Character Profiles

Overview

Students will read key moments from Of Mice and Men and use evidence to create brief, accurate character profiles for the main characters. The lesson builds critical reading skills by linking plot, characterisation, events and settings, and explaining their effects.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify how writers create character through actions, dialogue, and relationships.
• Students will collect and select textual evidence from key scenes to support claims.
• Students will explain how plot events and settings influence characters and relationships.
• Students will produce a concise character profile for all main characters in the novel.

Success criteria

• I can summarise a character’s role and key traits using precise details from the text.
• I can use at least two pieces of evidence per character (quotations or very specific references).
• I can explain how a character’s decisions or circumstances affect the story and others.
• I can keep my profile brief, organised, and clearly focused on characterisation.

Curriculum links

• Reading: understand and critically evaluate texts by exploring plot, characterisation, events and settings, and their effects.
• Reading: read and appreciate the depth and power of English literary heritage through challenging classic literature.
• Reading: explore the relationships between characters and how those relationships shape events.
• Reading: read whole texts and in depth, using evidence-driven responses.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter: character lens. Teacher writes the prompt: “What makes a character feel real?” and shows one short extract (or reads it aloud). Students do a quick silent write: one trait + one reason based on the words.
2. 5–15 min · Model: building a profile. Teacher displays a template with sections: Character, First impression, Key traits, Relationships, Turning points, Evidence (2+), Effect on others/story. Teacher models for one character (e.g., George) using a selected moment: identifies trait → evidence → effect.
3. 15–30 min · Guided evidence hunt. Teacher assigns pairs of characters for this lesson’s full set (main characters): George, Lennie, Candy, Curley, Curley’s wife, Slim, Crooks (and optionally “Lennie’s past/George’s background” as context inside profiles). Students locate two short moments per assigned character from the provided excerpt pack (or teacher narration if only one copy). They underline phrases and jot brief notes linking to one trait and one relationship.
4. 30–45 min · Independent profile writing. Students write their character profiles using the template. Teacher circulates with prompts: “Which event reveals this trait?” “How does the setting shape what happens here?” “What does this character want, and what gets in the way?”
5. 45–55 min · Peer accuracy check (1 student version). Teacher and student do a structured “quality audit”: choose one completed profile and check against success criteria (evidence count, clarity, effect explained, concise wording). Teacher corrects any vague claims by requiring the student to replace them with text-based details.
6. 55–60 min · Exit ticket: character connection. Student completes: “One relationship that drives events is ____ and ____ because in the scene ____ the writer shows ____ which leads to ____.” Teacher collects to gauge understanding.

Resources

• Printed excerpt pack from Of Mice and Men covering key scenes for the main characters
• Character profile template (one per character or one master template repeated)
• Highlighters/pen for evidence marking
• Teacher model example profile (for one character)
• Vocabulary support sheet for characterisation language (e.g., “determined, vulnerable, controlling, conflict, responsibility, power imbalance”)
• Timer on board

Assessment

• Formative checks during circulation: evidence accuracy and whether students explain effects on plot/relationships (not just traits).
• Midway prompt check: teacher asks the student to state the trait-evidence-effect link verbally for one chosen character moment.
• Exit ticket: assesses critical evaluation of how relationships drive events with textual support.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for evidence and effects (e.g., “The writer suggests ___ when ___.” / “This matters because ___.”) and a character checklist (trait → evidence → relationship → effect).
• Support for comprehension: allow short summaries of each excerpt in the margin (teacher-provided) so the student can focus on characterisation rather than locating meaning.
• Extension: require one profile to include an additional “contrast” point (e.g., how the character changes between two scenes).
• SEN/EAL: offer a reduced writing requirement first (e.g., 2 traits + 2 evidence points), then extend once structure is secure; permit brief annotations in addition to full sentences.