Minilesson: Studying Characters through Key Details
When We Think About Characters,
We Notice & Study. . .
Details
Feelings * Actions * Thoughts * Sayings
To Help Us Better Understand & Analyze
 Traits
 Motivations
 Pressures and Supports (external and internal)
 Reactions - strengths & flaws
 Relationships
 Other
 Roundness (Complexity)
Share your thinking and ideas about an important
character in your book. Use the rubric below, as well as
the sample we wrote in class, to write a detailed
paragraph.
Character Interpretation
Character Traits
& Motivations
1 pt.
I stated an idea
about a characternot just a
restatement of
something the
character did, said,
or felt, but an idea
about what kind of
person this is.
Yes or No
External
Influences &
Character
Reactions
1 pt.
I explained the
external pressures
or supports that
affect a character
and his or her
reactions.
Yes or No
Roundness of
Characters
Text Evidence
Use of Whole Text
1 pt.
My idea shows that
I am thinking about
how the
character(s) is/are
complicated in this
story.
1 pt.
I supported my idea
with evidence
(quotes and
page #’s) from the
text – the evidence
really goes with my
point.
1 pt.
I pull from more
than one part of the
story to support my
point.
Yes or No
Yes or No
Yes or No