character traits

• what a character is like on the inside
• examples: careful, impatient, loves animals, likes to control other people
  not examples: hair color, weight, skin color
• A character’s actions, words and thoughts are evidence of character traits
• washes hands often = obsessed with germs
  “Do you need any money?” = generous

• Readers infer character traits from characters’ actions and words
• "What kind of a person would say or do that?"
  

To find out what a character is like on the inside, you have to be part detective and part psychiatrist!

If Jeanne Wakatsuki had kept a scrapbook, what would it look like?

(Final Project on "Farewell to Manzanar")

Background:
People keep scrapbooks so they can preserve the important memories in their lives: significant events, relationships, interests, thoughts and ideas. Into scrapbooks, people paste paper objects: pictures (photos and drawings), things (ticket stubs, event programs, greeting cards, maps, etc.) and written material (newspaper and magazine clippings, handwritten letters and notes) that remind them of the places they’ve been, things they’ve done, and people they’ve known.


About this Project:
You will imagine that you are Jeanne Wakatsuki, and create a scrapbook that she might have created during the time the story takes place. Here’s how you should organize your work:

• Make a list of important events and relationships that Jeanne might have included in her scrapbook.
• Think about what kinds of paper objects might show those events and relationships in a scrapbook. (For example, how would a person preserve the memory of a trip he or she took? Winning first place in a competition? Dinner at a restaurant? A successful year at school? A birthday celebration? A night at the movies? A high school dance?) Be creative!
• Create the materials, and put them on the scrapbook. (You can find images on the internet, or draw pictures yourself).

Grading:

I will grade this project on creativity, neatness, and how well you show your understanding of:

• story events: (at least 6 paper objects) What were the important world events, as well as smaller , more personal events, that affected Jeanne’s life? (Put events in the order they appear in the story.)
• Jeanne’s character: (at least 3 paper objects) What emotions does she feel? What conflicts does she face? What are her interests?
• Jeanne’s relationships (at least 3 paper objects) Who does she feel close to? Who does she fear? Does she have mixed feelings about anyone?
• historical context (at least 3 paper objects) What were society’s attitudes and opinions during the time covered by the story? What was the political situation? (Pictures must show the correct historical setting. For example, hybrid cars did not exist in the 1940s!)
  

On Thursday, 1/8, I will give each student two sheets of black paper. These sheets, folded in half, will create four pages of the scrapbook.

Presentation:

You will present your scrapbook to the class on Wednesday, January 14 and Thursday, January 15. Your oral presentation of the scrapbook will be part of your grade.