Outside Reading Report Options:
54321 Poster: Analyzes the book and presents a visual book report.
5: Pictures that relate to the story (explain these!)
4: Literary (rhetorical) devices the author used. Include Device, Quote with Page Number, and an explanation of the quote as an example of the device.
3: Particularly memorable quotes from the book. (explain why they were important)
2: Obstacles the protagonist had to overcome and what these two events say about the character’s personality and purpose.
1: Brief, spoiler-free synopsis of the book, in your own words. Include your analysis of the theme of the work.
Book to Film
· Option I: Choose no less than three, and no more than five major scenes from your book. Write them out as a script for a play or movie, complete with scene directions. Choose music to go with each of the scenes, classical or contemporary, from an appropriate genre. Turn in the scripts and a CD with the songs or song clips you have chosen.
· Option II: Create a Photo Story/Movie Maker short film that tells the story in your book. Include an explanation of the images and scenes you chose including why you chose that scene, how the image represents it, and how the image fits in with your novel. Film should be scored and should be no longer than ten minutes, no less than five.
Dialectical Journal: You will keep a (handwritten) journal of your reading. At the end of each chapter,
- write a summary of the chapter.
- compose one level one, one level two, and one level three question for each chapter.
- find two rhetorical devices used in the chapter, explain your choices.
Collage: Design a collage (half-sheet of poster board, no white space) to depict at least eight (8) of the elements listed below as they apply to your novel. Be sure that all of your images (photos, magazines, etc.) reflect the tone and theme of your book. On the back, include an explanation of the images and elements you chose. Explanations should include why you chose that literary element, how the image represents it, and how the image fits in with your novel, in general.
structure
setting
foreshadowing
juxtaposition
point of view
symbolism
imagery
characterization
figurative language
irony
theme
conflict
tone
narrative pace
iSearch: First, think about topics, issues, and events from your reading that you would like to know more about. This could be anything from the book you read: (ex: What was so special about Shelby cars? How do people from Singapore adapt their culture when they come to America?) The report will have five sections.
1. Present the Question. Write about the origin of your topic choice and why you want to know more about it.
2. Describe the Search Process. Write about how you conducted your research.
Where did you look first? Why? What surprises, if any, did you encounter in your research? Did these change the way you approached your questions?
3. Telling What You've Learned. This is the "report" section. Tell what you have learned that helped answer the initial question(s).
4. Saying What It Means to You. Explain how this information helped you better understand the book you are reading (or have read).
5. Citing Reference Works. Use proper MLA Works Cited format. (3 sources, please!)
Essay: Use documented examples from your novel to answer one of the following questions. Write an AP-style essay, making sure you use examples from the beginning, middle and end of the novel.
- In some novels, the historical and/or social background is so important to the theme and plot that the work could not have been set in any other time or place. Show how this is true in the novel you read.
- Occasionally, the conclusion of a novel seems tacked on, not really an integral part of the narrative. It may seem that the author could not figure a way out of the action and so constructed an artificial ending, or that the beliefs of the time demanded that the book end in a particular way. In the novel that you read, show that the ending of the book does not seem to fit well with the theme and plot of the rest of the book.
- On the other hand, there are novels whose endings seem perfect; there is no other way the action could have ended. In the novel that you read, show how the ending fits the rest of the book and is the best possible resolution of the theme and plot.
- Select any one aspects of your novelist’s style—characterization, imagery, setting, figurative language, irony, etc.—and show how the author has used that element to create a masterful theme and plot.
Book Log (BLOG): Choose five of the following (four regular, and one closing) and complete them for your novel. Combine the five logs to form a booklet, including a title page and table of contents. Design the cover to reflect the themes, characters or plot of the book. DO NOT use the books’ actual cover as part of your design.
Character Reaction:
I really like/dislike ____ because… give several reasons supported with specific (documented) examples of what the character does or says.
Analyzing Reality:
A part that seems really realistic/totally unbelievable in the book I’m reading is… Explain why it is realistic or believable by providing specific examples. Include page number(s).
Putting Yourself in a Character’s Shoes:
If I were ___ at this point, I would… Give specific actions you would take and provide sound reasoning for those actions.
Retelling a Scene:
Pick a scene and retell it from a different character’s point of view. Identify the scene, the character and how the scene is different in your retelling. You can write the scene as if you are that character recounting the events. You may write new dialogue.
Character Comparison:
Compare/Contrast one of the characters with someone you really know. Use specific examples about appearance, actions, personality, likes/dislikes, vocabulary, etc. Support your examples with citations from your novel (page numbers).
Advice Column:
Describe one of the problems faced by a character and write advice for him/her. You may choose to be serious or humorous. Use the letter format common to newspaper advice columns, where the person with the problem writes for advice and the adviser writes back. Often, the person seeking advice “disguises” his or her name with a descriptive name associated with the problem.
Haiku of Love:
Write three valentine haikus from one character to another, from author to character, from character to author, or from character to character.
Haiku format: 17 syllables total; Line 1: 5 syllables; Line 2: 7 syllables; Line 3: 5 syllables.
Reaching for similes and metaphors:
Find and write down five similes and 5 metaphors from your book. Label each as a simile or metaphor, and indicate the page on which it appears. Explain why you chose them and how they add to the meaning of the theme.
