“I feel like that is my job; to come up with that 'pie in the sky' [alternative method] and then figure out how to get it
into the time that I need it to, or trim it so that it fits, but still feel good about the product.”
~Kyra Fries (Middle School English Teacher)

It's Alive!

In this Activity: Within this activity students will be asked to choose a character from a book and bring it to life. Starting with words, then with the students bodies, and finally with words again.

Literacy: Reading, Extrapolating, and Empathic Literacy

Why?: Delve deeper into the characters of a book you are reading in class. Work on empathy as well as character development.

Ages: Sixth-Eighth

How
  • ​Choose a book that the class is already reading as part of the curriculum.
  • Have each student in the class choose from a list of characters that you previously identified.
  • The students will then be given a series of prompts to help delve deeper into who this character is and how they interact with the world around them.
    • The first prompt should be something simple.
      • What does a typical day look like for this character?
    • The prompts will then move into more focused topics based on the write up the students have done.
      • For example, what does this character carry around in his or her pocket on a daily basis? Or if this character found ten dollars on the ground what would he or she do with it?
  • The teacher will read these prompts aloud as the students close their eyes and think about the answers to these questions. Once the students have had time to process these prompts they will be asked to stand up and embody how they believe these characters.
    • The teacher will give a series of prompts about the character’s physical movements while the students are walking around the room.
      • What part of the body does your character lead with when they are walking? Do they lead with their nose or with their knees? What happens to their body movement when they are given some good news or bad news? Do they have a specific nervous tick when they are getting stressed out?
  • After the students have completed this section of the activity they will then be asked to write a full character breakdown including the information they have developed within working on the previous prompts.
  • Once completed the students should create scenes in which these characters interact with one another. This scene should be a ‘missing scene’ from the novel.
    • They will be asked to set the stage for a location, a relationship, a complication, and a resolution.
      • After writing the basis for the scene the students will be asked to write a script, using the character descriptions they have created before, to show the interaction between the two or three characters.
      • Once again this script MUST include the four aforementioned pieces and should be a ‘missing scene’ from the original novel.
  • Each group of students will be asked to hand in their scripts and include the character breakdowns/descriptions, ‘day in the life of’ write ups, and deeper analysis of their characters.

Common Core Standards
Sixth Grade
W.6.2a, c, e, f

Write informative/
explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.
Seventh Grade
W.7.2a, c, e, f
​
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

​
Eighth Grade
W.8.2a, c, e, f

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.  

c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

Modification
For younger ages it is important to not bombard the younger students with too many individual prompts whereas with the older students it might be more important to use more varied prompts to keep them from constantly writing short and repetitive responses. ​

Examples
  • Book Thief
    • ​Interesting, indepth characters
    • Including Death as a character
  • Number the Stars
    • ​Historical context
    • Many different types of characters

Activity PDF
Below is a downloadable PDF of the activity you have just read.
its_alive.pdf
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File Type: pdf
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