Character maps are a helpful tool for students to use as they're reading, although they can also be used after completing a book. In this activity, students will create a character map of the characters in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, 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.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a character map for the major characters in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Student Instructions:
Engage your students in a lively conversation about how characters change in the story. Encourage them to use evidence from their character maps to support their ideas.
Ask questions like, "Why do you think Edward changed?" or "How would you feel in this character’s situation?" to foster critical thinking and empathy.
Guide students to relate character growth to their own experiences. Prompt them to share times they have faced challenges or changed their feelings about something, just like the characters.
Display character maps on the board or use digital tools so everyone can see and contribute. This helps visual learners and encourages participation from all students.
Ask students to write a short reflection about what they learned from a character’s journey. This reinforces comprehension and gives quieter students a voice.
A character map in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is a visual organizer that helps students track each character’s physical traits, personality, challenges, and growth throughout the story, making it easier to understand their importance and development.
Students can create a character map by identifying the main and minor characters, selecting images or icons to represent them, and filling in details about their traits, changes over time, and the challenges they face using tools like Storyboard That or graphic organizers.
Mapping characters helps students analyze relationships, track character development, and deepen comprehension by making connections between character traits, actions, and the overall plot.
Key traits to include for Edward Tulane are his physical appearance, emotions, behaviors, changes in attitude, and how he responds to various challenges throughout the novel.
The best way is to encourage students to use text evidence while completing the character map, noting how Edward and other characters evolve from the beginning to the end of the story based on their experiences.