Diary of Anne Frank Character Map

We see many characters through Anne’s eyes, and while her descriptions are sometimes biased, Anne shows a surprising amount of insight. Anne takes great care to give “Kitty” lots of information, and she reflects on earlier entries when she may have been overcome with emotion. The members of the Secret Annexe, as well as those helping them, are are a huge part of the story. There are many conflicts that arise (and stick around) because of the confinement, which contributes to how each character develops over the two years.

In this activity, students will depict the characters of the story, paying close attention to the physical and character traits of both major and minor characters. Students provide detailed information regarding the characters’ actions and how they influence other characters. In addition, students can identify how the main character changes over time.

Have students create the characters and fill in the information from a template, or you can make the characters on a blank map and print it out for students to complete. Alternatively, assign different characters to different students or groups to go into greater detail. Students or groups can present their information to the rest of the class.

Additional characters could include:

• Elli Vossen
• Mr. Koophius
• Mr. Kraler
• Henk Van Santen
• Mouschi
• Boche
• Lies
• Granny

Student Instructions

Create a character map for the major characters.

1. Identify the major characters in The Diary of Anne Frank and type their names into the different title boxes.
2. Choose a character to represent each of the literary characters.
• Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits.
3. Choose a scene or background that makes sense for the character.
4. Fill in the text boxes for Physical/Character Traits, How Does This Character Change over Time, and How Does This Character Interact with the Main Character.