Literary Element:
Character

Characters are the people or animals in a story. Memorable characters come alive for us while we read. They live on the page and in our hearts and minds; we do not forget them. Yet, they are fictional; they do not really exist.

Readers can learn about characters in many ways, including:
- How they look
- What they say
- What they do
- What they wear
- What they think
- Why they do what they do

Be alert to characters in the same way you are when you meet real people. Observe their actions. Listen closely to what they say and how they say it. Notice how they relate to other characters and how other characters respond to them. Look for clues as to their purpose and importance in the story.

Internet Resources for Characters

American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov
Developed by the Library of Congress, this site is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. It offers more than 7 million easily accessed digital items from more than 100 historical collections, including many fascinating photographs of people from all walks of life.

Genealogy.com
http://www.genealogy.com
Use this free website to build a family tree, either real or imaginary. You can also view some celebrity family trees and track down your own ancestry.

Portraits of Nevada
http://www.unr.edu/sb204/theatre/Intro.html
Discover the history and lifestyle of early Nevada pioneers through fashion. Includes great descriptions and pictures of clothing items such as bonnets, corsets, and hoop skirts.

Plastic Fork Diaries
http://www.plasticforkdiaries.org/
Follow six middle school students as they experience first-hand the relationship between food and their changing bodies, cultural differences, the vanishing family meal, nutrition, and athletic performance.

See your SEM-R Framework book and use your bookmarks for additional questions to ask students about characters!