8th Grade ~ Characterization Chart
SAMPLE
Title of Book: ______Stargirl_________________________________________________________
Author: ____Jerry Spinelli__________________________________________________________
Definition of Characterization:
 The personality a character displays
 The way an author reveals a personality
When characterizing persons, you describe…
* their appearance, how they look
* their actions, how they behave
* their comments, what they say
* their qualities or peculiarities, how they show their positive or negative traits
Select one main character from your required summer reading.
Character
Stargirl aka Susan Caraway
In 2-3 sentences, describe his or her…
 Physical Appearance –
Stargirl does not wear make-up, and she has big eyes. Other than having big eyes, she
is plain in terms of features. She wears old-fashioned clothes.
 Actions –
She walks around school with a pet rat named Cinnamon. She plays the ukulele during
lunch and sings happy birthday to students whom she doesn’t know.
 Thoughts or Words –
When Stargirl changes to Susan, she says to Leo that her friend Dori thinks that she is
betraying herself – losing her identity. (145)
Also, what do other characters think, feel or say about your chosen character? List a
few bullet points.
Other characters don’t like her. They think that she’s either crazy or trying to get
attention. Leo says, “I had linked myself to an unpopular person.” (43).
Name three traits that describe your character. Provide one quotation from the book as
evidence of each trait.
Evidence/Quote from the book
Support #1 (page _26______)
Trait #1
“Because she was different. Different.
We unique
had no one to compare her to, no one to
measure her against. She was unknown
territory.”
Support #2 (page _70_______)
Trait #2
“…Sun Valley coaches and trainer and
Players were sprinting across the floor.
But they were not first. Stargirl,
Caring
somehow,
was already there. …She held his head
in
her lap while the others attended his
broken leg. Her hands moved over his
face
and forehead. She seemed to be saying
things to him.”
Support #3 (page ___157____)
Trait #3
smart
Phoenix
“She won.” (the speech contest)
“Strangers mobbed her, citizens of
gushing, telling her they had been
coming
to the contest for years and had never
heard anything like it.”
8th Grade ~ Characterization Chart
Title of Book:
_________________________________________________________________________
Author: ____________________________________________________________________________
Definition of Characterization:
 The personality a character displays
 The way an author reveals a personality
When characterizing persons, you describe…
* their appearance, how they look
* their actions, how they behave
* their comments, what they say
* their qualities or peculiarities, how they show their positive or negative traits
Select one main character from your required summer reading.
Character
In 2-3 sentences, describe his or her…
 Physical Appearance –
 Actions –
 Thoughts or Words –
Also, what do other characters think, feel or say about your chosen character? List a
few bullet points.
Name three traits that describe your character. Provide one quotation from the book as
evidence of each trait.
Evidence/Quote from the book
Quote/Support #1 (page _________)
Trait #1
Quote/Support #2 (page _________)
Trait #2
Quote/Support #3 (page _________)
Trait #3
8th Grade ~ Theme Chart
SAMPLE
Title of Book: __The Misfits_________________________________________
Author: __James Howe__________________________________________________
Definition of Theme:
The central idea or the “message” implied
The theme is seldom stated directly. It is a concept indirectly expressed through
recurrent images, actions, characters and symbols. It must be inferred by the reader.
Theme differs from subject or topic in that the theme is an observation or insight about
the subject. For example, the subject of a poem may be a flower; its theme may be a
statement about nature.
Select one major theme from your summer reading, and write it in the box below.
Theme
Being different
In 2-3 sentences, describe the theme you chose.
In the story, students at a middle school are constantly being judged, especially four
kids: Joe, Skeezie, Addie and Bobby. They are tired of being stereotyped and made fun
of so they form a political party which has a platform against name calling. They want
kids to start embracing who they are instead of changing just to fit in. They want
people to know that it’s ok to be different.
In 2-3 sentences, state what the author is saying about this theme.
James Howe is saying that people shouldn’t judge others. Everyone is different, and we
need to accept and embrace that. People should just be who they are.
Name three instances in the story where this theme is evident. Provide a quotation
from the book as evidence of the theme.
(page. _11-12________)
Quote #1
“Joe is the most creative person I know – too creative
for some people, and maybe that is part of the
problem. The other part of the problem is that he acts
more like a girl than a boy much of the time… Joe
figures he is who he is and what’s the big deal, and I
figure he is right about that.”
