Character Creations

• Makedo Invent Kit

• Upcycled cardboard

Unsure of which cardboard to use? Read our guide here.

1. Students choose a character, such as a person or a creature, from a fairy tale or novel they have been studying. 

2. Using an excerpt from the text as inspiration, students create a cardboard version of their character with Makedo tools and upcycled cardboard.

3. Choose one or more of the subject-specific variations to conduct with your students below.

• English: Focus on explicit and implicit descriptions. For explicit, students must show evidence of the descriptive words used in the text in their final creation. For implicit, students describe the emotional and/or physical characteristics they have imagined their character to embody. 

• English: Following the above process, have students write their own character descriptions. 

• Media Arts: If you have chosen a text that has been made into a film, watch the film and discuss how the filmmakers have interpreted the creatures or characters, and settings. 

• Visual Arts: If the description involves how a character moves, consider creating a shadow or puppet that explores that character's movement. 

• Drama: Have students re-enact a scene from the text using their characters, creatures and/or puppets.

• English / Science: If the students’ creatures or characters are non-human, have them write a scientific entry for a reference book that describes the creature or character's biological characteristics and life cycle. Then, compile the pages into a book.

• How does your creation reflect the excerpt of the text referenced?

• What did you enjoy about this activity? What are you most proud of?

• Were there any challenges in creating your character? How did you overcome them?

• What might you do differently if you were to do this activity again?