Identity and characterisation in 'No Country' | English

Starter quiz

'No Country' is a graphic novel set during a time when the country is in a __________ war.
- cyber
- world
- civil ✓
Which character are Beatrice and her father missing in the opening pages?
- Beatrice's mother ✓
- Beatrice's brother
- Beatrice's sister
True or false? Beatrice enjoys drawing.
- True ✓
- False
Which of the following are types of callouts?
- speech bubble ✓
- body language
- thought bubble ✓
- sound effect ✓
- plot
True or false? School has stopped completely due to the civil war.
- True
- False ✓
The opening pages before a title page is called ...
- an endpaper.
- a prologue. ✓
- an epilogue.

Match these keywords to their definitions.
- characterisation
  
  ⇔
  
  how an author describes and develops characters' traits & personality ✓
- character traits
  
  ⇔
  
  the qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting ✓
- body language
  
  ⇔
  
  the way people communicate their thoughts & feelings through movement ✓
Authors and illustrators can use which of the following methods to develop characterisation?
- how the setting is depicted
- a character’s appearance ✓
- a character’s words ✓
- a character's actions ✓
Which of the following definitions best describes a prediction?
- how a text relates to a reader, another text or the wider world
- an educated guess, based on evidence in the text or prior knowledge ✓
- selecting and organising literature for a specific purpose or audience
Which of the following statements about the story are true?
- Beatrice’s neighbourhood is looked after by the government.
- The bees' dance is called a tap dance.
- Worker bees look for good places to build a new hive. ✓
- Beatrice learns from her father. ✓
Match each of the following characters to a prominent character trait they show in the prologue of the text.
- Beatrice
  
  ⇔
  
  inquisitive ✓
- Dad
  
  ⇔
  
  caring ✓
- Hannah
  
  ⇔
  
  bossy ✓
True or false? Beatrice and Hannah’s father has a regular job.
- True
- False ✓

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Characterisation is the way an author and illustrator develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.
Readers can tell lots about characters through their appearance, dialogue, their actions and how they are depicted.
Pages with no text can be called wordless (these can also be referred to as ‘silent’).
Having explored the characters in greater detail, readers can make predictions about what might happen next.

Pupils may find thinking and speaking in role as the father or Beatrice challenging.

Drama activities, such as 'thought tapping' or 'hot seating' may be useful to provide pupils with examples of thoughts and speech.

Characterisation - the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story
Character traits - the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting
Body language - the way people communicate their thoughts, feelings, and emotions through their movements and gestures without using words
Prediction - an educated guess, based on evidence in the text or prior knowledge