Black-and-white comic-style poster titled Characterization Lesson. Direct characterization: a girl assembles a 1000-piece puzzle (Mary was unstoppable when it came to puzzles). Indirect characterization: a girl carries grocery bags up a staircase toward a smiling older neighbor. STEAL clues: speech, a girl offers a seat; thoughts, a boy worries about his answer; effect on others, a coach and players; actions, a boy picks up litter; looks, a girl with beaded braids.

Interactive LessonGrades 6-8

Characterization Lesson

Skill: Characterizations

Learn how to identify how an author reveals who a character is. You will learn direct characterization and indirect characterization, plus the STEAL framework for the five kinds of indirect clues: Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, and Looks. Available at three reading levels for grades 3 to 12.

Reading Level

Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12

Before you begin

Tap to change. You can also toggle these during the lesson.

What is Characterization?

How authors reveal who a character is

How do we know who a character really is?
The author has to communicate it.
Let’s learn how to identify the clues.

Narrator and Characters

Two roles in every story

Narrator = the one telling the story
Characters = everyone in the story
Sometimes the narrator is also a character in the story.

Narration vs. Dialogue

Dialogue = what characters say (in quotation marks)
Narration = what the narrator says (everything else)
These two have different voices. The narrator’s voice and a character’s voice are not the same source.
Example
I am the narrator, so my words do not get quotation marks. But when a character speaks, their words do. My friend John just walked up and asked, "Do you want to go outside?" John's dialogue gets quotes because he is a character. My narration does not, because narration is not dialogue.

Two Ways to Characterize

The author can tell us… or show us.

Direct Characterization = the narrator states the trait
Indirect Characterization = the author reveals the trait through clues
Tell or show? That is the big question.

Direct Characterization

The narrator explicitly states a character’s trait.

Key Clues
The narrator names a trait in the narration.
No interpretation needed. The trait is explicit.
Example
Henry was reckless and quick to anger.

Indirect Characterization

The author reveals the trait through clues the reader interprets.

Key Clues
The narrator never names the trait.
The reader has to infer. The trait is implicit.
Example
Renee retyped her email three times. She wanted every word to be perfect before sending it to her boss.

Explicit vs. Implicit

Explicit means directly and clearly stated.
Ex: Mina was generous.
Implicit means suggested, hinted, or implied.
Ex: Mina slipped her extra bag of chips into Eli’s backpack before he noticed.
Direct characterization is usually explicit. Indirect characterization is implicit. Let's look at another way to understand indirect characterization.

The STEAL Framework

Five categories of clues spell STEAL.

S = Speech: what the character says
T = Thoughts: what the character thinks or feels
E = Effect on others: how others react
A = Actions: what the character does
L = Looks: how the character appears
Let’s look at each one with an example...

Speech

What the character says reveals who they are.

Look inside the quotation marks. The character’s own words carry the clue.
Example
“Relax,” Imani said. “I made a backup plan for the backup plan.”
Trait: Prepared, careful, organized
The narrator does not say the trait. We infer it.

Thoughts

What the character thinks or feels reveals who they are.

The narrator enters the character’s head. Watch for signal words.
Example
Carlos wondered if anyone would notice if he quietly left the party.
Trait: shy, anxious, or uncomfortable
Careful: A narrated thought is indirect characterization unless the narrator directly labels the trait.

Effect on Others

How others react to the character reveals who they are.

Watch other characters’ behavior when this one appears.
Example
When Ms. Arlo raised one eyebrow, the entire debate team went silent.
Trait: strict, respected, or intimidating
The clue sits in other people’s behavior.

Actions

What the character does reveals who they are.

Watch what the character chooses to do, especially when no one is watching.
Example
During the fire drill, Jayden went back to help a sixth grader who had dropped her crutches.
Trait: brave, helpful, or compassionate

Looks

How the character appears reveals who they are.

The narrator describes details that signal something deeper about the character.
Example
Ahmad kept every badge from every robotics contest pinned neatly across his backpack.
Trait: pride, organization, or dedication

Mixed Characterization

Direct and indirect can appear together

Example
Amara was competitive. She refreshed the leaderboard every ten seconds and smiled only when her name moved back to first place.
Sentence 1 is direct: the narrator says Amara is competitive.
Sentence 2 is indirect: her action shows that she cares about winning.
Good readers can spot both.

