This activity allows for a more in-depth look at one or more characters, with a focus on character traits. Students should provide textual evidence to support the character trait they choose. Students can support their ideas with dialogue, thoughts, or actions of the character they are portraying. Here is an example of a character trait storyboard in the grid format. This example features Snowbell, Margalo, and Stuart, but students can analyze the character traits for any or all of the characters in Stuart Little.
Possible character traits for characters in Stuart Little:
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard describing character traits in Stuart Little.
Lead a dynamic classroom conversation about character traits to deepen understanding and encourage critical thinking. Engage students by connecting their ideas to evidence from the text for richer analysis.
Explain to students that the purpose is to explore how characters' traits impact the story and to support their ideas with evidence from the book. Clear goals help focus the conversation and keep students on track.
Write questions like, “Why do you think Stuart acted bravely in this scene?” or “How does Margalo show loyalty?” Open-ended questions invite thoughtful responses and discussion.
Remind students to use dialogue, actions, or thoughts from the story to support their answers. This builds their analytical skills and confidence in backing up their ideas.
Have students discuss their answers with a partner or small group before sharing with the class. This gives everyone a chance to contribute and prepares them for whole-class discussion.
After sharing, highlight the main points and examples students discussed. Summarizing as a class reinforces learning and clarifies understanding about character traits.
Stuart is portrayed as determined, kind, loyal, thoughtful, and confident throughout the novel. These traits are shown through his actions, dialogue, and the ways he helps others in the story.
Students should find specific examples from the text, such as character dialogue, thoughts, or actions, to prove a chosen trait. For example, quoting a scene where Stuart helps a friend highlights his loyalty.
A great activity is creating a character trait storyboard. Students pick a character, identify traits, give evidence from the story, and illustrate scenes that show these traits using a provided template.
Students can analyze Stuart, Margalo, Snowbell, Mr. and Mrs. Little, or any other character in the book. Each character displays unique traits that can be supported with examples from the text.
Using textual evidence teaches students to support their ideas and strengthens their reading comprehension. It helps them move beyond opinions and base their analysis on facts from the story.