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Learning card

Looking for the hidden character

Description

This activity will allow participants to identify main and secondary characters in a short narrative text and to present their description through an infographic.

Tag
  • Book
  • Graphic
Skills

PRODUCTION

  • To create and modify drawings and designs
  • To use drawing and design tools

SOCIAL MANAGEMENT

  • To collaborate
  • To participate in social media

NARRATIVE AND AESTHETIC

  • To interpret
  • To recognize and describe
  • To compare

IDEOLOGY AND ETHICS

  • To evaluate and reflect
  • To take action
Learning areas
  • Foreign Languages
  • Language
Card language
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Italian

Structure

Sessions
2 (Variable)
Duration
60’ (Variable)
Number of participants
10-30 participants
Age
  • 14-16
Materials
  • Computer or mobile phones every two or three students
  • Apps to create and edit images and infographics, examples www.canva.com mindthegraph.com
  • Database and free images and icons repository
  • Social network or other platform to share contents

Process

Key questions
  • Who is the character?
  • What role does he/she play in the story?
  • How old is he/she? What is his/her gender? What is his/her nationality or origin? What other general features do we know about the character?
  • What does he/she do? Does he/she have a profession or occupation? What does he/she do?
  • Which are his/her main strengths and weaknesses? What other qualities of his/her personality do we know?
  • What do we know about his/her physical appearance? What does he/she wear?
  • Who does he/she interact with? Who are his/her friends? Does he/she have enemies or antagonists?
Development

Students read the story selected by the teacher.
The activity can be carried out once the entire text has been read, or when the students have reached a point where the crux of the story is already established and all the characters are already known.

Suggestion: do the activity based on a detective novel or story where the criminal has to be discovered. In this case it is important to warn students not to read the mystery´s resolution.

(Duration: Variable, according to the text extension. Depending on the teacher´s decision, the story can be previously read in class or at home).

In class the teacher identifies, together with students, the main and secondary characters in a story. They choose one together and describe him/her, guided by the teacher.  They follow the specific questions to outline a description of the chosen character.  (15’).

The teacher asks students to think about how to graphically represent some of the characteristics of the described character (or all of them). These ideas are shared.  (15).

There are many sites and apps aimed at creating infographics.  Students access one.  If it is the first time they are using it, they can be asked to represent some of the ideas shared for the sample character.  (15’).

The group is divided into pairs or threes. Each group develops an infographic of one of the identified characters (with the exception of the one chosen as an example) A false piece of information must be included in these infographics.

Suggestion: If the detective story activity is being carried out, the infographic could be a “WANTED” poster. Students could be asked to state why they think this character is the guilty one. (25).

When the teams finish, they share the infographics. They can do it on a platform or a social network they are used to using.
As an example they could create a private group in Facebook for the class or they could use a WhatsApp group. (5).

Each team is given an infographic from another group. They have to read it and discover the false piece of information and justify their answer.
They share their thoughts with the author team to check the information. (15).

A characteristic is jointly chosen so that students vote on which is the character that, according to their opinion, represents it best.
Examples: the most interesting character, the most controversial one, the most believable, the one I identify the most with…

A website or platform, which allows counting votes online, is accessed (example: https://designer.voxvote.com). Students vote.

Suggestion: If the activity is being developed when students have not finished reading the story, the vote could be on their predictions for the story’s ending. Examples: Which character will achieve his/her goals, which characters will survive.

If it is a detective novel, teams are asked who they think the guilty character is.
A prize could be given for the winners once the mystery is solved. (10’).

The activity finishes with a discussion about the challenges of designing an infographic as well as creating and identifying the false piece of information from each group. Students think about suggestions for improving their infographics.  (15’).

Evaluation

Infographics are shown in class.  Students assess all the infographics according to criteria such as: consistency between the character´s description in the story and its representation using text and images, clarity of the information presented, creativity, etc.

References for professors
Author

Gabriela Rodríguez Bissio. Plan Ceibal (Uruguay), gabriela.rodbis@gmail.com
Cecilia Fernández Pena. Colegio de secundaria Elbio (Uruguay), cfernandezpena@gmail.com
Natalia Correa, Universidad de la República (Uruguay), natalia.correa@fic.edu.uy

  • Book
  • Graphic