The Arts · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Characters on Screen

Active learning works well for this topic because young students grasp abstract concepts like personality traits more easily through concrete, hands-on experiences. When students physically act out actions or sort visual costume clues, they build deeper understanding than through passive observation alone.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9AMAFR01

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 20 min · Pairs

Pair Share: Costume Clues

Pairs watch a 1-minute clip of a character. One partner describes the costume without naming the character; the other guesses traits like brave or sneaky. Partners switch roles and share with the class.

Analyze how a character's costume helps tell us about them.

Facilitation Tip

During Pair Share: Costume Clues, walk around to listen for students naming specific costume features paired with personality traits, not just describing colors or shapes.

What to look for

Show students a short clip of a character. Ask them to point to or draw one thing about the character's costume and one action that tells them something about the character's personality. Record their responses.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Group: Action Reenactments

In small groups, students view a short scene and select one action to reenact silently. The class watches and infers the character's personality. Groups discuss what movements revealed.

Explain how a character's actions on screen reveal their personality.

Facilitation Tip

For Small Group: Action Reenactments, provide props like hats or scarves so students can fully embody the characters they portray.

What to look for

Present two images of the same character, one a drawing and one from a live-action video. Ask: 'How is this character the same in both pictures? How is this character different? Which picture tells you more about how the character feels? Why?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Drawing vs Video Compare

Project a character drawing next to a live-action clip. Class lists similarities and differences in appearance and actions on a shared chart. Vote on most noticeable changes.

Compare how a character looks in a drawing versus in a live-action video.

Facilitation Tip

When facilitating Whole Class: Drawing vs Video Compare, display student work side-by-side to highlight differences in style and realism.

What to look for

Give students a card with a character's name. Ask them to draw one item of clothing the character might wear and write one sentence about an action the character might do to show their personality.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 15 min · Individual

Individual: My Character Sketch

Students watch a familiar clip individually, then draw the character focusing on costume and one key action pose. Label traits shown and share one with a neighbor.

Analyze how a character's costume helps tell us about them.

What to look for

Show students a short clip of a character. Ask them to point to or draw one thing about the character's costume and one action that tells them something about the character's personality. Record their responses.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through guided observation and embodied learning. Avoid over-explaining; instead, let students discover connections between visuals and traits. Research shows young children learn best when they can move and discuss ideas with peers. Model curiosity by asking open-ended questions like, 'What does that hat make you think about the character?'.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how costumes and actions reveal character traits. They should begin to notice details in media and connect visuals to storytelling without prompting.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pair Share: Costume Clues, watch for students describing costumes only by color or fabric instead of personality traits.

  Redirect by asking, 'What does that eye patch make you think about the character? How does it show adventure?' as students share their costume observations.

• During Small Group: Action Reenactments, watch for students relying solely on dialogue to convey personality.

  Pause the reenactment to ask, 'How can you show excitement without words? Let’s try it silently first.' to focus on movement.

• During Whole Class: Drawing vs Video Compare, watch for students assuming the character looks identical in both versions.

  Guide students to point out differences in line quality or shading using a Venn diagram on the board as they compare drawings and video stills.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session