Inkheart

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Inkheart Character Table”

In this activity, students will create a table of the important characters featured in Inkheart; they will use the text to produce detailed descriptions and draw comparisons.

• Using large poster paper or space on a whiteboard, create a table for characters and their traits.
• Each row of the table should contain a different character.
• Column headers should include:

o Who they are (Physical appearance, age, and occupation)

o Three strong adjectives to describe the character (e.g., Flatnose might be depicted as “unintelligent” and cruel)

o Their relationship to Meggie and if and how this relationship changes

o Extra notes comparing characters (like Dustfinger and Basta being foils)

o Important quotes spoken by or about the specific character

Compare your results with those of classmates. How do they compare? What new information surfaced in the creation of the character tables? What conclusions can you draw about Meggie’s relationships over the course of this novel? Address these questions in your notes or reading journal and discuss as a class.

Teaching Suggestion: Construct one row of the table on a whiteboard or projector with student feedback to illustrate the process to students.