Characters from History, Grades 4 - 8
http://artswork.asu.edu/arts/students/tb/99_tg_01.htm

We're assuming that the history unit has been introduced and the students working in a group, have made initial decisions about a scenario and have selected a character for each to perform. (Artswork has several history/drama units at: http://artswork.asu.edu/arts/students/comdrama/index.htm and http://artswork.asu.edu/arts/students/wc/index.htm and http://artswork.asu.edu/arts/students/holidays/index.htm and units on Immigration, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War will be added in 2005-06.)

Vocabulary: character, motivation, conflict, research
Use:

1. To help students understand characters based on historical events for a scenario or playwriting assignment
2. To help students prepare to play a role in an improvisation or scripted play

Standards:

1. Theatre:
   —Imagine and clearly describe characters, their relationships to other characters, and their motivations, particularly as they relate to the events of the time
2. Language Arts:
   —Read articles and/or stories, then draw defensible conclusions about characters, determining character traits and motivations
   —Compare the motivations and feelings of the historical characters with real-life people today

Materials:

1. Copies of the figure outline for each student. Find at 'Print
2. Model' at the web site.
3. Crayons, colored pencils, or felt tip makers
4. Books, articles, web addresses to support student research

Your Role:

1. Help the students read the site text about questions to ask about historical characters.
   —Look at the model Revolutionary War characters
   —Discuss where the authors might have found this information
   —Discuss how the character information might create or add to a dramatic problem
2. With the students create any different or additional questions they will want to use as they find out about their characters. Record these questions and duplicate them so the students can use them as a guide as they do their research.
3. Model the Historical Character exercise for the students. Choose a major character from the historical period being studied.
   —Draw the character on the board, or use an overhead projection. Draw on the face, clothing, hair, etc. that the students suggest.
   —Then print around the drawing, answers to the questions about the life and times of the character and his or her motivations. Model for the students recording the factual information gleaned from the readings and the use of the imagination to create defensible answers when they are not explicitly mentioned in the literature.
   —Discuss how this character's background and motivation can create tension and action in the play
   —Discuss how the feelings of the character might be similar to someone in current affairs.
4. Assign the appropriate reading, making certain that there is useful printed or computer text for each student, considering their reading skills. Suggest that they keep their list of questions with them as they read and that they take notes. The notes should summarize important points to answer their set of questions. It may be important to model reading part of an article, finding the important points that answer the questions, then summarizing the points for the report. The students should know that they should not copy information verbatim.
5. Have the students review their scenarios with their group, making certain that everyone knows his or her role in the drama
6. Pass out the figure outlines and have the students color in the characters and write answers to the questions around the figure
7. Have the students share their drawings and information about their characters with the class. Discuss how the characters are similar to and different from people today.

Time:

1. Two 15-20 minute sessions, with appropriate reading time between the sessions

Assessment:

1. Do the facts the students wrote around their character figure correctly reflect the history of the time?
2. Are the assumptions about the character (what is not explicitly stated in the literature, for instance feelings and motivation) 'defensible' based on the text?
3. Are the decisions about the character appropriate for the scenario the group is creating? Do they contribute to the development of the conflict/story?
4. In the class discussion did the students discuss the salient facets of the characters and relate character motivation to social circumstances and situations?