There Are No Small Parts: Minor Characters in David Copperfield

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Copies of David Copperfield or another novel by Charles Dickens
  
  
• Large piece of chart paper and markers

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   6 – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Profile Publisher

Students use the Profile Publisher to draft online social networking profiles, yearbook profiles, and newspaper or magazine profiles for themselves, other real or fictional characters.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Major and Minor Characters chart
  
  
• Filling in the Gaps in a Minor Character Planning Sheet
  
  
• Analyzing Character and Elaborating on the Story World
  
  
• Fictional Character Profile sample
  
  
• Minor Character Online Profile Rubric
  
  
• Reflection Questions

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WEBSITES

• Web Resources for Exploring the Times of Charles Dickens

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PREPARATION

• Students should have read David Copperfield, another novel by Charles Dickens, or another novel with a similarly rich cast of minor characters.
  
  
• Although this lesson is a culminating activity and is intended to come after reading the novel, you may wish to prepare students by having them track a character as they read the book.
  
  
• While this lesson includes some instruction and materials related to characterization and the Victorian Era, it assumes that these topics will have been part of the instruction during the reading of the novel.  ReadWriteThink lessons that support instruction related to characterization include Become a Character: Adjectives, Character Traits, and Perspective and Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party.  Use the links from the Dickens/Victorian Era Web resources to support learning about the historical era associated with Dickens's work.
  
  
• Arrange for Internet access in a computer lab during Session Three.
  
  
• Test the Profile Publisher tool and familiarize yourself with its contents and layout. Ensure that you have the proper Flash plug-ins installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

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