Illustrating Characters in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

In this activity, students 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.

Other characters to consider who were not included in this character map:

• Harlan Granger
• Jeremy Simms
• Mr. Simms
• Mr. Avery
• Mr./Mrs. Berry
• Claude Avery
• Wallace Family
• Mr. Jamison
• “Night Men”

Student Instructions

Create a character map for the major characters.

1. Identify the major characters in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 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, What Challenges Does This Character Face, and How Does This Character Interact with the Main Character.