ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES

BODY BIOGRAPHY

Planning Points

Approximate Time Needed: 90 minutes
Correlation to English I SCS: 4.03, 4.04, 5.01
Correlation to NC High School Exit Exam Competencies: C-3, C-5, PI-9, PI-11

Lesson Objectives:

Students will work in small groups to produce a life-size visual representation of a character from literature. They will then present this representation to the class and evaluate the work of other groups.

Materials Needed:

1. Rolls of newsprint or bulletin board paper
2. Markers

Description:

• After students have read a work of literature or a biography, divide them into small groups and give each group a six-foot length of newsprint or bulletin board paper and a set of magic markers.
• Assign each group a character from the literary work or have the group choose a character.
• Students trace an outline of one group member's body on the paper.
• Each group then chooses the best way to represent the following aspects of the character symbolically:
• The Heart: Where should it be placed to best represent what this character loves most? What should it look like and what shape, color, pictures, or symbols should be included in it? If the character's love changes, students should find a way to represent this visually.
• The Backbone: This should be represented in a way that visually conveys what motivates the character most. For example, students have represented Antigone's backbone as a chain connecting the word 'gods' at the top and 'people' at the bottom.
• The Hands: What does the character hold in her or his hands? Items that are associated with the character either literally or figuratively should be included. Students have represented Ophelia as holding a handful of flowers, for example, and Creon holding a scroll with the words "MAN'S LAW" clutched in his fist.
• The Feet: On what is the character standing? This should a symbolic representation of the character's most fundamental beliefs about life. King Lear, for example, has been portrayed standing on a crumbling rock labeled "respect for the elderly."
• The Background: Students should draw some elements that suggest the character's environment, background, or predicament.
• Quotations: Near the character's head, students should place two or three direct quotations from the story that sum up the character and add to an understanding of the character.
• When the groups have finished, they display their Body Biography and present it to the class. Their presentations should explain the choices they made and help the class understand the meaning of the symbols they have created.
• The rest of the class responds to the biography and presentation by making suggestions and discussing alternative ways in which the character might have been represented.

Assessment:

An informal assessment occurs as the teacher and students respond both to the Body Biography and to the presentation. The teacher and/or students could also complete a more formal evaluation rubric based on the effectiveness of each of the required symbolic representations.

Additional Notes:

Students usually take to this activity with enthusiasm and energy; some visual learners lead their groups to make astounding visual interpretations. Sometimes, all the groups can represent the same character and then compare their representations. Alternatively, students could read different novels, illustrate the protagonist of each and then share with the class. Students at all levels can participate actively and fruitfully in this activity, and the finished products are often both attractive and intriguing.

Teacher's Notes:

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