Quote #2
(page __14______)
“Other people may call us names or think we’re
weird or whatever, but that doesn’t mean we believe
them.”
(page _215______)
Quote #3
“I felt like I had to be the person they imagined me to
be. The fact was I was awkward and incredibly shy.”
8th Grade ~ Theme Chart
Title of Book:
_________________________________________________________________________
Author: ____________________________________________________________________________
Definition of Theme:
The central idea or the “message” implied
The theme is seldom stated directly. It is a concept indirectly expressed through
recurrent images, actions, characters and symbols. It must be inferred by the reader.
Theme differs from subject or topic in that the theme is an observation or insight about
the subject. For example, the subject of a poem may be a flower; its theme may be a
statement about nature.
Select one major theme from your summer reading, and write it in the box below.
Theme
In 2-3 sentences, define the theme you chose.
In 2-3 sentences, state what message the author is trying to convey about this theme.
Name three instances in the story where this theme is evident. Provide a quotation
from the book as evidence of the theme.
(page. _________)
Quote #1
Quote #2
(page _________)
(page _________)
Quote #3
8th Grade ~ Conflict Chart
SAMPLE
Title of Book: _________Rebecca_____________________________________________________
Author: _______Daphne Du Maurier _________________________________________________
Definition of Conflict:
 A struggle between two opposing forces or characters
Types:
Internal Conflict exists when a character struggles with himself or herself over an issue.
External Conflict exists when a character struggles with other people or forces.
Key forms include:
person against another person
person against a higher being
person against society
person against nature
Select one major example of conflict from your summer reading, and describe it in the box
below.
Conflict
Mrs. de Winter struggles with her self-confidence as she feels she is always
being compared to the former Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca.
Is this conflict internal or external?
This conflict is internal.
Does this conflict fall into one of the key forms of conflict? If yes, which form? If no, what
form does the conflict take?
Person vs. Self
List who or what is involved in the conflict.
Mrs. de Winter and her confidence are involved – as well as her thoughts about the former
Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca.
Name three instances in the story where this conflict is evident. Provide a quotation from the
book as evidence of the conflict.
(page _200_____)
Quote #1
“My faux-pas was so palpably obvious, so idiotic and
unpardonable, that to ignore it would show me to be
an even greater fool if possible, than I was already.”
(page __90_____)
Quote #2
“I ran along it, fully aware of my stupidity, despising
myself for this sudden attack of nerves…”
(page 89_______)
Quote #3
“…I noticed for the first time how cramped and
unformed was my own handwriting, without
individuality, without style, uneducated even…”
8th Grade ~ Conflict Chart
Title of Book:
_________________________________________________________________________
Author: ____________________________________________________________________________
Definition of Conflict:
 A struggle between two opposing forces or characters
Types:
Internal Conflict exists when a character struggles with himself or herself over an
issue.
External Conflict exists when a character struggles with other people or forces.
Key forms include: person against another person
person against a higher being
person against society
person against nature
Select one major example of conflict from your summer reading, and describe it in the
box below.
Conflict
Is this conflict internal or external?
Does this conflict fall into one of the key forms of conflict? If yes, which form? If no,
what form does the conflict take?
List who or what is involved in the conflict.
Name three instances in the story where this conflict is evident. Provide a quotation
from the book as evidence of the conflict.
(page _________)
Quote #1
(page _________)
Quote #2
(page _________)
Quote #3
Parts of Speech
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea.
Ex. aunt, meadow, pencil and friendship
A common noun names a general class of people, places, things or ideas.
Ex. Sailor, city, holiday and music
A proper noun specifies a particular person, place, thing, event or idea.
nouns are always capitalized.
Ex. Aunt Sarah, Rome, Memorial Day, and Treasure Island
Proper
A pronoun takes the place of a noun or a group of words acting like a noun.
Ex.
Shelia is tall. She is tall.
These sweaters are blue. They are blue.
Sue likes Eric. She likes him.
Mike eats cookies. He eats them.
A verb can tell what action someone or something is doing. A verb can also describe or
express a state of being.
Ex.
Julie runs to work.
Babs bakes cookies.
Kristin is tall.
I have work to do.
An adverb describes a verb, adjective or another adverb. An adverb tells how, when,
where, or to what degree.
Ex.
I will walk quickly.
Today, I study.
Hugh plays outside.
Hannah is very happy.
