Characterization Slides

​Characterization

By Mrs. B

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​How would you
describe this lady?

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​How about now?

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​How about now?

​There are things that we know about this lady, the color of her hair, her personality, how other people see her ...


But we inferred or deduced how old she was based on the situation and description.


When reading, we figure out who a character is by the stated and infered descriptions.

​Behavioral Expectations

1. Put your Learning First
2. Do your Best
3. Respect your teacher, the classroom, and your peers!

Essential Q's

Which do you think is more important, words or actions?


What makes a good character?

Pre-Test

Just answer with what you know!

Open Ended

What is Characterization?

Multiple Select

What are the different types of characterization?

• Direct

• Flat

• Round

• Indirect

I can define characterization by explaining direct and indirect characterization

Learning Objectives

I can analyze characterization in a text by locating both direct and indirect examples for a character in Words On Fire.

I can make claims about a character’s characterization and support them with explanation and textual evidence.

Characterization

​What does that mean?

Characterization is the way an author develops the characters in their story.
- Develop their physical appearance
- Develop their personality
- Develop their strengths/weaknesses

Indirect characterization is when you as the reader have to make conclusions about the character based on a description of them.
ex. Mrs. B talked fast as she
stood in front of the students.

​Indirect

Direct characterization is when the author states a trait (physical or personality) of the character
ex. Mateo had dark hair and
brown eyes.

​Direct

Two types of Characterization

Why Characterization Matters

It's important to understand characterization, because it shows who the characters are and why they act the way they do.

It can make the characters more realistic, more relatable, more understandable, and more engaging.

If you don't have a connection to the characters in your story, do you really care what happens?

Quick Check!

Multiple Choice

The characterization that is based off what the author states (through other characters or the narrator)

• Indirect

• Direct

Multiple Choice

The characterization that is the easiest to find?

• Direct

• Indirect

Direct Characterization

​Direct characterization is like the caption of a painting

This painting is called "Dogs Playing Poker", so the title tells you exactly what the painting is off. Direct characterization tells you the exact details/traits of the character.

Indirect Characterization

​Indirect characterization is like the painting

What is this painting of?
Takes a little more sleuthing and making conclusions than just being told exactly what it is.
Indirect characterization is the author giving you some thoughts, words, actions, or behaviors of a character, and you having to infer the traits of that character.

Practice Q's

Multiple Choice

Vera looked as if a strong gust of wind might carry her away.
Vera is _________

• unhappy

• small

• resourceful

• brilliant

Multiple Choice

Vera looked as if a strong gust of wind might carry her away.

Vera is "small"

What type of characterization is being used?

• Direct

• Indirect

Multiple Choice

Roland was a poor, desperate man, who lived in a small village in an even smaller hut.

Roland is ________

• Powerful

• Secretive

• Poor

• Deceitful

Multiple Choice

Roland was a poor, desperate man, who lived in a small village in an even smaller hut.

Roland is "Poor"
What type of characterization is being used?

• Direct

• Indirect

Now we know what characterization is, now we have to learn how to use/find it

​Characterization Handout

We're going to work to find the characterization of Papa in Words on Fire.
- To do that, we need to look for passages that include or talking about him.
- Audra talks about him in the beginning of the book, before he gets kidnapped.
- We're looking for both direct and indirect characterization of Papa, and put the examples
inside a character map.

Papa
(Henrikas Zikaris)

"My father wasn't afraid of anything, had never been afraid before" (pg. 9).

Papa
(Henrikas Zikaris)

"My father wasn't afraid of anything, had never been afraid before" (pg. 9).

Papa
(Henrikas Zikaris)

"I'm going to stall the soldiers here, give you and your mother a chance to get away" (pg. 9).

"My father wasn't afraid of anything, had never been afraid before" (pg. 9).

"bold and adventurous, always ready with a joke or a story" (pg. 2).

"I'm going to stall the soldiers here, give you and your mother a chance to get away" (pg. 9).

"my father was not truly a traveling magician, ... those tricks were only games to distract from his true mission" (pg. 36)

Papa
(Henrikas Zikaris)

Answering Questions about Characterization!

3 main parts to your answer

1. Answer the question

2. Use a quote from the book (with mention of the page number) that supports your answer to the question

3. A sentence or two explaining how that quote supports your answer.

Answering Questions about Characterization!

Ex. What do Papa's actions tell us about his love for family?

Papa loves his family very much, and is willing to sacrifice his life for them. On page 9, he says "I'm going to stall the soldiers here, give you and your mother a chance to get away". This shows that he was ready to face the soldiers alone, even though he could have died, in order to save his wife and daughter's life.

Independent Work

Step 1. Complete the Handout
- Fill in the Character Map
- Answer the Questions
- Self Assess your work on the rubric on the back of the Handout
Step 2. Fill out the Exit Ticket
Step 3. Staple the exit ticket to the front of your paper
Step 4. Turn it into the bin before the end of class.

If you finish early, you can read or work on other homework quietly!

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	Advanced
Explain Direct and Indirect Characterization	Student explains the definition of both direct and indirect characterization in their own words, and provides a unique example for each type.
Locate Examples of Direct and Indirect Characterization	Student locates 6 examples of both direct and indirect characterization (3 of each type) from Words On Fire, and places them correctly in a character map.
Support Character Claims with Explanation and Textual Evidence	Student supports their claim about a character’s characterization with explanation and textual evidence that clearly demonstrate the character’s traits.

Independent Work

Step 1. Complete the Handout
- Fill in the Character Map
- Answer the Questions
- Self Assess your work on the rubric on the back of the Handout
Step 2. Fill out the Exit Ticket
Step 3. Staple the exit ticket to the front of your paper
Step 4. Turn it into the bin before the end of class.

If you finish early, you can read or work on other homework quietly!

Essential Q's

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Which do you think is more important, words or actions?

What makes a good character?