Characters in a story are more than a name to remember. Use a character builder worksheet to write out a character's appearance, background, personality, attributes, and story relevance, including whether they are a main or minor...

"It seemed the more I knew about people the more I knew about the strange magic hidden in their hearts." Ultima's strange magic and the hidden hearts of Narciso, Tenorior, and the other foils in Bless Me, Ultima, are examined in the...

What does Scout learn about herself from the other characters in Harper Lee's tale? Groups are assigned two different secondary characters, compile a list of the character's traits, and, using evidence from the text, consider what Scout...

This activity spans five days and culminates in a role-play where judges consider the arguments of each learners to determine the top five villains or heroes of all time. Learners discuss characterization of heroes and villains, theme,...

A villain is necessary in any great story! As your creative writers begin brainstorming characters, remind them not to skimp on their antagonist. This worksheet helps guide learners in detailing a villain, and adds some silliness to keep...

The villain is sometimes the best character in a book. They are usually troubled, dynamic, and will do anything to stop the main character. Have your class better understand villainous antagonists by creating one in class. They work...

What was the purpose of the Enrollment Act of 1863? Pupils consider the topic while completing the novel study for The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick. They write original similes and answer reading...

What do wizards smell like? A novel study for Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy walks readers through chapter one to help them answer the question. Scholars also practice vocabulary from the chapter and invent original similes.

Fortunetellers and elephants may not have much in common, but both are prominently featured in Kate DiCamillo's novel The Magician's Elephant. Using the novel study, learners answer questions and complete worksheets on figurative...

Imagine a place where airships are the primary mode of transportation and where some flying creatures spend their entire lives in the air. Scholars become immersed in a fantasy world with the Airborn novel study as they answer questions...

Discuss the character traits of a protagonist with a set of activities focused on literature and informational texts. As your class analyzes the differences between protagonists and antagonists, they determine each character's part in a...

You'll be a star at your next grade level meeting with an educational unit on Louis Sachar's Holes. Based on both the novel and film, the lessons include applications to language arts with character studies and movie reviews; social...

How can you tell if a character is a villain? What about a hero? Work on literary analysis with an engaging language arts worksheet. After completing an activity about the four types of conflict, learners fill out a character map about a...

Cover the canine characters in The Call of the Wild through discussion and writing. Small groups complete a jigsaw-style activity, with each group focusing on one dog and using textual evidence to back up their ideas. Next, individuals...

Take your history class through Schindler's List with a learning guide, which offers an introduction to the film and a variety of discussion questions and related assignments. There are several useful resources in the sidebar, such as a...

Putting together an interesting story can be hard, but this set of worksheets will guide your writers into the depths of their own creativity as they characterize both their main character and villain. Using humor to keep learners...

The class considers parent-child relationships in relation to how they have been portrayed in classical and modern mediums. They view video clips and read excerpts from fairy tales and news paper articles to explore the evil-step parent...

What makes a story interesting? Complex characters! As part of a series of worksheets that prepares middle schoolers to write their own novel, the exercises included explain the role of the protagonist, the antagonist, and the supporting...

Conflict can be fun! Or at least it can be, if it forms the basis of a novel plot. This resource, part of a NaNoWriMo series of worksheets that prepares middle schoolers to write their own novel, presents the element of conflict. After...

Young learners explore the antagonist. They retell Hansel and Gretel and identify the witch and the stepmother as antagonists. They then brainstorm common character traits of an antagonist, and then write a paragraph describing an...

Darth Vader, The Wicked Witch of the West, Shere Khan, Moby Dick...these are some of the most famous villains in film and literature. Study the four categories of conflict with your class and have them finish the day by creating a...

Develop a mystery character using clues from a bag. This engaging activity will help learners understand character traits. They develop a list of the items from the bag, discuss and develop the character with a partner, and create a...

As part of an lesson involving literature or writing, have your learners watch and discuss this presentation on plot development. In a series of slides, viewers engage in an activity to explore dramatic structure, including plot...

Whether new to teaching Beowulf or an experience pro, you'll find much to like in a richly detailed unit plan that asks readers to consider how the epic represents the difficulty in defining good and evil but also reflects the changing...