Becoming Someone Else: CharacterizationActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works well for characterization because it allows students to physically and emotionally experience a role rather than just discuss it. When children step into a character’s shoes through movement, voice, and simple props, they develop empathy and clarity in their choices. This kinesthetic and imaginative approach helps young learners internalize how small details can communicate big ideas to an audience.
Learning Objectives
- 1Demonstrate the use of vocal variety (pitch, volume, pace) to portray distinct character traits.
- 2Identify specific physical actions and gestures that communicate a character's personality and emotions.
- 3Create a short scene using voice, gesture, and simple props to embody a character from a familiar story.
- 4Analyze how different characters in a story might respond to the same situation based on their unique traits.
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Role Play: The Magic Hat
Place a basket of different hats (a crown, a hard hat, a sun hat) in the center. A student puts one on and must walk and talk like the person who would wear it, while the class guesses the character.
Prepare & details
What does an actor do to make us believe they are really that character?
Facilitation Tip: During Role Play: The Magic Hat, model how a single prop can transform a student’s posture and movement by showing two contrasting examples (e.g., a king’s stick vs. a mouse’s stick).
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Think-Pair-Share: Character Voices
Give pairs a simple sentence like 'Where is my lunch?' They must take turns saying it as a 'grumpy giant' and then as a 'tiny fairy,' discussing how the meaning of the sentence changes.
Prepare & details
How would a giant talk? How would a tiny fairy talk?
Facilitation Tip: For Think-Pair-Share: Character Voices, provide a small mirror so students can observe and adjust their facial expressions and mouth shapes as they experiment with different vocal tones.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Simulation Game: Character Cafe
Students are assigned a character (e.g., a baker, a firefighter, a squirrel). They move around the room and 'meet' other characters, staying in character as they ask each other one question about their day.
Prepare & details
Why did you choose to move that way for your character?
Facilitation Tip: In Simulation: Character Cafe, circulate with a clipboard to jot down one specific choice each student makes (e.g., how they hold their cup, the speed of their speech) to give immediate feedback later.
Setup: Flexible space for group stations
Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker
Teaching This Topic
Start by modeling small, intentional choices rather than full costumes or elaborate performances. Research shows that young children benefit from clear, concrete examples they can mimic before creating their own interpretations. Avoid praising 'being silly' without purpose, as it can lead to random movements that confuse the audience. Instead, focus on how specific details (like a limp or a whisper) help the audience understand the character’s story.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students making purposeful choices with their voice, body, and props to clearly show a character’s personality or emotion. You should see them using distinct movements, tones, and gestures that stay consistent with the role they are portraying. Students should also begin to explain why they made certain choices to build the character.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Role Play: The Magic Hat, students may think they cannot become a character without the right clothes.
What to Teach Instead
Provide a stick or scarf as a prop and model how posture and movement can shift instantly from one character to another without changing clothes. Ask students to name the character they see and explain how they knew.
Common MisconceptionDuring Think-Pair-Share: Character Voices, students may default to exaggerated or random sounds.
What to Teach Instead
Pause the pair-sharing to ask: 'What made your character’s voice unique? Was it the pitch, speed, or something else?' Guide them to focus on one specific vocal choice that matches their role.
Assessment Ideas
After Role Play: The Magic Hat, ask students to freeze in a pose representing a character who is very nervous. Observe if they use distinct body language like fidgeting or hunched shoulders.
During Think-Pair-Share: Character Voices, ask each pair to share one vocal choice they made and why it fit their character. Listen for specific terms like 'high-pitched,' 'slow,' or 'whispery.'
After Simulation: Character Cafe, provide a picture of a character (e.g., a grumpy troll, a giggly baby). Ask students to draw one gesture and write one word describing the character’s voice.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students to add a 'backstory moment' to their character by whispering a secret to a partner before continuing their role in Character Cafe.
- For students who struggle, provide picture cards of emotions or simple costumes (like a scarf or hat) to help them anchor their choices.
- Deeper exploration: Have students write a short diary entry from their character’s perspective after the Character Cafe activity to connect the role to literacy skills.
Key Vocabulary
| Character | A person, animal, or imaginary creature in a story or play. We use our bodies and voices to show who they are. |
| Gesture | A movement of the hands, head, or body to express an idea or meaning. We use gestures to show how our character feels or what they are doing. |
| Posture | The way you hold your body when you are standing or sitting. A character's posture can show if they are strong, shy, or tired. |
| Voice | The sounds we make when we speak. We can change our voice's pitch, volume, and speed to make our character sound different. |
Suggested Methodologies
More in Characters and Creative Play
Building a World: Setting the Scene
Creating the setting and atmosphere for a play using simple props and imagination.
3 methodologies
The Magic of Performance: Ensemble Work
Working as an ensemble to share a short dramatic sequence with a small audience.
2 methodologies
Story Elements: Problem and Solution
Identifying and acting out simple problems and solutions within a dramatic narrative.
2 methodologies
Using Our Voices: Volume and Tone
Experimenting with different vocal volumes and tones to convey character emotions and intentions.
2 methodologies
Movement on Stage: Blocking Basics
Understanding how to move purposefully on a stage to create clear pictures for the audience.
2 methodologies
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