Character Development | Teacher Guide

Florida B.E.S.T. Standard

ELA.3.R.1.1

Explain how one or more characters develop throughout the plot in a literary text.

Key Points:

Characters can change in their feelings, actions, beliefs, or relationships
Development happens BECAUSE of events in the plot
Students must EXPLAIN the change, not just identify it
Focus on HOW and WHY the character changes

Understanding Character Development

What Is Character Development?

Definition: How a character changes from the beginning to the end of a story
Cause: Events in the plot make characters grow, learn, or change
Types of Change: Feelings, actions, beliefs, relationships, personality
Evidence: What characters say, do, think, and how others react to them

Ways Characters Can Develop

Emotional Growth: Scared → Brave, Sad → Happy, Angry → Calm
Learning a Lesson: Selfish → Generous, Mean → Kind, Careless → Responsible
Changing Beliefs: "I can't do it" → "I can do it!" or wrong beliefs → correct understanding
Building Relationships: Enemies → Friends, Lonely → Connected
Gaining Skills: Weak → Strong, Unsure → Confident

Character Trait vs. Character Development

Trait: A quality that describes a character (brave, kind, shy) - often stays the same
Development: How the character CHANGES over time because of the plot
Key Difference: Traits describe WHO they are; development shows HOW they grow

Teaching Character Development

The "Before, During, After" Framework

Teach students to track characters at three points:

BEGINNING: What is the character like at the start? (feelings, actions, beliefs)
MIDDLE: What happens to the character? What challenges do they face?
END: How is the character different now? What caused the change?

Text Evidence for Character Development

Teach students to look for these clues:

Dialogue: What the character SAYS (and how it changes)
Actions: What the character DOES (and how it changes)
Thoughts: What the character THINKS or FEELS (internal monologue)
Reactions: How OTHER characters respond to them
Author's Description: Direct statements about how the character feels

FAST Test Question Stems

"How does [character] change from the beginning to the end of the story?"
"What causes [character] to change in the story?"
"Which sentence from the passage BEST shows how [character] has changed?"
"How does [event] affect [character]?"
"At the beginning of the story, [character] felt ___. At the end, [character] felt ___. What caused this change?"
"What does [character] learn by the end of the story?"

Common Misconceptions & Fixes

Misconception: Confusing character traits with character development

Students describe what the character is like (traits) instead of how they change (development).

Fix: Use a T-chart with "Beginning" and "End" columns. Ask: "What was the character like at the start? How is that DIFFERENT at the end?"

Misconception: Describing plot events instead of character changes

Students retell what happened in the story instead of explaining character growth.

Fix: Teach the frame: "Because [event happened], the character changed from ___ to ___." Focus on the character's internal journey, not just external events.

Misconception: Not connecting change to plot events

Students say a character changed but don't explain WHY or WHAT caused the change.

Fix: Always require "because" in explanations. "The character became brave BECAUSE she had to rescue her brother." Link the change to specific events.

Misconception: Thinking characters always make big changes

Students think character development means a complete personality transformation.

Fix: Show examples of subtle changes - a character who learns one lesson or gains a little more confidence. Small growth counts!

5-Day Lesson Sequence

Day 1: Introduction to Character Development

Define character development vs. character traits
Read a short text with clear character change (fairy tale works well)
Model the Before/During/After framework
Create class anchor chart: "Characters Change BECAUSE of Events"

Day 2: Finding Evidence of Change

Review evidence types: dialogue, actions, thoughts, reactions
Read a passage together and highlight evidence of character at the beginning
Highlight evidence of character at the end (use different color)
Practice: "This shows the character changed because..."

Day 3: Explaining WHY Characters Change

Focus on the "because" connection between events and change
Use graphic organizer: Event → Character's Response → Change
Practice writing explanations with sentence frames
Partner practice: discuss what caused the change

Day 4: Multiple Characters & Complex Texts

Analyze how TWO characters develop in the same story
Compare: Do they change in the same way? Different ways?
Practice with longer, grade-level texts
Write a paragraph explaining character development

Day 5: FAST-Format Practice

Review question stems from FAST tests
Practice with multiple-choice and evidence-based questions
Strategy: Read the question first, then look for character development evidence
Complete practice quiz

Differentiation Strategies

For Struggling Learners

Use simple texts with very clear character changes (fables, short fairy tales)
Provide pre-made T-charts and graphic organizers
Give sentence frames: "At first, ___ was ___. Then, ___ happened. Now, ___ is ___."
Use character emotion cards to track feelings throughout the story

For Advanced Learners

Analyze subtle or gradual character development
Compare character development across different texts
Discuss unreliable narrators or complex motivations
Write creative pieces showing character development

FAST Test Tip:

FAST questions often ask students to select the BEST evidence from the passage that shows character development. Teach students to eliminate answers that only describe traits (static) and look for answers that show CHANGE (dynamic). The correct answer usually shows a contrast between how the character was and how they are now.

Teacher Guide: Character Development