A Fictional Character: Biography

A Fictional Character: Biography

rated by 6 teachers
by


In the first days of a grammar class, pass out around a folder of pictures clipped from magazines of a variety of people: different ages, genders, ethnicities, etc. Students may choose their own character. Tell the students they will be spending some time with this character. They must name their character and give him or her and identity. The first assignment is to write a brief background of this character: name, age, nationality, occupation, hobbies, etc. The level of class will determine the length of the assignment and the amount of information given. The assignments change and grow more complex as the semester progresses: students may be required to write all about the character’s past after studying past tense verbs, for example. Higher-level classes may be required to write about the character’s future and future plans after studying future tense verbs, modals, and conditionals. This activity works well because it introduces an element of creativity into a subject that isn’t necessarily always creative. It also gets students using different language and vocabulary than they might normally: if they are required to write about a fictional character who is a marine biologist, for example, that will require different language than when writing about themselves if their major is music.