What Makes Body Biographies a Powerful Tool for Character Analysis in English Class?
Body biographies are an excellent tool to help students develop their literary analysis skills and explore character development in depth. This assignment allows students to
- Examine characters through a critical lens
- Flex their analytical muscles
- Get creative with multimedia expression
Aligning with Common Core Standards
Body biographies are rooted in the Common Core Standards for Reading Literature. They require students to
- Analyze complex characters
- Draw evidence from the text to support claims
- Examine personality traits, beliefs, conflicts, and desires
As your students delve into the nuances that breathe life into literary figures, they’ll hone their ability to make insightful inferences and come to understand the intricate interplay between character and plot.
This assignment is also great because it is tied to the Common Core’s emphasis on textual evidence and analysis. By requiring the inclusion of carefully chosen quotes and detailed explanations, body biographies compel students to engage in close reading, cultivating their skills in comprehension, interpretation, and evidence-based reasoning.
Fostering Creativity and Multimodal Expression
Students can express themselves creatively and communicate ideas in a multimodal way. This approach:
- Taps into students’ imaginative capacities
- Fosters deeper emotional connections with characters
- Encourages innovative presentation techniques
As students integrate visual elements, make artistic choices, and decide how to present their information, they tap into their imaginative capacities, fostering a deeper emotional connection with the characters they study. My students have come up with SO MANY cool ideas for these; it really does amaze me!
Check out some examples in this video: Body Biography Examples
Developing Essential Academic Skills
Body biographies help students practice
- Research skills
- Proper citation techniques
- Academic integrity
By requiring a Works Cited page and proper citations, this assignment reinforces the importance of acknowledging sources in academic work.
This project also helps students practice essential skills in research, citation, and academic integrity. By requiring proper citation practices and the inclusion of a Works Cited page, body biographies reinforce the importance of acknowledging sources and adhering to ethical standards in academic work.
How to Create a Body Biography: Directions for Students
Key Elements of a Body Biography
- Spine: Represent the character’s core with two top personality traits
- Brain: Illustrate the character’s beliefs and values
- Shoulders: Depict the character’s main conflicts or burdens
- Heart: Show what the character loves, wants, or desires most
Using Textual Evidence
For each element, back up your ideas with a quote from the novel. Remember to:
- Place quotes strategically on the poster
- Use creative ways to incorporate text evidence
- Consider color, handwriting, and font size
- Cite all text evidence correctly using parentheticals
Visual Presentation Tips
- Get creative with how you present information
- Use color, drawings, and 3D elements to enhance meaning
- Consider hidden elements to represent inner thoughts or desires
Conclusion: The Power of Body Biographies
Body biographies offer a holistic learning experience that integrates
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Academic rigor
As students navigate the nuances of character analysis while applying their own unique artistic flair, they develop transferable skills that will serve them well beyond the literature classroom!
Additional Materials
Detailed Body Biography Assignment (free Word doc version here)
You are responsible for creating a visual representation of your chosen character. Before you begin to draw, read over all the instructions. Make intelligent decisions about which quotes to use and what to draw.
USING THE TEXT
- You must use strong passages from the text to prove that you know who your character is. For each element below (the spine, brain, shoulders, and heart), you need to back up your ideas with a quote from the novel.
- Make sure that the placement of the quotes makes sense (near the heart for things they care about or love, the head for their thoughts, the hands for actions, etc.). Get creative with how you incorporate them. Think about the color, handwriting (or typed font), and size of the words, and try to put them on the poster in an interesting way.
- Cite all your text evidence correctly (use a parenthetical, and put the Work Cited page on the back of your poster). Use your citation packet, the blog, or Purdue Owl for citation help.
KEY ELEMENTS
- Spine – Your character’s backbone represents who he or she is at the core. List the character’s top two personality traits along the spine.
- Brain – The mind represents your character’s beliefs and values. Write two key beliefs or values in or near the character’s brain.
- Shoulders – What is a burden to this person? Ask, “What lies heavily on my character’s shoulders?” Figure out what his or her main conflict(s) is/are. Write out one or two conflicts along the shoulders.
- Heart – What does this person love/want/desire the most? Write this inside the heart.
- Finally, add the TEXT EVIDENCE. Using arrows or some other visual cue (like string or dotted lines), add text evidence (a quote) and analysis (explain your thinking) for each character trait, belief/value, conflict, and desire.
Body Biography Rubric
APPEARANCE: Needs (1) / Meets (2) / Exceeds (3)
- Includes MLA Header
- The font is readable/large enough
- It’s clear which character has been chosen
- Shows creativity
- Artistic choices match content/purpose
- Neat and careful work; does not look rushed or sloppy
| CONTENT: Needs (1) / Meets (2) / Exceeds (3) | |||
| Claims are clear, accurate, and thoughtful. | Text evidence proves claims, and analysis is clear and thorough. | ||
| Personality Trait | Personality Trait | ||
| Belief/Value | Belief/Value | ||
| Main Conflict | Main Conflict | ||
| Love/Desire | Love/Desire | ||
| CITATION: Needs (1) / Meets (2) / Exceeds (3) | |
| Quotation marks on either side of direct quotes, facing the right direction | Triple quotes dialogue. Inner marks single, outer marks double |
| Quotes text exactly | Knows how to change text: Uses brackets and ellipses appropriately. |
| Always sets up/introduces quotes — never lets a quote stand by itself! | Knows when to flow into a quote, use a comma, or use a colon |
| Uses parentheticals (even after paraphrased text details) | Formats parentheticals correctly and includes the correct information in the parenthetical |
| Places proper punctuation after the parenthetical | Punctuation: Removes end periods, but leaves end ! and ? |
| Uses block quote for quotations of more than four lines | Formats block quoting properly (no quotation marks, leave punctuation as is) |
| Work Cited: Needs (1) / Meets (2) / Exceeds (3) | |
| General Work Cited appearance | Work Cited entry is formatted correctly |
Advice for Making a Body Biography: Hints for Students
To demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of character development, you will create a visual representation of a character’s most important traits. You will incorporate carefully chosen text evidence that supports your analysis of the character.
In terms of content, you should focus on making claims, backing them up with evidence, and explaining them (analysis).
For example, one part of the assignment is to analyze the character’s conflict(s). You make a claim (his/her major conflict is _____). You provide text evidence (quote or paraphrase the text, then cite it appropriately). You analyze the evidence (explain how the evidence proves your claim).
In terms of presentation, you should focus on adding visual and creative elements that complement the points you are making about your chosen character. The way you include your C-E-A information should in some way visually/creatively mirror the information itself.
For example, I might want to think about using color, drawings/pictures, 3-D elements, or hidden elements. If I were doing the heart (the character’s major desires/needs), I could use red, I could draw a related image in a romantic or fantastical way, I could show that it is a deep inner desire by hiding it underneath the body or under a heart picture that can be lifted up, or I could show what a burning desire it is by having it pop out of the chest area somehow or by creating flames around it with tissue paper. The possibilities are endless!
Remember, you must CITE EVERYTHING! Use parentheticals and include a Work Cited page. If you used an outside source (like Shmoop), cite that as well. Do NOT work with a partner unless you have my express permission.
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