Grade 5 · Reading · Lesson 10

Analyze character motivations

Every character in a story does things — they run, they hide, they speak, they keep secrets. Strong readers ask one extra question: WHY? The reason behind a character\'s action is called motivation. Motivation is what drives the character forward. Once you spot it, the whole story makes more sense.

What this lesson teaches

1Define character motivation as the reason behind an action
2Identify common motivations such as fear, love, ambition, and duty
3Use textual evidence to explain why a character acts
4Apply a four-step routine to analyze any character in a story

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