Grade 7 English Language Arts | FL B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.7.R.1.1
ELA.7.R.1.1: Analyze the interaction between character development, setting, and plot in a literary text.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
| Term | Definition | Student-Friendly Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Character Interaction | The ways characters communicate, relate to, and affect each other | How characters act together, talk to each other, and change because of each other |
| Dialogue | The conversation between characters in a literary work | What characters say to each other, shown in quotation marks |
| Character Foil | A character who contrasts with another to highlight particular qualities | Two characters who are opposites in some way, which makes their differences stand out |
| Dynamic Character | A character who undergoes significant internal change | A character who grows, learns, or transforms during the story |
| Static Character | A character who remains essentially unchanged throughout | A character who stays the same from beginning to end |
| Conflict | The struggle between opposing forces in a story | The problem or challenge a character faces (person vs. person, self, society, or nature) |
| Motivation | The reason behind a character's actions and decisions | What makes a character do what they do - their goals, fears, or desires |
| Conflict Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Character vs. Character | Struggle between two characters | Two friends competing for the same role |
| Character vs. Self | Internal struggle within a character | A character deciding whether to tell the truth |
| Character vs. Society | Struggle against social expectations or rules | A character challenging unfair school policies |
| Character vs. Nature | Struggle against natural forces | A character surviving a storm |
| Day | Focus | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Character Relationships | Analyze how characters interact and influence each other. Use Student Concept Worksheet. |
| 2 | Dialogue Analysis | Study how dialogue reveals character traits, emotions, and relationships. |
| 3 | Character Foils | Identify foil relationships and explain how contrast highlights character traits. |
| 4 | Conflict & Character Change | Trace how conflicts cause character growth. Complete Practice Worksheet. |
| 5 | Assessment | Administer FAST Format Quiz. Review and reteach as needed. |
When analyzing dialogue, teach students to ask four questions:
1. WHAT does the character say? (content)
2. HOW do they say it? (tone, word choice)
3. WHAT does this reveal about them? (character traits)
4. HOW does this affect other characters or the plot?
Create a two-column chart to compare foil characters:
- List Character A's traits on left, Character B's on right
- Draw lines connecting contrasting traits
- Ask: "How does seeing Character B help us understand Character A better?"
- Discuss why the author created this contrast
Track how character relationships change:
- Create a timeline with key interaction moments
- At each point, describe the relationship (allies, enemies, strangers, etc.)
- Identify the turning points that changed the relationship
- Analyze what caused each change
Advanced dialogue analysis looks at subtext:
- What is the character NOT saying?
- What do they really mean beneath their words?
- What does their silence or hesitation reveal?
- How do stage directions or narration add meaning to dialogue?
Correction: At the 7th-grade level, students must analyze HOW characters speak (tone, word choice, what's left unsaid) and what this reveals about their personality, emotions, and relationships.
Correction: A foil is any character who contrasts with another to highlight qualities. Best friends can be foils (one cautious, one adventurous). Foils aren't necessarily enemies.
Correction: Character development refers to how the author reveals character traits AND how characters grow or change internally throughout the story.
Correction: Many important conflicts are internal (character vs. self) or against larger forces (society, nature). Students should identify all conflict types in a text.
On the FAST assessment, character interaction questions typically ask students to:
Key Strategy: Teach students to look for turning points - moments where character relationships or traits shift - and cite these as evidence.