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Oedipus the King: Personal letter-writing assignment

Students will work in groups to evaluate the personality of various characters from Oedipus the King. Each student will write two personal letters in the role of one character from the play responding to the events of the play and the various relationships within it.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts)

By Greg Townsend.

To Kill A Mockingbird role-play: A Maycomb pig pickin'

Somewhere near the middle of reading the novel, students start to become confused about characters. This fun role-play activity works especially well just after Chapter 21 and allows students to get to know characters beyond Jem and Scout. It also can be a springboard into further discussions of point of view, theme, and stereotypes.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts)

By David Ansbacher.

Character education: Honesty

This lesson will focus on two character education traits - honesty and friendship. During this lesson the students will conduct a character analysis and link prior knowledge to help understand the story.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 English Language Arts and Guidance)

By LaTina Robinson.

Comparing/contrasting characters: A Taste of Blackberries

This lesson is designed to use with Chapter 1 of the novel A Taste of Blackberries. Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two main characters and then relate the material to their own lives.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

By Denise Caudle.

Differences across the curriculum: Part 2

This set of lessons can be used with "Differences across the curriculum: Part 1" as an integrated approach to exploring diversity with eighth graders. The unit will revolve around the use of the drama version of "The Diary of Anne Frank." Students will learn how diversity creates bias, which leads to conflict, where students confront their bias and practice tolerance. These parts reflect the four core curricula in an interwoven approach to teaching students to confront their biases, learn tolerance, and infer the impact of these on today's society. This activity, Part 2, is meant to augment the pre-reading activities completed in Part 1 in a Social Studies class.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Theater Arts Education)

By Lynn Carter.

Heaven or Groundhog Day?

This unit is designed to appeal to adolescents with its non-print text base, the movie Groundhog Day. The pre-viewing activities prepare students for the allusions in the movie and include cultural literacy. The teacher can pick and choose from the activities to apply the concept of personal growth. The teacher may select from activities for science, workplace ethics, music, computer competency, and English language arts. The teacher may modify any of the attachments to suit the students' needs and interests.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By David Melton and Julia Millush.

The hero connection: From Beowulf to Batman

After reading Beowulf,students will identify Beowulf's heroic traits, generalize from these traits a list of typical traits for heroes, and then use these traits to compare Beowulf with contemporary heroes. As a culminating activity, students will define their concept of hero and then create a booklet of personal heroes from various areas.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts)

By Hilda Caldwell.

Interpreting a short story

Students will study the literary genre of the short story and examine how, through writing, an author can comment directly/indirectly on our society as a whole. Hopefully, the students will develop an awareness of the problems/concerns facing our society and an appreciation of how a skilled writer can mirror society's ills and sometimes offer solutions for the problems that plague us.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

By Regina Johnson.

Resources on the web

Become a character: Adjectives, character traits, and perspective

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students “become” one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters, using lists of accurate, powerful adjectives. In class discussion, students support their lists with details... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Book report alternative: Writing resumes for characters in historical fiction

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students select a character from a work of historical fiction then help the character choose and apply for a job. Students explore what it would be like to search for a job in the past and the qualifications that would... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Charlotte is wise, patient, and caring: Adjectives and character traits

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students define the purpose of adjectives and find examples in shared reading. Then students “become” one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters using Internet reference... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Heroes are made of this: Studying the character of heroes

In this lesson, students investigate the characteristics of heroes in literature and evaluate characters in order to determine their heroic nature. After creating character maps, students compare and contrast characters to determine the similarities and... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink