Character Retrieval Chart

Strategy Corner

An activity I like to use to get children to think a little more deeply about the characters in a book is called the “Character Retrieval Chart.”

In the box, “Describe the Character.” my students have a list of characteristics they can use to get beyond the “mad, sad, happy” tendency.

In the third box, “Of whom does this character remind you?” we have had quite good discussions. The children have compared the characters to members of their own family, characters in other books, friends, etc.

The fifth box, “What is the author trying to say through this character?” really inspires some creative thinking.

The strategy can be adapted and enriched to suit the teacher’s need. At times I have had two common novels going in the classroom. The students complete the form and compare the characters of their respective novels. This chart can also be used as a mental model for a writing assignment.

  1.  Character Name
  2. Describe the Character
  3. Relationship to Other Characters
  4. Of whom does this character remind you?
  5. What usually happens to characters like this?
  6. What is the author trying to say through this character?
By Mary McMeekin, Davenport, Mississippi Bend Reading Council
Iowa Reading Association Newsletter, December 2000
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