Characterization Review

Characterization is how authors reveal character traits.
Direct characterization: the narrator explicitly states a trait.
Indirect characterization: the narrator implies a trait through clues.
STEAL clues are Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, and Looks.
Now you’re ready to practice!

Review

Practice Review

Basketball practice started at 5:00, but Omar pushed open the gym door at 4:00 with his sneakers already tied. He shot free throws alone until the rest of the team arrived, and by then Omar was already sweaty. After practice ended, he asked the coach if he could stay for an extra half an hour. What character trait is revealed about Omar?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Diego stood in the long line at the post office with his uncle, who was holding three large boxes. The line had not moved in ten minutes. "This is incredible," Diego said. "I have always dreamed of standing on this exact tile for the rest of my natural life." His uncle snorted. The line still did not move. A clerk waved one customer forward. "Wow," Diego said. "At this rate, we will be done sometime around my high school graduation." Which character trait is revealed about Diego?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Mateo found a leather coin pouch under the bench near the dragon game. Inside were twenty game tokens and a name card that said "Kristina Bell." His friends were already in line for snacks, and the tokens would have paid for all them. Mateo closed the pouch, walked to the counter, and turned it in to the lost-and-found. Which character trait is revealed about Mateo?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Carl opened the bright envelope that promised he had won a free trip to a tropical island. He paused. He had never entered a contest in his life. The letter asked him to mail in his full name, his home address, and the long number printed across his bank card to claim his prize. He wondered, briefly, who would actually need those numbers from him to book a flight. No one gives away vacations for free, he thought, no matter what the gold writing says. Then he dropped the letter into the recycling bin. Which character trait is revealed about Carl?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Helen wanted to feed the sparrow from her open hand. The first afternoon she sat on the porch step and held out a small pile of seeds for nearly an hour. The bird never came near. The second afternoon she sat for two hours. The bird hopped close, looked at her, and flew away. The third afternoon it darted in, snatched a single seed, and was gone. By the end of the second week, the sparrow stayed on her thumb long enough to finish a meal. Helen never once tried to rush the process. Which character trait is revealed about Helen?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

One slice of pizza sat in the box, and Malik had not eaten since breakfast. His little cousin Dax kept glancing at it too, then at Malik, then back at the slice. Malik's stomach growled loud enough for both of them to hear. He picked up the slice, tore it cleanly in half, and slid the bigger piece across the table to Dax. "Go ahead, it's yours," Malik said. He ate his smaller half slowly, like he wanted it to last. Which character trait is revealed about Malik?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Theo put his swimming trophy on the lunch table so everyone could see it. "I won this," he said. "Honestly, I always win. I'm the fastest one on the whole team, probably the whole league." Jordan said, "Nice job." Theo waved the comment away. "Nice? It's better than nice. I'm the best there is, and I'll be the best next year too." Jordan stared down at his sandwich and stopped responding. Which character trait is revealed about Theo?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Ms. Akers asked who could name all the planets in order. Hana knew every one of them. But she tugged her sleeves down over her hands and slid lower in her chair, keeping her eyes fixed on the surface of her desk. When Ms. Akers's gaze swept toward her, Hana's face went hot and red, and she did not lift her hand. Later, walking out, she rattled off all eight planets to her friend without a single mistake. Which character trait is revealed about Hana?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

The class tried to choose a name for their new fish. "Bubbles is too silly," Camron said. "Captain Finn is too fancy. Goldie is too boring." Maya sighed and asked, "Then what name do you actually like?" Camron crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I just know all of those are wrong," he said. Which character trait is revealed about Camron?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.

Grandma Rosa stood in the aisle holding two cans of beans, weighing one against the other. The smaller can cost less, but she muttered the math under her breath. "More beans per dollar in the big one," she said, and set the smaller can back on the shelf. She pulled a worn folder of coupons from her bag and chose three. At the register, she kept her eyes on the screen, checking that every price rang up exactly as the shelf had promised. Which character trait is revealed about Grandma Rosa?

Choose one answer, then add your follow-up response.