In assessing comprehension of a story, what would best help a student explain a character's change over time?

Creating a flowchart of causal relationships is particularly effective in helping a student explain a character's change over time as it visually represents the connections between events and the character's responses to them throughout the story. This method encourages students to think critically about how specific incidents influence a character’s development by tracking the sequence of actions and reactions.

By laying out the key points in a flowchart format, students can better see the cause-and-effect relationships that lead to changes in a character’s motivations, decisions, and overall growth. The visual element allows students to organize their thoughts and observations systematically, enhancing their understanding of the character's evolution.

While reflecting on the book's ending offers insights into how the character has transformed by that point, it may not encompass the entire journey the character has undergone. Writing a character analysis essay is a valid method for exploring character changes but may be more abstract and less structured than a flowchart, potentially leading to confusion without a clear visual guide. Group discussions can facilitate understanding, but the individual processing required to create a flowchart makes it a more effective tool for explicating a character's change over time.