Students could be placed into different groups and each investigate a different author and then compile and compare their conclusions. Now that students have defined and analyzed characters and character development, it is their turn to create characters. Students are required to create a protagonist, an antagonist, two major and two minor characters using the following assignments and Internet activities. From this quote, the students are to formulate a description of the person being quoted. This may serve as a basis for major or minor character.
Students are to use the Internet to investigate another country or region of the United States.
Students are to learn about the environment, the economy, the population, the people, etc. Using this research, the students are to create a minimum of one character. Remind them to think of Hawthorne and other authors such as Steinbeck and how they used the people and influences around them to create characters. Students are to engage in an e-mail correspondence or a chat discussion. From their discussions, the students should create dialogues, description, mannerisms, actions, etc. for a fictional character based on a real life person.