Behind the Mask: Reading Characters
Open this deck in Kuraplan
Sign in to view all 8 slides, customise, present or download.
Slide preview
First 8 of 8 slides
Behind the Mask: Reading Characters
Discovering what characters really think and feel Year 8 English - Week 4 The Sunken Forest Focus
WALT: We Are Learning To
Look beyond what characters say and do Infer characters' hidden thoughts and feelings Use evidence from the text to support our inferences Apply the 'mask of character' concept to The Sunken Forest
The Power of the Mask
'Characters don't always say what they feel. Sometimes the most important truths are hidden beneath the surface, waiting for careful readers to discover them.'
I DO: Tom's Silent Struggle
Scene: Adults argue about the past (Chapter 2, pp. 34-36) What Tom DOES: Listens, says very little What Tom might FEEL: Caught in the middle, confused TEXT CLUES: His silence during heated arguments
WE DO: Character Detective Work
Work in pairs to analyze another character moment Use our 3 detective questions High Group: Complex character motivations Middle Group: Clear text evidence Slow Group: Guided character examples with teacher support
The Mask vs. Reality Framework
{"left":"THE MASK (What we see)\nCalm exterior\nFew words spoken\nAppears to be listening","right":"THE REALITY (What might be hidden)\nInner turmoil\nStrong opinions held back\nFeeling powerless or conflicted"}
YOU DO: Apply Your Skills
Choose a character moment from your current reading Apply the 3 detective questions What mask is the character wearing? What evidence supports your inference?
Reflection & Next Steps
Today we learned to see beyond character masks We used evidence to make inferences Tomorrow: Exploring character motivations deeper Remember: Understanding others builds empathy