Objectives
- Students will complete an analysis of one character from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
- Students will learn to support their character analysis with specific information from the text.
- Students will practice using quotation marks correctly.
Materials
- Unlined paper
- Pencils
- Quotation Marks reference article
- Copies of the Character Traits handout
- Several copies of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and/or the rest of the Harry Potter books.
- Poster board
- Markers or crayons
Procedures
- Allow students to select their favorite character (or randomly assign characters to students) ensuringthat the class chooses a variety of characters from the book(s).
- Distribute one sheet of unlined paper to each student and ask them to fold it into quarters, creasing the folds tightly.
- Tell students to unfold the paper and draw lines in the folds. The paper should now be divided into four equal squares.
- Instruct students to write their character's name in the center of the paper.
- Distribute the Character Traits handout and ask students to thinkabout which traits apply to their characters.
- At the top of each square have students write a different personality trait for their character. For instance, Hagrid is impulsive, loyal, simple-minded and strong.
- Encourage students to think carefully andselect specific traits that can be supported by examples from the book.
Impulsive
Loyal
HAGRID
Simple-minded
Strong
- Distribute the Quotation Marks handout.
- Go over it with the students and explain that they will be gathering evidence about their characters from the book(s).
- Tell students they must find one strong quotation to support each characteristics they have selected. It must be a quotation that shows the character displaying the personality trait.
- Once students have found examples, tell them to record the exact quotations in the appropriate boxes on their paper along with the title of the book and the page number where each quote was found.
- Explain that students may not use the same scene to demonstrate more than one trait.
- Once students have found and recorded the exact quotations, break them up into partners. Ask each set of partners to make sure that the personality traits are truly reflected in the examples selected.
- If a quote is not specific enough, ask the student to select a more descriptive passage orpiece of dialogue.
- Explain that each student must now use these quotations in paragraphs.
- Students must write one paragraph for each personality trait. Each paragraph must explain and describe the personality trait and include a (properly punctuated) quotation from the book.
- Distribute the posterboard and ask students to write the name and draw a picture of their character in the middle of the poster board.
- In each of the four corners, students should write the personality trait as a title and underneath it copy the paragraph they just wrote.
- Display the posters around the classroom and allow students to spend time viewing them as if they are in an art gallery.
- As a culminating activity, conduct a class discussion using the following questions:
- Did you learn anything new about any of the characters from the Harry Potter book(s)?
- Which examples do you remember from the posters?
- Why were those the most memorable?
