Graphic organizers for character analysis include character maps/webs, compare/contrast views, and Venn diagrams. Character maps/webs are easy to create and consist of a character’s name in the center with descriptors written in bubbles around it. Compare/contrast views use boxes to compare two characters, while Venn diagrams show unique and shared traits.
There are several types of graphic organizers that can be used for character analysis, although some in particular are quite common. Perhaps one of the most widely used is the character or web map, which allows someone to easily visualize the various aspects and descriptors of a character. You can also use a compare/contrast view, especially when dealing with two characters that are important to a story. In some situations, Venn diagrams can be effective graphic organizers for character analysis, although this depends on the nature of the story and the characters involved in it.
Someone looking for graphic organizers for character analysis should consider using a character map or web. This type of graphic organizer is fairly easy to create and can consist of nothing more than a character’s name written in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. From this central point, different descriptions and aspects of the character can be written around the character’s name, usually using bubbles to isolate each aspect and connecting these bubbles in the center with lines. This creates a web of descriptions, from which this particular visualization gets its name.
The simplest character analysis can be done in a similar way, using a simplified map or web. Instead of adding loosely to the map, several large circles or boxes are drawn around the central point and connected to it with lines. These can then be labeled with ideas like ‘Description’ or ‘Actions’ to indicate which aspects of the character analysis should be written in them. Such graphic character analysis organizers are quite easy to use and may be preferable for younger students who are just starting to learn about characterization.
Other popular types of graphic organizers for character analysis include compare/contrast visualizations. These are typically created by someone creating several boxes on a sheet of paper, often with two small boxes on top, one large box below, and two boxes below about half the size of the larger box. The top two boxes have the names of two characters written in them, the large box is then used to write the ways they are similar and the two smaller boxes below are used to write the ways they are different. This can be used to easily compare the actions or descriptions of two characters.
A Venn diagram can also be used to easily see the differences between two characters in a story. This is created by someone drawing two or more large circles on a sheet of paper and having them overlap a bit in the middle. Each circle is then used to represent a different character in the story. Appearances or character descriptions that are unique are written in the non-overlapping parts of the circles, while shared traits are written in the overlapping area. This type of diagram is a great visualization for a story that contains two characters who are similar in some ways, but whose differences lead to conflict in the story.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
