This activity was designed for 7th grade students doing a unit on the short story.
Materials:
- Copies of activity instructions
- Index cards
- 6 bags containing various objects
Procedure:
- Hand out instructions and index cards
- Go over instructions (below)
- Students form groups according to number on index card
- Groups examine items at corresponding station
- Students return to seats and write character description based on objects at their station
Student instructions:
- You have received an index card with a number on it. This number corresponds with a plastic shopping bag with some items inside it.
- Find the shopping bag with the same number as the one on your index card.
- Bring some paper!
- The items in the bag belong to an imaginary person. Try to figure out what you can tell about that person from these items. WRITE DOWN the items, as well as anything that helps you describe them.
- Go back to your seat. Brainstorm for a few minutes about who you think this person might be. WRITE DOWN your ideas.
- Give your character a name. Imagine what your character might look like. (For example, is your character male or female? Tall or short? Etc.) Imagine what kind of personality your character might have. Again, WRITE DOWN your ideas!
- Put your heading on a CLEAN sheet of paper. Begin writing a character description for your imaginary person. You should include some sort of physical description, the character’s personality, what the character might like to do, what the items he/she had in the bag might tell you about the person.
- Write at least 3 paragraphs and at least 150 words!