Character Chart | 14 Character Analysis Graphic Organizers Any Text

Fourteen character analysis charts that work with any novel, short story, play or film. Print the one you need and hand it out - nothing here is tied to a particular text.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• 14 one-page graphic organizers, one chart per page, US Letter, low-ink
• A contents page listing every chart, so you can find the one you want
• Traits and text evidence; trait vs. feeling; STEAL indirect characterization; direct vs. indirect; a five-branch character overview; goal, motivation and obstacle; actions and consequences; change over time; static/dynamic vs. flat/round; a two-character comparison; relationships; internal and external conflict; perspective; and a paragraph planner
• Every page carries a line for the title of the text, so finished work still makes sense a month later

WHY THESE CHARTS

• Each heading teaches something. Trait or Feeling? separates a lasting quality from a passing mood - the mix-up that flattens most character work.
• Two Different Questions keeps static/dynamic (does the character change?) apart from flat/round (is the character simple or complex?). Those are separate questions and all four combinations exist.
• The comparison chart prints its questions, so two characters get compared on the same terms instead of turning into two unrelated lists.
• The paragraph planner asks for the claim first and two pieces of evidence after, and tells students to change the claim rather than stretch the evidence.

HOW TEACHERS USE IT

• Independent reading, literature circles, whole-class novels, film study and sub days
• Pre-writing before a character analysis paragraph or essay
• Grades 3-12, but not every chart suits every grade: traits-and-evidence and the webs work from upper elementary, while direct vs. indirect characterization and the flat/round vs. static/dynamic chart are middle- and high-school work. Pick by the thinking, not by the grade.

FORMAT

• Print-and-go PDF, black-and-white friendly, no prep
• No answer key, deliberately: the answers are in the text your students are reading, not in this file

Looking for the same shapes with the headings left blank so you can write your own? See Character Chart Template.

TERMS OF USE

• For single-classroom / single-teacher use. Do not redistribute or post publicly.
• (c) Response Resources. All rights reserved.