Quarterly Independent Reading

Quarterly Independent Reading

2012-2013 School Year

IMPORTANT:

Keep this document in your folder at all times. The same assessments will be used for third- and fourth-quarter this year. It is to your advantage to keep it so that you may prepare for future quarterly reading assignments.

Due Dates:

October 22-26, 2012

January 7-11, 2013

March 18-22, 2013

May 20-24, 2013

You will be assigned to present on one of these five days. You may not trade with a classmate for a later presentation date without prior approval by Mr. Young, who will confirm the trade with your classmate.

Once specific due dates are assigned, they will be available by accessing ProgressBook.

Presentations:

Each student will be required to present his or her novel to the class. The first part of your presentation should be a brief summary of your novel. For the rest of your presentation: for the reader response essay, book review, or news article, you should discuss key points and summarize your composition; for artistic assessments, you should present your project and share the basis of your interpretation to the class.

Each presentation should be 4-6 minutes in length. The presentation will be worth 20 points of the overall project grade.

Presentation Rubric:

BestWorst
1.Presentation is the appropriate length. / 543210
2.The student thoroughly describes their book and assessment. / 543210
3.The student speaks clearly and concisely. / 543210
4.The student is prepared and organized. / 543210

Assessment Options and Rubrics:

On the following pages, there are ten possible options for your independent reading assessment. You need only choose one of these options. Please read all instructions and rubrics carefully so that you fully understand how you will be graded.

If your assignment does not fit with any of the below categories, it will be graded using the most closely-matched rubric. If you exclude any portion of a project, you will receive a score of zero for the missing portion(s).

Late presentations are unacceptable. Due to the nature of the presentation process, failure to present on your assigned day and time will result in a score of zero for the independent reading project, which will greatly affect your quarterly grade.

Reader Response Essay

The reader response essay is an essay written by the student responding to the novel, or events that take place in the novel. The entire assessment is based on the written response. The essay is worth 80 points.

For your reader response essay, respond to one of the below topics in an essay of at least 2 pages (typed and double spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font):

Personal Narrative – Write a personal narrative essay describing an event that you have gone through that is similar to a situation or conflict faced by a character in your novel.

Student’s use of description to establish the setting of the story. / 1086420
Student clearly relates his or her own story to the novel. / 1086420
Student describes the event clearly and concisely. / 1086420

Persuasive Essay – Write an essay to persuade a character from your story to do something differently, or stand up against adversity. Be sure to provide reasons and support for your argument.

Student clearly declares their position on the argument. / 1086420
Student provides strong arguments to support their view. / 1086420
All evidence provided is specific and relevant to the topic. / 1086420

Research Essay – Write an essay in which you research something about your novel. For instance, you may research the author, the location of the novel, or the time period. Provide several details about your chosen topic in your essay.

Student provides evidence that clearly relates to and supports the topic. / 1086420
Student provides a solid background on the topic. / 1086420
Student cites all sources used and gives credit to authors referenced within the text. / 1086420

Creative Essay – Write a new ending for your novel, or write a prequel to your novel to provide background that the author did not. Be sure to include dialogue and maintain the personalities of the characters.

Student clearly links the ending to the previous segment within the context of the story. / 1086420
Student provides enough dialogue to bring the characters to life and provide detail about the story. / 1086420
Student provides a satisfying conclusion to the story without changing major events or characters. / 1086420

Rubric for ALL Essays:

Introduction states the main topic and previews the paper. / 1086420
Conclusion is strong and leaves the reader satisfied. / 1086420
Transitions are clear and flow well. / 1086420
Paper is organized in a logical sequence. / 543210
Spelling and Grammar / 543210
Punctuation and Capitalization / 543210
Length and Format of the Assignment / 543210

Artistic Interpretation

The artistic interpretation is an excellent choice for students with artistic talent. Students will select an important scene from their novel and illustrate it to the best of their ability using drawing, painting, or sculpture.

Though artistic ability is difficult to grade, the most sincere effort to create an accurate artistic portrayal is expected (NO STICK FIGURES!!). The interpretation will be worth 40 points, and a written explanation will be worth 40 points.

The student accurately and adequately represents a scene from the novel through drawing, painting, or sculpture. / 201612840
The interpretation exhibits artistic knowledge and ability through technique and colors, and exhibits genuine effort. / 201612840

The explanation should be at least 1 page in length, typed and double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. The written explanation should describe the scene you chose from your book and how you chose to represent it. It should also describe why you chose this specific scene from your book.

Explanation Rubric

The explanation describes why the student represented the scene they did. / 1086420
The explanation describes, in detail, the scene that is represented. / 1086420
Paper is organized in a logical sequence. / 543210
Spelling and Grammar / 543210
Punctuation and Capitalization / 543210
Length and Format of the Assignment / 543210

Board Game Production

Students will create an original board game, including questions, tokens, rules, and the board itself. The game must include at least 20 original questions. The student must then write a 1/2-page report detailing the relationship between the game board, tokens, and the novel. The assignment will be worth 80 points total.

Board, Tokens, Rules

The game board represents the novel in an artistic yet justified fashion. / 1086420
The student has designed clear rules for playing and winning the game. / 15129630
The questions and answers are taken from and relate to the plot and characters of the novel. (2 points each) / 4032241680

Explanation Rubric

The student thoroughly explains the relationship between the design of the game board and tokens and the novel. / 543210
The project is formatted properly and is the appropriate length (word count, slides, etc.). / 543210
The paper is free of grammatical, spelling and mechanical errors. / 543210

Musical Interpretation

The musical interpretation plays to the strengths of those who are musically inclined. Students will write an original song or composition about a scene or their novel as a whole. Students will then perform or play a recording of their piece in class. Students will be responsible for a written explanation of their interpretation. The song/composition will be worth 40 points, and the explanation will be worth 40 points.

