Using a character tree to keep track of a story
Abstract
Reading the classic works of literature can be intimidating for anyone, especially middle and high school students. This effective practice highlights a strategy that helps readers keep track of who’s who in the narration. Elena Kamenetzky submitted this effective practice in August 2006, via the America Learns Network.Issue
Oftentimes, high school English students struggle with "difficult" works of literature. For example, reading Beowulf can be trying because the characters are almost never called by name (usually referred to as "Son of So-and-So.") Or Shakespeare's King Lear, in which the tangled familial relationships of the characters makes it tricky for students to follow the story.Action
AmeriCorps member, Elena Kamenetzky, used this technique to help students organize and retain basic character information between tutoring sessions so that "we wouldn't have to start all over again every day."Materials
- Notebook paper
- Construction paper (sheets small enough to be slipped into a folder or notebook)
- Markers
- Optional: old magazines, scissors, glue
Learning Strategy
Step 1
Have students sketch out a family tree from the book or story that they are reading on a sheet of notebook paper. Make sure that they include important main characters. If you're reading something like King Lear in which more than one family is central to the story, feel free to make separate family trees.
Step 2
Optional: Have students cut out pictures from magazines — or print out pictures they find on the Internet — that remind them of the characters on their family trees. For example, one student used pictures of Lord of the Rings characters to illustrate his family tree for Beowulf.
Step 3
Once students have a rough sketch of their family tree planned out to their liking, have them draw a more polished version with markers on a sheet of construction paper. If they are using pictures of characters to illustrate their family trees, have them cut out and glue the pictures to their family tree.
Step 4
Make sure your students keep their family trees in a safe, accessible place where they won't get lost! Encourage students to keep their family trees at hand whenever they read their story or book, at home or in class. Now your students can read Beowulf without having to mentally trip all over themselves every time "Son of Healfdene" is mentioned!
Step 5
Optional: You can easily adapt this strategy to make a "character tree" instead of a family tree. To do so:
Have your students draw a chart of characters in a book, then draw lines between characters describing their relationships. One line could be labeled "best friends," another line could be labeled "rivals" and of course you can include family lines as well — "cousin," "father," and so forth. Use different colored markers for different types of lines, or one color for all the lines emanating from a particular character.
Context
Elena Kamenetzky served with City of Lakes AmeriCorps in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has gone on to teach English in Japan through the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) program. While at Roosevelt High School, Elena started a speech and debate team and the students competed across the state. Most of the students in her group were new to the U.S. and still learning English.Citation
August 2006 America Learns National Strategy of the Month: Keeping Track of Characters, by Elena Kamenetzky.http://americalearns.net/strategy.htm
Outcome
This practice was used with seventh through twelfth graders, one-on-one or in small groups and helped these students track characters and relationships while reading.Posted On
August 9, 2006For More Information