Learning About Characters

Let’s Begin!Let’s Begin!

Hello there, I’m Arthur!My friends and I want to help you learn about characters today!

What is a character?

Characters

Let’s learn about Characters together!

Let’s learn about Characters together!

Characters

Characters are the most important element of literature. Without characters, there would be no story! Have you ever thought about what the word “character” means?

Let me tell you!

A character is a person created by the writer.

See an example!

Read the following short story carefully, paying attention to the characters involved.

Muffy and Binky decided to take my dog Pal on a walk one afternoon. They were strolling along; when suddenly Pal broke lose from his leash! They chased after him but were not fast enough.

They ran all around the neighborhood with no luck. Hours later, they gave up and walked back to my house. They went inside and looked at other with sighs of relief. There in my living room, was Pal, playing with my little sister Kate!

POP Quiz!

How many characters were in this story?

a)2, Muffy and Binkyb)3, Muffy, Binky, and D.W.c) 1, Pald)4, Muffy, Binky, D.W., and Pal

OOPS! Wrong answer, try again.

See a hint!

HINT:Muffy and Binky were walking Pal.

Then, they saw Katie.

GREAT WORK!

There were 4 characters in that story; even Pal is a character!

4

I hope you had fun learning about what a character is! Now, let’s learn about the different

roles characters can have.

Where would you like to begin?

• What is a protagonist?

• What is an antagonist?

• What is a minor character?

• Take the final quiz!

Protagonists

Hi there, I’m Buster! Let’s learn about

protagonists!

Hi there, I’m Buster! Let’s learn about

protagonists!

There are different types of characters within a story. The protagonist is a very important one.

Learn more!

What is a protagonist?

A protagonist is the major character at the center of this story.

(You can think of protagonist as the main character.)

How can I remember this?

I always use a trick to remember what protagonist means.

Protagonists are the main part of the Plot.Protagonist Plot

Read this short story, paying close attention to the roles of the

characters.

Binky woke up Monday morning at 6:30 to get ready for school. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, and placed his books into his backpack. His mom made him his favorite breakfast, bacon and eggs. Binky watched some cartoons as he enjoyed his meal.

Binky then thanked her and then ran out the door to catch the bus. He saw his good friend Sue Ellen and they high-fived each other as she passed. Binky then got on the school bus, ready to start a great day at school.

POP Quiz!

Who was the protagonist of this story?a)The backpackb)Binkyc) Sue Ellend)Binky’s mom

OOPS! Try again.

Hint

Hint:

Think of who the plot was based on. (Remember, Plot Protagonist.)

GOOD JOB!

Binky was the main character, since the plot revolved around him, he was the protagonist!

I hope you had fun learning about protagonists!

Isn’t learning FUN?

What’s next?

Hello there, I’m Muffy! Would you like to learn about antagonists with me?

Of course!

There are different types of characters within a story. The

antagonist is a very important one!

Do you know what an antagonist is? If not, you came to the place!

An antagonist is a character or force that opposes the protagonist.

(To oppose means to go against!) Sometimes remembering this word can be tricky though. Luckily, I have a way to remember it by!

Learn Muffy’s Trick!

Anti means against, and antagonist starts with an a.The antagonist is against the protagonist.

Antagonist against

Read the following short story, paying close attention to the roles of the characters.

Arthur had a long day and could not wait to go to bed once he finished his homework one Thursday afternoon. He had a headache, and all he could think about was sleep. Finally, he finished, got ready for bed, and laid down. Suddenly…

He hears Mary Moo Cow blasting from the TV! He storms out to the living room to find D.W. sitting on the floor, singing along.

POP Quiz!

Who was the antagonist of this story?a)Arthurb)D.W.

OOPS! Wrong answer.

GREAT WORK! D.W. went against what Arthur, the main character, wanted

(sleep). This makes her the antagonist!

That was fun learning about antagonists!

What now?

Hi! My name is Prunela. Let’s learn about minor characters!

As you know, there are many different types of characters within a story. Although minor characters are MINOR, they still play an important role.

What in the world is a minor character?

A minor character supports the protagonist.

Minor characters are not the focus, they exist in the background of a story. For example, a close friend of the main character.

Read the following short story, paying close attention to the roles of the characters.

Arthur has a big baseball game coming up. He has been practicing every single day, but has not improved at all! Arthur even bought a movie on how to improve your baseball playing skills.

After weeks of not getting any better, Arthur decides to ask for some advice. His good friend Buster coached and practiced with him for a day, and Arthur already noticed improvement. The game day arrived, and Arthur played amazing!

POP Quiz!

Who was the minor character of this story?a)Busterb)Arthur

CORRECT! Awesome job!

Arthur was the main character (the protagonist), and Buster was the minor character!

OOPS! Wrong answer!

Try again.

I sure am glad that we learned about minor characters!

What’s next?

You’ve learned a lot today! Now it’s time to see what you remember!

1. A character is a person created by the writer.a) Trueb) False

CORRECT!

OOPS! Try again.

2. What was the hint given to help remember what a protagonist is?

a)Pineappleb)Profitc) Plot

OOPS! Try again.

CORRECT! Great!

3. What is another name for the protagonist?a)A main characterb)A background character

CORRECT! Good!

OOPS! Wrong answer. Try again.

4. What is the way to remember what an antagonist is?

a)Alsob)Against

OOPS! Try again.

Great Job!!

5. In the story of the 3 little pigs, the wolf tries to knock down the 3 pigs’ houses. The wolf would be the…

a)Plotb)Protagonistc) Antagonist

SORRY! Try again.

YES! Wonderful Job!

Last question!

6. Minor characters are not important in stories because they play small roles.

a)Trueb)False

OOPS! Try again.

Hint: ALL characters contribute something to the story.

YES! Great Job!

YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE ENTIRE CHARACTER ACTIVITY!

GREAT JOB!