looks very young and handsome in an immaculate grey suit. He is respected and admired. I like him. He worked hard for his success. Identify a character trait for Mr. Parsons: ________________ If possible, identify another character trait: ________________ attractive respected

Slide 6: 

devious protective Character traits are descriptive adjectives. We can describe characters using character traits that tell us the specific qualities of the character. An author may tell us the character traits directly (direct presentation), but more often the author will show us these traits by what the character does (indirect presentation). Did You Notice? ©2010 Thinkstock

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You may remember the key terms we used to classify characters in the Short Story tutorial in Module 1. We can use the same terms for classifying characters in the novel. The protagonist is the main character. The antagonist is the character or force opposing the main character. Flat: characterized by one or two traits, summed up in a few sentences. Round: complex and many-sided. Stock: a type of flat, stereotypical figure who has occurred so often in fiction that his/her nature is immediately known (i.e. sinister villain, good sheriff, mad scientist, etc.) Classifying Characters Perrine, L. (1987) Story and Structure, Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada Ltd.

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Static: unchanging character from the beginning to the end. Developing or Dynamic: undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of his/her character, personality, or outlook. Change should be plausible, meaning that the change is believable, given the details in the story. Classifying Characters Perrine, L. (1987) Story and Structure, Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada Ltd.

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Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird Melinda in Speak Lily in The Secret Life of Bees Tengo in Waiting for the Rain Let’s Practice!Consider your novel’s protagonist ©2010 Thinkstock

Slide 10: 

I can use the organizer to identify character traits of the main character in the novel I’m reading. ©2010 Thinkstock

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Character Name: __________ Name a character trait ________________ If possible name another character trait ________________

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How does understanding character traits help me understand the story?

Slide 13: 

Help us understand why characters speak and act the way they do. Help us understand what the characters think or why they have certain beliefs. Help us understand a character’s relationships with other characters. Help us predict what characters might do next. Help us make inferences and to draw conclusions about events in the story. Character Traits:

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Why is Mr. Parson glad to be alive? How has his hard work paid off? What kind of hardships do you think Mr. Parson has encountered? What conflict might he meet? What lesson could we learn from Mr. Parson and the events in the story? Let’s see how knowing Mr. Parson’s character traits might help us understand the story…

Slide 15: 

Character traits are descriptive adjectives. We can describe characters using character traits that tells us the specific qualities of the character. An author may tell us the character traits directly (direct presentation), but more often the author will show us these traits by what the character does (indirect presentation). vain Let’s Review ©2010 Thinkstock

Slide 16: 

What does the character say and do? What does the character think and feel? How does the character look? What do the other characters think about the character? How does the character make you feel? Let’s Review!To identify character traits, think of the following:

Slide 17: 

You may remember the key terms we used to classify characters in the Short Story tutorial in Module 1. We can use the same terms for classifying characters in the novel. The protagonist is the main character. The antagonist is the character or force opposing the main character. Flat: characterized by one or two traits, summed up in a few sentences. Round: complex and many-sided. Stock: a type of flat, stereotypical figure who has occurred so often in fiction that his/her nature is immediately known (i.e. sinister villain, good sheriff, mad scientist, etc.) Let’s Review!Classifying Characters Perrine, L. (1987) . Story and Structure, Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada Ltd.

Slide 18: 

Static: unchanging character from the beginning to the end. Developing or Dynamic: undergoes a permanent change in some aspect of his/her character, personality, or outlook. Change should be plausible, meaning that the change is believable, given the details in the story. Let’s Review!Classifying Characters Perrine, L. (1987). Story and Structure, Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada Ltd.

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Character Name: ________ Identify a character trait ________________ If possible, identify another character trait ________________ Let’s Review!Use an organizer while you read.

Slide 20: 

Images courtesy of ©2010 Thinkstock Kantor, MacKinlay. “A Man Who Had No Eyes.” Sightlines 10. Prentice Hall Canada: Toronto, 2000. Perrine, L. (1987). Story and Structure, Toronto: Harcourt Brace Canada Ltd. Travis, Tanya. Choptank Elementary, Cambridge, Maryland. Sources