Activity Overview
As students read, a storyboard can serve as a helpful character reference log. This log (also called a character map) allows students to recall relevant information about important characters. When reading a novel, small attributes and details frequently become important as the plot progresses. With character mapping, students will record this information, helping them follow along and catch the subtleties which make reading more enjoyable!
For this character map, try using "OSCAR" so that students can analyze multiple aspects of a character. OSCAR is an acronym for:
OSCAR Example for Roderick Usher
| DEFINITION | EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|---|
| O |
Other Character's Comments
What do other characters say about the character? |
"Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my friend. His reserve had been always excessive and habitual." |
| S |
Speech
What does the character say about others or themselves? How can we infer meaning and traits from what a character says? |
"In this unnerved, in this pitiable, condition, I feel that the period will sooner or later arrive when I must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR." |
| C | Physical Characteristics
What does the character look like? What descriptive words are used to describe them? |
"We sat down; and for some moments, while he spoke not, I gazed upon him with a feeling half of pity, half of awe. Surely, man had never before so terribly altered, in so brief a period, as had Roderick Usher!" |
| A | Author's Attitude
How does the author feel about this character? |
The narrator mentions that Usher is convinced that his family mansion had obtained a "dint of long sufferance" over his spirit. |
| R | Reader's Reaction
How do you, as the reader, feel about the character? |
The way that Usher is described is creepy, and weird. He thinks his house is making him sick, and he seems oddly connected to his sister. |
The other character you can use this map with is the narrator. While Madeline never speaks, utilize the concepts of direct and indirect characterization with your students to decide what kind of character she is. Your students will have a lot of fun imagining what she looks like before and after her temporary entombment!
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a character map for the major characters.
- Identify the major characters in "The Fall of the House of Usher" and type their names into the different title boxes.
- Choose a Storyboard That character to represent each of the literary characters.
- Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits.
- Choose a scene or background that makes sense for the character.
- Fill in the text boxes for OSCAR: Other Character's Comments, Character's Speech, Physical Characteristics, Author's Attitude, and Reader's Reaction.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient 33 Points | Emerging 25 Points | Beginning 17 Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Characterization quotes | Using the acronym OSCAR the student was able to find 3 or more quotes that exemplify direct characterization. The student also had them correctly labeled next to the corresponding letter. | Using the acronym OSCAR the student was able to find 1 or 2 quotes that exemplify direct characterization. Some error may have occurred when labeling the quotes next to the corresponding letter. | Using the acronym OSCAR the student was able to find find a few examples of direct characterization. Some error may have occurred when labeling the quotes next to the corresponding letter. |
| Indirect Characterization quotes | Using the acronym OSCAR the student was able to find 3 or more quotes that exemplify indirect characterization. The student also had them correctly labeled next to the corresponding letter. For extra credit the student explained the significance of their examples and inferred meaning. | Using the acronym OSCAR the student was able to find 1 or 2 quotes that exemplify indirect characterization. Some error may have occurred when labeling the quotes next to the corresponding letter. | Using the acronym OSCAR the student was able to find 1 or 2 quotes that exemplify direct characterization. Some error may have occurred when labeling the quotes next to the corresponding letter. |
| Use of characters and imagery | Student completed the storyboard using characters that match their full description. Careful thought and consideration was used in all details including physical appearance, clothing, height, weight, etc. | Student completed the storyboard using characters that somewhat match the full description. Thought and consideration was used in details including physical appearance, clothing, height, weight, etc. | Student completed the storyboard using characters that did not match the full description. Thought and consideration was not used in choosing details such as physical appearance, clothing, height, weight, etc. |
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Fall of the House of Usher, The
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