1. CHARACTER TRAITS AND MOTIVATION
UNIT 2

2. WARM-UP:HOW DO WE KNOW A PERSON?
THINK ABOUT:
President Barrack Obama
How did voters know he is a good candidate?
How did they make their judgments?
Where does their information come from?

3. Finding Traits in a Character
In order to determine what traits the characters in a book have, or the people in life you meet, you could use these Methods of Characterization:
Physical Appearance
Speech, Thoughts and Actions
What Other Characters Say about Them

4. Physical Appearance
This is what the character looks like, what they wear, body language and facial expressions.
Example: The beautiful red-headed maiden with lips as red as a rose seems to glide everywhere she walks.

5. What Traits Do These Characters Have?
Madeline walked stiffly toward her new locker, a solemn expression glued to her face.
The stranger was standing plumb in the middle of the platform, arms folded, looking at all the world as though he owned the whole place.

6. What the Character Says, Does and Thinks
This is the Dialogue the character uses to help the reader understand what they are thinking or feeling about a certain situation.
It is also what the narrator tells or the character may tell the reader that they are thinking about a certain situation.
What the character does in certain situations also shows the different traits that the character possesses.

7. What Traits Do These Characters Have?
This was Madeline’s third move in five years, and she was sick of having to start over. This time, she vowed to keep to herself. No longer would she waste any more energy trying to fit in.
A bit of a loner and liking it that way. Sort of like me, she had sometimes thought, clutching onto her solitude as tightly as she held her books.

8. What Other Characters Think
This is other’s impressions of the character.
It is also what others say and feel about the character.

9. What Traits Do These Characters Have?
Madeline’s classmates smirked and laughed as she walked by. Not only was she unfriendly, they concluded, but she took herself way too seriously.

10. Character Motivation What motivates someone to do something?
Sometimes people can not explain the reason for their own actions.
This is called motivation.

11. What is the Character Motivation Here?
Carlos spends two hours cleaning his room on a Saturday morning.
What could Carlos’ motivation for cleaning his room be?

12. Character Motivation
Open Books to pg. 166 and complete questions 1-3 with a partner.
Complete questions 1-5 on page 167 by yourself.