Character Sketch:
Write a character sketch describing your favorite character. Tell what the character is like outside (age, gender, hair, etc.) and inside (personality). You may also draw a picture of this character if you wish.
Revising Tone:
Choose a passage and rewrite it, changing words to change the tone. Identify the original tone by diction, details, imagery, and syntax analysis, and then select what type of tone you wish to use. Ex. angry, sympathetic, satirical, heartbroken, etc.
T-Shirt Design:
Create a t-shirt to highlight significant characters, events or themes in the book. Include words or phrases on the shirt, and give a brief explanation about what the shirt signifies.
Fortune Cookies:
You are dining at a Chinese restaurant with five characters from the novel. On that night, the fortune cookies are amazingly appropriate. Tell what each cookie said and why it was especially fitting for the character who received it. Don’t forget to include yourself! (total of 6 cookies)
Transporting a Character:
Lift a character out of the book you are reading and drop him or her down in our school. Is the character a student, teacher, custodian, secretary, nurse, principal, cafeteria employee, etc,? Don't change the character's personality-just show what might happen if he or she became one of us.
Which Character Is Coming to Dinner?
Invite one of the characters in your book to dinner, explaining why you chose that character above the others. Next, write a note to your mother telling her that you have invited someone to dinner. Describe the person to her; include a few dos and don'ts for her to follow so that your guest will feel at home.
Analyzing Word Choices
Select several passages (3+) from the novel and list the verbs, adjectives, and nouns. Examine these lists. Do patterns emerge? What observations can you make?
Casting the Movie Version
You are the director in charge of filming the novel. How will you cast it? Name specific actors for the roles. How will you handle the camera? What do you have in mind for setting and sound? How will you use color? Why? Be Specific!
Switching Settings
Describe what would happen if you would change the setting of the novel you are reading. Be specific. Remember, setting is both time and place. Would characters change? Would the plot have to change? Explain!
Postcard to a Character
Create a postcard for the novel following the directions below.
• The postcard is written from you to a character In the novel
• The stamp represents the selling
• The address is to a specific character in the novel
• Message includes one really important incident and 5 details
• Some specific indication 01 your opinion of the book is included
• Tack on a postscript (P.S.)
• The picture side has an attractive drawing with the title of the book and the author's name.
Imitating Author's Style
Find and imitate the many skills of the author. For example, look for infinitive forms, alliteration, transitions, good sentence beginnings, similes, vivid words, sentences that paint a picture, etc .. List the skill you found, give 3 or more examples (with page number, please), then write 2 or more of your own.
Do this for 6 skills.
Making a Soundtrack
Just about every movie these days has a soundtrack that is marketed along with the movie. The songs on the soundtrack use music and rhythm to set the scene and sometimes tell about characters from the movie.
Books should come with soundtracks, too. Readers could listen to the soundtracks while they read the book. In fact, if you have ever listened to a book-on-tape, ·they are sometimes produced with background music to set the mood of a scene or to build suspense.
Your job is to create the soundtrack for your book. Your soundtrack project must have:
• A minimum of six songs copied onto a CD.
• These six songs must reflect the book's plot, themes, ideas, emotions, setting, characters, etc. AND BE APPROPRIATE FOR SCHOOL!
• The tape or CD should have a cover with it with helpful and appropriate artwork that identifies the book, author, date, you, and your creative genius (as any music soundtrack would have)!
• A typed written part will list all the songs' lyrics and their artists and explain (with at least one paragraph per song) what the song is about and why you chose to include it.
Staging a Novel
Describe the selling of your novel below. Design a stage for a scene of your book as if it were being presented as a stage play. You may use the template provided or make a more elaborate stage of your own. List your cast of characters from the novel and pick current actors or actresses to play those roles. Also note if costumes will be needed for each character.
Mapping the Setting
On a separate piece of paper, draw a map of the selling in your book. Label all the important places.
Make a key explaining the symbols. Explain your map below. (This option cannot be selected. if your book already has such a map).
Time Capsule
Make a time capsule for the book you read. Tell what each character would put in and why. Also include items that relate to the theme, plot, and setting. Explain those as well. You should write a few sentences for each item in the time capsule. You need at least ten items included in your time capsule.
Travel Brochure
Design a travel brochure for the book you read. Include a heading/title, pictures, a map, vivid descriptions, a list of things to do, interesting facts that relate to your novel, and historical information relating to your book. Use the area below for brainstorming, but turn in a brochure with this log.
Party Time
Plan a party, outing, or event that you think one of the characters would enjoy. The party should reflect his/her interests and likes. Include the following: theme(s), food, entertainment, decorations, dress, special effects, location, time, and other guests. Write the plan below. The choices you make must fit the character and the novel world he/she lives in.
Time Line
Create an illustrated timeline of the major events in the novel. Make your own drawings or use computer art and include approximate dates if exact ones cannot be obtained.
Gift Giving
Think of what five (or more) gifts would be perfect to give to the main character. They can be tangible or intangible, but should be things that he/she would really want or use. Explain why you chose each in the space below.
If Walls Could Talk ...
Create a conversation between the main character and some intangible thing (like goodness, justice, love, greed, etc.) or a nonliving thing (like a stone, a tree, a chair, a cabinet, etc.) or his/her conscience.