Dragonwings has several important characters who grow and change throughout the story. In this activity, students can create a character map of the characters in the story, paying close attention to the physical attributes and the traits of both major and minor characters. Students can also provide detailed information regarding the challenges the character faces, the challenges the character imposes, and the importance of the character to the plot of the story.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a character map for the major characters in Dragonwings.
Student Instructions:
Encourage students to share their thoughts on why characters make certain choices in the story. Facilitate respectful conversation by asking open-ended questions and prompting students to provide evidence from the text. This helps deepen understanding and critical thinking.
Write 3–5 specific questions about character motivations and changes. Examples: Why did Windrider make a risky choice? How did Moon Shadow’s feelings change? This keeps the discussion focused and productive.
Demonstrate how to listen actively, build on others’ ideas, and disagree politely. Use sentence starters like 'I agree because...' or 'I see it differently because...'. This sets a positive tone for student participation.
Give students roles such as discussion leader, note-taker, or summarizer. Rotating roles ensures everyone participates and practices different skills during the discussion.
Ask students to share what they learned or how their thinking changed. Encourage brief written or verbal reflections to reinforce understanding and build confidence in expressing ideas.
A character map for Dragonwings is a visual organizer that helps students track major and minor characters’ traits, changes, and challenges. To create one, list each character, choose images or illustrations that fit their appearance and personality, and fill in details about their physical traits, character development, and the challenges they face throughout the story.
Include major characters like Moon Shadow, Windrider, and other key figures who significantly impact the plot. Focus on characters who undergo development or face important challenges in Dragonwings.
To identify character traits and changes, look for descriptions of each character’s appearance, actions, and dialogue. Track how their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors evolve as they face obstacles or new experiences in the story.
Characters in Dragonwings face challenges such as adapting to a new culture, overcoming prejudice, pursuing dreams, and dealing with family struggles. Highlight these obstacles in your character map to show how they shape the characters’ growth.
The best way is to use Storyboard That’s character templates, select colors and poses that match each character, and fill in labeled text boxes with details about physical traits, character changes, and challenges for each Dragonwings character.