Once students get to high school English, it is important that they not only know the full definition for characterization but that they can apply it in multiple situations. Characterization is very nuanced and the definition of characterization needs to be expanded as upper level students go into greater analysis.
What is the Definition for Characterization?
In its most basic definition, characterization is how authors bring characters to life. It is broken into two main types: direct characterization (the author directly tells the reader) or indirect characterization (the reader must make inferences). It’s this indirect characterization that needs to be the focus of our definition for characterization at the upper levels of high school English.
What are Characterization Methods?
I like to talk about each indirect characterization method with students. Students need to understand that characterization is influence by what the characters say, do, think, look like and what other characters say or think about them. These five methods of characterization will help students to develop a stronger sense of the full definition for characterization and allow them to dive deeper into their character analysis.
So how do we encourage students to use all of these?
9 Strategies to Teach the Definition for Characterization
One: Anchor Charts
Provide students with Anchor Charts with the definition for characterization as well as questions to ask themselves about the characters. Another anchor chart that is essential is a list of character traits that students can use to describe characters so that they are not relying on the same old tired ones. I love an anchor chart that is organized by the methods of characterization for this.
Two: Task Cards
Use task cards to help students with character analysis. Ask question like:
- How do the character’s actions indicate their values?
- What is one thing the character says? How does what they say indicate their true character?
- Describe the character’s appearance? What is one this you can infer from this description?
Three: Stations
Set up stations that are paired with close reading passages. (I talk about how to choose close reading passages here.) Each passage should focus on a specific character or character trait, then have the students use the steps close reading to examine the characters in the passage. You can have the student complete different activities at each station or they can do the same activity but with different characters.
Four: Body Posters
I first learned about body posters from a long-term substitute more than fifteen years ago. The idea is that you draw a picture of the character and then make notes around it to show all the aspects of the definition of characterization. So near the head, they might put a thought bubble to show what the character is thinking. A speech bubble for what they are saying. In the drawing, they might note something that makes the characters appearance stand out.
Danielle Knight of Study All Knight has taken this to the next level with her Body Biographies for characters. You can read more about them here.
Five: Poems
Poems are a great way to teach the definition for characterization and the methods of characterization because everything is so concise. I like to use slightly longer, more lyric type poems for this activity. My favorite poets for this type of activity are Robert Service, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Alice Cary and Naomi Shihab Nye .
Six: Short Stories
Like poems, short stories are a great way to work on character analysis. They too are limited in scope which makes it easier to focus on the characters. Not only are the stories short, but they often have fewer characters. One of the first lessons in my Flash Fiction Boot Camp for AP® Literature is character analysis using the story “An Idle Fellow” by Kate Chopin.
Seven: Picture Books
I love using picture books with my high school students. Often they are written with lovely prose, but they pictures make them ripe for teaching inference skills and, of course, the methods of the characterization. Picture books are a great place to focus on the character’s appearances for characterization as the images often portray more than words ever could. Oh and Wordless Picture Books are Even Better (Check out the Post on 15 Ways to Use Wordless Picture Books!).
Eight: Film Clips
The next time you are watching something, anything, a TV show, a movie, consider how a 30 second to 5 minute clip could work for teaching characterization. My daughter and I are currently watching Cobra Kai on Netflix. I love how they go back and forth between Daniel and Johnny. (If you have no idea what I am talking about, it doesn’t really matter.) The contrast between the characters allows you to learn a lot about their characters. So pick one of those moments and share it with your students. Or use the opening of a Disney movie like Tangled or the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” scene in Frozen. The same character analysis that we can do with print texts works with media texts. And sometimes, the students find it less intimidating.
Nine: Comics or Graphic Novels (excerpts)
The first time I taught tenth graders about the methods of characterization, I used Calvin and Hobbes comics. We did stations with 5 different comic strips. Each station highlighted a different method of characterization. Like picture books, comics (or excerpts from graphic novels), offer students an entry point that is less intimidating. It is clearing when they are speaking and when they are thinking (different styles of bubbles) and it is easy to see what the characters are doing and what they look like. I was observed that day, and I nailed it.
Delving into the Definition for Characterization
We know that as high school English teachers, our students need to dive deeper into characterization, but they also need multiple entry points. So I hope that these 9 ways for teaching characterization make their way into your classroom. If they do, I would love to know in the comments below. And it you have other ways to teacher characterization I would love to know that too.
Related Resources
Three Quick and Easy Strategies for Close Reading to Teach Every Day
Five Easy Steps for Close Reading in High School
Three Fantastic Ways to Use Children’s Books in High School (A Better Way to Teach)
How to Teach Character Analysis Using Body Biographies (Study All Knight)
