Evaluating Character in the Character
At Troy Buchanan High School, students read novels and record examples of positive character traits being displayed by the novels' protagonists. After completing a novel, students decide what three character traits best describe their protagonist. Several examples of how those three character traits were exemplified in the novel should be recorded in support for the student’s decision. Finally, students prove how the protagonist’s character helped him/her make the good decisions that affected his/her life positively in the novel. As a next step to the assignment, students speculate how the events of the novel might have gone differently had the protagonist not demonstrated such strong character. Using several key conflicts in the plot, students provide alternative outcomes for the protagonist’s actions had his/her character been absent. By evaluating strong character results and by speculating less fortunate outcomes in the lack of character, students discover through the evaluation of their protagonist how influential good character can be on the decisions in their own lives.