10 Questions to Ask Students about Their Characters

A fundamental to good storytelling is understanding that characters are reflections of people in the real world. They have thoughts, flaws and fears. They are nuanced and unpredictable.

For this reason, we need to pose questions to our students that allow them to think about the dynamic nature of their character(s).

Using the STEAL acronym (Speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, appearance), here are ten questions that you can pose to students to encourage them think broadly about constructing their character.

Speech

1. Your character is presenting a speech to group of adults. Describe their voice.
2. Your character attends a party with friends. Describe their voice. Would they speak differently if they had no friends at the party?

Thoughts

1. It is raining outside and your character chooses to stay inside. What do they watch on Netflix?
2. How does your character feel about rollercoasters?

Effect

1. Your character is introduced to a new group of people/goes for a job interview. What is their first impression?
2. A friend is upset over a recent family tragedy. How does your character react?

Behaviour

1. What would your character do on a rainy day?
2. How would your character react in the event of the apocalypse/hurricane/meteor shower/purse being stolen?

Appearance

1. Your character gets a haircut. What do they request?
2. Where does your character purchase their clothing?

Presenting scenarios to consider how their character might react encourages students to think differently about the creative process.

For younger year groups we can also ask other fun and unique questions that interrogate the personality of the character. These questions might concern:

• Favourite ice cream
• Favourite song
• Favourite movie
• Favourite sport
• Dogs or cats?

Creating a character from nothing can be intimidating and it is too easily to assume that children have a well of creativity to draw from. Posing questions allows students to narrow the infinite number of possibilities and to consider how well they actually know their character.

You can use the following resource in a cooperative learning activity. Simply cut out the questions, laminate the cards and distribute to students. Allow students to rotate around the room and question other students about their characters.