Our ELA Facebook friend Heather Nicole Teraila just posted the results of a super-cute characterization activity her students completed on The Outsiders and, with her permission, we all get to enjoy her students’ work:
This activity, inspired by the popular Funko Pop! vinyl figures that many of our students collect, can be used with any work of literature. The idea was created by Play Like a Pirate author Quinn Rollins, who offers a template and more fun examples on his blog:
To increase the rigor, I’d add a requirement to include a line of text (with page number) from the work we’re studying that reveals that specific character’s philosophy and maybe ask what three accessories students would include with their Pop! characters. What else would you add to the assignment? Leave a reply below!
Teach on, everyone.
Do you have a rubric for what you required?
Hi Timi! It’s actually Heather’s activity and she didn’t include any grading info. Sorry about that. If I were to use this, though, I’d definitely add a bit more writing and give more of the points for that piece. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for sharing my students’ work! In order to create the figures, students picked a character from the book and using 6 methods of characterization collected text evidence of how Hinton brought that character to life. There was a lot of great rereading, research, and discussion occurring while students prepared the background info to help them with their Pop figure. The level of enthusiasm was amazing to see.
Love it, Heather! Thanks for the background info. That makes so much sense! The care and attention to detail that your students gave really comes through; it’s clear that they connected to the task and really dug into their work. My favorite lines are when Johnny’s described as a puppy who’s been kicked too many time (oh!) and that Two-Bit “acts boozed up even when he’s sober.” Such a great way to motivate kids to dig back into the text. Plus, that board is just too stinkin’ cute. Bravo! 😀
So cute—thank you!
Kayte
Happy to share! 😀
I like this idea. I collect Funko Pops. My room is decorated in Marvel Funko Pop. I am looking forward to using this in my classroom. When we study Ancient Greece, I think I am going to use this template as a project on famous Greeks that have impacted modern civilization.
So fun, Zachary! I agree, mythology would be a great spot to fold in this activity. 🙂
I love this and I’m using it as a first week back project for my art classes. Students will have to create their own likeness on the template; a self-portrait. They will fill in the bio with a ‘tell me about yourself’ and the other two figures will be about two special people in their lives.
What a wonderful use of this resource, Sherry! Love this. 😀
I am letting my students use it for a final project. They read The Outsiders and I wanted them to pick a character and explain to me why they chose the character.
A perfect fit, Paige! I hope your students will enjoy this alternative assessment.