In this activity, students create an outline for the characters in the story, paying close attention to the physical characteristics and the character traits of both major and minor characters. Students can also provide detailed information regarding the character’s actions, how they influence other characters, and how the main character changed over time.
Characters included in this characters map are:
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a character map for the major characters.
Guide students to analyze why each character makes certain choices. Ask open-ended questions about their motivations and connect those to their actions in the story. Encourage students to use evidence from the text to support their ideas.
Encourage students to cite specific lines or events from "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" when discussing character motivations. Model how to reference the text and explain why this strengthens their responses.
Foster an environment where students can disagree respectfully about what drives each character. Establish ground rules for discussion and prompt students to listen and respond thoughtfully to peers.
Ask students to relate the characters' decisions to their own lives or current events. Invite students to share personal experiences or observations that mirror the dilemmas faced by the characters.
Have students write a short reflection on which character's motivations they found most interesting and why. Encourage them to use both discussion points and text evidence in their responses.
A character map for 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi' is a visual organizer that helps students outline key details about each character, including their physical traits, personality, relationships, and important actions in the story.
To create a character map, have students identify major characters, choose visual representations, and fill in text boxes with traits, relationships, and defining moments for each character. Using digital tools or drawing by hand both work well.
Major characters include Rikki-tikki, Teddy, Teddy's parents, Nag, and Nagina. Minor characters are Darzee, Darzee's wife, and Chuchundra.
Students should include physical characteristics, personality traits, each character’s relationships with others, and a defining moment or key action for every character.
Creating a character map helps students analyze character development, understand relationships in the story, and track how the main character changes over time, deepening reading comprehension.