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 Night Diary, 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 The Night Diary.
Student Instructions:
Guide students in sharing their character maps by creating a safe, open environment. Encourage each student to explain their choices for character traits and challenges, and ask peers to offer respectful feedback or additional insights. This builds critical thinking and helps students connect more deeply with the story.
Ask students to identify and discuss how each character changes from the beginning to the end of the book. Use guiding questions to prompt thinking, such as: What events caused the biggest changes? This helps students recognize character development and relate it to real-life growth.
Direct students to support their character map entries with specific quotes or passages from The Night Diary. Model how to find and cite evidence that illustrates a character’s traits or challenges. This strengthens reading comprehension and textual analysis skills.
Facilitate a discussion on how the characters’ struggles are influenced by the historical events in the story. Encourage students to research or brainstorm how Partition impacted daily life. Making these connections deepens understanding of both the characters and the historical setting.
Create a bulletin board or digital gallery of finished character maps. Highlight thoughtful insights and creative details. Publicly celebrating student work boosts motivation and allows everyone to learn from each other’s perspectives.
A character map for The Night Diary is a visual tool that helps students organize and analyze the traits, challenges, and development of the main and minor characters in the book.
To create a character map, ask students to select a character, use images and text to highlight their physical and personality traits, describe how the character changes, and note the challenges they face throughout The Night Diary.
Character maps help students better understand character motivations, track development, and connect challenges to the plot, making The Night Diary more engaging and easier to analyze.
Example traits include kindness, bravery, curiosity, and any changes in attitude or perspective that characters experience as the story unfolds.
The best way is to check for clear identification of traits, evidence of character change, accurate details about challenges, and thoughtful connections to the story's plot and themes.