An adjective describes a noun or a pronoun. An adjective tells what kind, how many or
which one.
Ex.
She is a kind person.
Michael eats two pancakes.
I like that shirt.
Big dogs are scary.
A preposition combines with a noun or pronoun to form a phrase that tells something about
another word in a sentence.
Ex.
He lives with his family.
In the sky, there is a plane.
We walk to the store.
Joe received a present from his sister.
A conjunction joins together single words or groups of words in a sentence.
Ex.
Pat and I jump.
They wash shirts, pants and socks.
Brian reads, but I watch tv.
Do you want vanilla or chocolate cake?
An article introduces a noun in a sentence. It is a special type of adjective.
Ex.
The boy eats.
An ant steals a grape.
A plumber fixes the sink.
A qualified plumber fixes the sink.
An interjection expresses a strong feeling or emotion. It can be a word or a phrase.
Ex.
Ouch!
Oh!
Whew!
My goodness!
Look out!
In the following sentences, draw a circle around the nouns, a square around the
pronouns and a line underneath the verb. Remember, there can be multiple nouns and
verbs in a sentence.
Ex.
Weather consists of rain, sleet and snow.
Fran and I go to the mall.
1. Amy and I walked to the store with Jerry.
2. Since he is on vacation, he made plans to go to the movies.
3. She has developed the film that we sent her.
4. Andre sits at a desk while she sits on the floor.
5. Before they left school, the girls gave Mrs. Jones a party.
6. Mrs. Watkins, the teacher, is handing us back the results of our test.
7. My mother sent Kathy a box of books.
8. The clerk at the store sold him a coat and tie for his wedding.
Practice with adjectives and adverbs
Circle the adverbs and underline the adjectives in the following sentences.
1. Black ants are fascinating insects.
2. Some people eat spicy foods.
3. People often find purple rattlesnakes in dry, rocky areas.
4. A playful squirrel ran slowly to the tall tree.
5. The humble director graciously accepted her two awards.
6. Purple wildflowers danced merrily in the spring breeze.
How parts of speech function in a sentence
Review
Nouns and pronouns most often function as subjects or objects.
A subject is the noun or pronoun that tells what the sentence is about.
Ex.
The lantern glows.
Moths and bees live on my front porch.
Jen and I are friends.
The sweater hangs in my closet.
She likes school because the teachers are nice.
There are three kinds of objects:
direct objects, indirect objects and objects of the preposition
A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of an action verb.
The direct object answers who or what.
Ex.
I ate the pizza.
Hold the book carefully.
He misses you.
Don plays baseball and basketball.
An indirect object is found in sentences that use verbs with a “give” meaning: give, sell,
tell, send, bring, ask, and show are common ones. These verbs take both an indirect and
direct object. The indirect object ALWAYS comes before the direct object.
The indirect object is the person or thing to whom/to what or for whom/for what the action is
performed.
Indirect objects are in italics, and the direct objects are underlined.
Remember a sentence MUST have a direct object in order to have an indirect object.
Ex.
My mother told us a story.
He gave me a letter.
His uncle sent him a present.
The pitcher threw the batter a ball.
The object of a preposition is the noun or pronoun which is related to some other word by a
preposition. The object of the preposition is in bold.
Ex.
The pitcher threw a ball (to the batter). He walks to the store.
Get the homework from her.
We jog in the woods and on the turf.
Common Prepositions – Try to memorize at least 10 prepositions
Prepositions come before nouns and pronouns.
Time Relationship: after, before, during, on, since, until
Place relationship: above, across, along, among, around, at, behind, below, beneath,
beside, between, beyond, by, down, from, in, inside, into, on, onto, outside, over, past,
through, to, toward, under, up, upon, within
Manner relationship: with, without, like, for, of
Identify the subjects, verbs and objects in the following sentences
Write an S above the subject(s), V above the verb(s), DO above the direct object(s), IO
above the indirect object(s) and OBJ above the object(s) of the preposition.
Ex.
Boys and girls dig holes in the sand.
1. I deposited my savings in the bank.
2. The wind blew my hat and scarf into the air.
3. Toni left her clothes and lunch in the locker.
4. She bought me some cotton candy at the fair.
5. The company offered my brother a promotion.
6. Will you bring my sister and me some souvenirs of your trip?
7. The robin fed its young a big meal.
8. Sandra made Lucy a beautiful necklace of shells.
You have finished the grammar packet. Yippee!