Using Holes to Teach Characterization

Outcome:
1-      Students will analyze characters to find overarching themes from literature. 
2-      Students will understand how to write descriptive poetry.
Procedure:

1. Attention getter: Have name cards of characters from the book at each student’s desk when they come in. Based on that character, have them fill out a questionnaire about themselves.
2. Have students discuss their answers to their questions with 2 or 3 people around them. What kinds of thinks did they come up with?
3. When we think about the character and the things that make them tick, we learn a lot about them. What kinds of things did you think about as you thought of the answers to the questions?
4. Explain to students the importance of analyzing characters to look for the emotions that drive them to action. Then tell them that we will be working on poems based on an emotion the character deals with.
5. Have the students choose one of the characters in the book (the one they used for the questionnaire or someone different) Have them be thinking about some of the feelings that they went through in the poem to fill in the following blanks, but give them the example before they start working. (I am________. I dress in______. I need ________. I am related to_____. I vacation____. My job is____. I desire_______... Example: Stanley deals with loneliness: I am loneliness/ The dark of night is my cloak/ I vacation in the arms of solitude/ Sadness and depression are the cousins I joyfully disinherit/ at a welcoming smile)
   
6. Have students work on their poems. Then, have them share with a neighbor then for the class.
7. Explain the importance of thinking about the feelings and themes the characters deal with. This will help us understand the author’s purpose and analyze the characters to better understand their point of view.
8. Students will have the opportunity to fine tune their poems to turn in the following day.

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