***Lesson Plan for Senior Secondary 2: Characterisation in Literature***
**Lesson Duration:** 90 minutes
### **Lesson Objectives:**
1. Define characterisation and understand its importance in literature.
2. Identify the different methods of characterisation authors use.
3. Analyse characters in selected passages of a text.
4. Practise creating original character profiles using learned techniques.
### **Materials Needed:**
- Whiteboard and markers
- Textbooks or literature novels currently being studied by the class
- Handouts with selected passages for analysis
- Notebooks and pens/pencils
### **Lesson Outline:**
#### **Introduction (10 minutes):**
1. **Greeting and Settling In:** (2 minutes)
- Ensure all students are settled and ready.
2. **Review Previous Lesson:** (5 minutes)
- Quick recap of the last lesson to establish continuity.
3. **Introduction to Characterisation:** (3 minutes)
- Definition: Characterisation is the process by which an author develops a character’s personality, life, and traits.
#### **Activating Prior Knowledge (5 minutes):**
- Ask students to name their favorite characters from books, movies, or TV shows and to briefly describe what makes these characters memorable or unique.
#### **Instructional Input (15 minutes):**
1. **Direct Instruction on Characterisation:** (7 minutes)
- Explain the two main methods of characterisation:
- Direct Characterisation: The author explicitly describes the character.
- Indirect Characterisation: The author shows the character’s traits through actions, dialogue, thoughts, effects on others, and appearance (STEAL method).
2. **Examples and Discussion:** (8 minutes)
- Provide examples from widely known literature demonstrating both direct and indirect characterisation.
- Engage students in a brief discussion, asking them to identify the methods used in each example.
#### **Guided Practice (20 minutes):**
1. **Group Activity: Analysing Characters** (10 minutes)
- Divide the class into small groups and hand out selected passages from the literature being studied.
- Ask each group to identify and discuss the characterisation methods used.
- Groups will share their findings with the class.
2. **Class Discussion:** (10 minutes)
- Each group presents their analysis.
- Facilitate a class discussion on different methods identified and their effectiveness.
#### **Independent Practice (25 minutes):**
1. **Creative Writing Exercise:** (15 minutes)
- Ask students to create an original character profile using both direct and indirect characterisation.
- Provide prompts or a basic scenario if necessary.
2. **Peer Review:** (10 minutes)
- Pair students to exchange character profiles and provide feedback based on the characterisation techniques discussed.
#### **Closure (10 minutes):**
1. **Recap and Reinforcement:**
- Summarise key points about characterisation.
- Check for understanding by asking a few students to explain direct vs indirect characterisation in their own words.
2. **Assignment:**
- Assign homework where students must find an example of characterisation in another book or story they are reading and explain the methods used.
#### **Assessment:**
- Formative: Observations during group activity and class discussion.
- Summative: Collect and review the creative writing exercise and homework assignment next class.
### **Additional Notes:**
- Be prepared to adjust timing based on student engagement and comprehension.
- Ensure that students with differing learning needs have access to the material in ways that best suit them, e.g., reading aloud for auditory learners.
### **Follow-Up:**
- Plan a future lesson to delve deeper into character development and how it drives the plot and themes of a story.
This lesson plan supports active learning, critical thinking, and fosters creativity in character analysis and creation.