How to Teach Characters: Quiz
- simplyaaronni9
- Jul 24
- 2 min read
How to Teach Characters: Part 1
Don't forget to read part 1 of this series on characters!
How to Teach Characters: Quiz
Characters are an essential part of any story and knowing how to assess them is essential. There are many ways to do this. You can use anecdotal notes or observations, small group work or conferencing. The methods are endless and varied, but one of the quickest and easiest ways to assess a student's understanding of characters is to give them a quiz. This is where this freebie comes in!
Characters are essential in fiction, so reading a short passage to anchor student learning is important. Students most likely have a good understanding of fiction, as it's all around them, but that may not always be the case! You can use this passage in a variety of ways:
Whole Group: You can read the passage out loud to your class.
Partners: Students can read the passage together.
Small Group: Your students can take turns reading different parts of the text.
Choose the method that works the best for you and your class!
Now that you've read the passage, you need to apply that knowledge. For this worksheet, students get the chance to complete a character web. A character web is when you put the name of the character in the center bubble and list different features of the characters. Those features can include:
Character traits
Character roles
Inferences
Physical traits
When it comes to assessing learning, it's important that you don't assess in isolation. This means that even though I'm focusing on characters in this quiz, characters important to other skills geared toward fiction.
Inference: It's important to use background knowledge and clues to make inferences about characters. This skill allows students to better understand the characters in their story, as well as the motivations of those characters.
Theme: It's impossible to have a theme if you don't have characters that learn from the events in the story; namely, the elements of plot. I posted about both in two parts: part 1 and part 2. If a student can infer why a character acts the way they do, this is a sign that they understand characters, in general.
Character Roles: This skill is essential for leveling up student learning. A student can identify characters in a story, as well as know the theme of a story, but knowing the role a character plays in fiction is essential to understanding plot. The author does everything, so it's important to know why the character is in the story.
Summary: When a student understands a characters' physical place in a story, they can create a summary that uses the elements of plot to show understanding. This question is essential as it uses more than one skill to assess a single skill.
You can use this quiz in whole group, in partners, or in small group. Use the best method for yourself, as well as your students!
Get a copy of this worksheet for FREE!
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