Mentor Influence

This worksheet helps students in Grades 5, 6, and 7 analyze how mentor figures influence character development in narratives. Students write a focused paragraph explaining how a mentor’s guidance shapes a character’s beliefs, decisions, or actions during a key moment in the story. Using a provided scenario in which a mentor encourages the character to face challenges rather than avoid them, learners practice showing cause and effect in character growth.

Learning Goals

• Character Development and Influences (Grades 5-7) – Explain how external guidance impacts a character’s choices and beliefs.
• Cause and Effect in Literature – Connect mentor advice to specific character actions and outcomes.
• Narrative Explanation Writing – Write a clear, coherent paragraph that explains influence and change.
• Text-Based Reasoning – Support explanations with concrete details from the scenario.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to support narrative analysis and writing standards.
• Focus on Relationships – Highlights how mentors and supportive figures drive internal growth.
• Clear Paragraph Structure – Encourages organized explanation with a central idea and supporting details.
• Supports Deeper Analysis – Moves beyond plot summary to examine motivation and influence.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Works well for literature units, writing workshops, independent practice, or assessment.

This printable worksheet helps students understand that characters often grow through guidance and relationships, not just personal struggle. By explaining how a mentor’s encouragement affects decisions and development, learners build confidence in cause-and-effect reasoning, paragraph writing, and character analysis. It is a simple, no-prep resource for classroom and homeschool settings that strengthens narrative understanding and explanatory writing skills.

This worksheet is part of our Character Development Worksheets collection.