Ever wondered how something as simple as a character autopsy template could transform your classroom? It’s the end of the semester friends and we can see our students dwindling. Their drive is faltering, and they just want to be done. If you aren’t counting down the days at this point, are you even a teacher? So instead of forcing an essay or a complicated assessment during this final push, I say it’s time for a little fun. What better way to do that than have students perform surgery? Character analysis is a major part of any high school curriculum. You already probably have it planned for your curriculum. All you need are the right tools and hype and you too can create excitement in your classroom! If you are ready to perform surgery on your lesson, then keep reading below!
Before we get into the why and the how of a character autopsy, let me just offer you the easiest option. You can totally take your current characterization activity and think about what character traits you want to include. OR you can think smart, not hard, and grab mine instead. If you want everything in your surgical kit ready to go, then check out my Character Autopsy Project. In this print or digital resource, students will have the chance to become surgeons as they dissect the character traits of a character from their story. Each character autopsy includes 12 different body part prompts that focus on characterization and require the use of text evidence. The detailed character autopsy rubric will help make your grading easy. It’s the end of the year friend and you deserve an easy win, so let’s scrub in and get started!
Why Do a Character Autopsy?
A Need for Character Analysis in My Classroom
When designing my curriculum for a semester, I always start with what major skills and genres I need to cover. Not only do I have specific standards I want to hit but my English 10 courses are state tested. I know that there will always be characterization on that test somewhere. This means I need to show my student how to do character analysis.
There are many ways to approach this topic but I didn’t just want character analysis templates. So often the easiest way to check on this skill is graphic organizers character analysis highlights. But I find that the most engaging activities are the ones that my students remember. Those skills are the ones that might pop into their brain as they look at the motivation of a character. That’s when I decided that a character autopsy project was the way to go.
How to Get Started with a Character Autopsy Example
The best way to get started with a character autopsy is to choose your characters. Decide which characters from your story have enough evidence and development to be worth your time. Next, create a list of what character traits you want to see your students analyze. Assign a body part that in some way relates to that trait and create a prompt. Try to choose parts that appear all over the body to make this character autopsy project feel more important. Not sure where to start or don’t want to spend a lot of time on the prep of the character autopsy template? Check out my Character Autopsy Project and you can get started right away!
How to Create Hype with a Character Autopsy Activity
Step #1: Create a Classroom Transformation
If you want to really draw your students in, you need to transform your classroom. This does not mean you need to spend a ton of money. Most of the supplies you might be able to get donated or requested from your school.
Supplies You Need:
- Caution Tape
- Tablecloths to Cover the Desks
- Spotlights
- Chart Paper
The day before the activity, hang your caution tape around the room and an Autopsy in Progress Sign outside the door. Push your desks together or have set tables for each surgery and cover them with a tablecloth. Place a spotlight next to each table. Your room is now an operating room ready for surgery.
Step #2: Bring in the Props for Your Character Autopsy
Students love interactive activities, and it’s not enough just to have them find the answers to the prompts. You want them to feel like they are dissecting the character. The best way to do that is to bring in props for your character autopsy project. Once again, you may be able to find most of these supplies in your school. The janitorial staff are a great resource for quite a few of them and the rest you can find fairly cheap or have donated.
Supplies You Need:
- Latex Gloves
- Medical Masks
- Paper Gowns
- Paper Medical Caps
- Protective Eye Wear (Borrow from other classrooms like science labs or tech classrooms)
These props will help the students to feel like surgeons and get more into character. Don’t forget that this simple step will take the character autopsy template from a 2D activity to an interactive level.
Step #3: Surround Your Character Analysis Activity with Mystery
Want to make your students excited to complete a character autopsy? Here’s a hint, high school students love a little mystery. Create hype for this character analysis by making the project seem exclusive and secretive. Greet your students at the door in your own surgical outfit: lab coat, protective eyewear, gloves, and mask. Keep the door locked from outside views and have an Autopsy in Progress sign on the door. As they arrive, ask them for their names and address them as Doctor and their last name. Hand each doctor their surgeon’s letter and ask them to place their stuff in a designated area of the room. Make sure no one else is allowed entrance. The students passing in the hallway might think you have lost your mind but your students are going to love it!
Step #4: Stay in Character
The only way that students are going to buy into this project is because of you. Remember that you need to stay in character as a chief surgeon or hospital director. If you commit to your role, students will play along instead of just rolling their eyes.
Keep the atmosphere serious and on the theme. Have hospital drama music or emergency room sounds playing in the background with a picture of a waiting room, doctor’s office, or hospital displayed on your screen if you have one in your classroom. Once all students have arrived, introduce yourself as the hospital director and read a surgeon’s letter with the directions. Ask your doctors if they are ready and prepped for surgery. Once your doctors acknowledge, they understand the parameters of their surgeries, you are ready to begin.
Step #5: Perform a Creative Character Analysis Project
Now is the best part: the character autopsy itself. Display a Surgical Team Signups with either the names already entered or allow students time to pick their surgical team and sign up together. Once all surgical teams have been assigned, students in each surgical team need to choose a head surgeon. Have each student meet in their surgical teams and sign up for the different body parts using a Surgery Signup. Make sure students have an equal number of surgeries or as close as they can be distributed.
Have all groups move to their assigned surgery space. Distribute the paper caps, paper gowns, masks, and gloves and ask students to scrub in. Students should take the chart paper and have the head surgeon draw the outline of the character’s body. The head surgeon should help the team select the character they want to autopsy. The head surgeon should write the name of the character on the chart. Give each head surgeon a set of character autopsy prompts and have them distribute them to their staff.
Allow the surgeons to complete their surgeries by labeling each body part and adding their text evidence and analysis near that body part. Surgeons should place their names next to every surgery that they complete for credit. By the end, students will have analyzed a character but all they are going to remember is their character autopsy surgery.
Differentiate Your Character Autopsy
Adjust the Character Autopsy Template
Need to provide either more difficult prompts to challenge students or more focused questions for your students. As part of your preparations for the character analysis part, adjust your character autopsy template. You can easily give out all of the surgery task cards or prompts to your students who may need more support with this activity. This small change allows all your students to feel a part of the process without drawing attention to differing prompts.
Choose The Character Autopsy Groups
Maybe you realize that the best way to support your students is by ensuring who works together. I highly recommend placing students that work well together for this activity. For you to create excitement, you want as many people on board with this idea as possible. Creating groups based on who works well together will help to create that hype. Your students will also have a more positive approach to the character analysis project as a whole.
Assign the Perfect Character for the Character Analysis
The last way you can help ensure success is by assigning the character for each group. You as the expert on the text know which characters present more of a challenge. Assign those characters to the groups that would benefit from more of an academic push. The characters make their choices obvious are better suited for students who need support.
More Ways to Creatively Use Character Analysis Like the Character Autopsy Assignment
Well Doctor, surgery is complete. You now have all the tools you need to create hype with your own character autopsy. I can’t wait to hear how your students get excited about character analysis based on this activity. Teacher friend, can you do me a favor? When you perform your own character autopsies, can you share them with me? Tag me or send me a DM @theteacherrewrite on Instagram. If you loved this idea, you can always see what other great things I am working on in my classroom by checking out my blog too.
Before you go, I have just one more thing to share. You know that the end of this school year is getting harder, so why not think smarter? Instead of creating all these resources for your character autopsy on your own, check out mine. My Character Autopsy Project has everything you need. You won’t have to worry about anything other than gathering your surgical supplies. You know your energy is dwindling, so why not check out this resource and save yourself some time? I promise you friend that using this character autopsy template will transform your classroom!
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