The song is an original, quality work that adequately expresses a scene from the novel. / 15129630
The song was creative and original; the student avoided clichés or plagiarism. / 15129630
The song references and relates to the text. / 1086420

Explanation Rubric

5.Pamphlet/Poster Board/PowerPoint/Prezi

You may choose to prepare a pamphlet, poster board, PowerPoint or Prezi presentation based on the novel you have read. All four projects will use the same assessment rubric, but have different specifications, listed below.

Pamphlet: The pamphlet must be one standard sheet of paper, tri-folded, and decorated back and front.

Poster Board: The poster board must be at least ½ of a standard poster board.

PowerPoint: The PowerPoint must contain a title slide, at least 1 slide about the author, at least 3 slides for the summary, and one slide per character.

Prezi: The Prezi presentation is similar to the PowerPoint, but instead of containing slides, should have zoom points equivalent to each slide of the PowerPoint presentation.

All projects must contain a brief biography of the author, a 250+ word summary of the novel, information about at least three main characters, and images and decorations appropriate to the novel.

Rubric:

There is an accurate, brief biography of the author, and the source is cited appropriately. / 1086420
The summary is detailed and provides enough information to understand the plot of the story. / 201612840
Descriptions of at least three main characters and their importance to the story are provided. / 3024181260
Illustrations and decorations appropriate to the novel are provided. / 1086420
The project is formatted properly and is the appropriate length (word count, slides, etc.). / 543210
The paper is free of grammatical, spelling and mechanical errors. / 543210

Video Interpretation

Like the creative and musical interpretation, students will create a video of a scene from their book and provide a written explanation of the scene they portrayed. You may also prepare a book/movie trailor for your novel. Students must produce a script, video and explanation for full credit. The video is worth 30 points, the script is worth 30 points and the explanation is worth 20 points. (May be performed live instead of recording, if desired).

Video/Script

The video accurately portrays a scene(s) from the novel. / 1086420
The video contains appropriate scenery and props to make the performance believable. / 1086420
The video/performance is high quality and obviously involved effort and time to prepare. / 1086420
The script includes a list of cast members required for performance. / 543210
The script includes adequate, descriptive dialogue for all characters. / 201612840
The script includes stage directions for each character to follow during performance. / 543210

The explanation should be at least 1/2 page in length, typed and double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. The written explanation should describe the scene you chose from your book and how you chose to represent it. It should also describe why you chose this specific scene from your book.

Explanation Rubric

The explanation describes why the student represented the scene they did. / 543210
The explanation describes, in detail, the scene that is represented. / 543210
Paper is organized in a logical sequence. / 3210
Spelling and Grammar / 210
Punctuation and Capitalization / 3210
Length and Format of the Assignment / 210

Book Report in a Bag

Students will create a “book report in a bag.” Essentially, the student will collect 10 artifacts that represent something significant from their novel.

For each of the ten artifacts, a quotation from the novel (with page number) must be provided that talks about the object.

Students should describe why the object was chosen and how that item was significant to the story. The ten objects, relevant quotations, and explanations will be worth 80 points.

The Objects and Quotations (8 points each – 10 objects)

The object accurately represents a significant fact or event of the novel. / 20
A quotation (with page number) is provided which is relevant to the object and reveals its significance in the story. / 20
The student provides a brief description about the object, why it was chosen and its significance to the overall story. / 43210

Poetic Interpretation

Students will produce a poem based on a scene from their novel of the novel as a whole. Haikus or other short poetic forms, though artistic, will not be permitted. Poems should be at least 20 lines. Students must then provide an explanation for their poem and how it relates to the novel. The poem is worth 40 points and the explanation is worth 40 points.

The poet creates a quality work of appropriate length using poetic form (free verse, blank verse, sonnet, etc.) No haikus, limericks, or other short poetry. / 15129630
The writer includes several elements of poetry (simile, metaphor, repetition, rhyme, etc.) / 15129630
The poem relates to a scene from the novel. / 1086420

Explanation Rubric

The explanation describes why the student chose the scene they did. / 1086420
The explanation describes, in detail, the scene that is represented. / 1086420
Paper is organized in a logical sequence. / 543210
Spelling and Grammar / 543210
Punctuation and Capitalization / 543210
Length and Format of the Assignment / 543210

Book Review

Students will create a critical review of their book, similar to that which might be found in a newspaper such as the New York Times. Your book review should be a description, critical analysis, and an evaluation on the quality, meaning, and significance of the book, not a retelling. It should focus on the book's purpose, content, and authority. A critical book review is not a book report or a summary. It is a reaction paper in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed. It should include a statement of what the author has tried to do, evaluate how well (in your opinion) the author has succeeded, and present evidence to support this evaluation.

Your book review should be two pages, typed and double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font.

The review gives an accurate, brief description of the book. / 1086420
The review provides a detailed, critical analysis of the book. / 201612840
The review thoroughly evaluates the quality, meaning, and significance of the book. / 201612840
Review has a strong introduction and conclusion. / 1086420
Review is organized in a logical sequence and flows well. / 543210
Spelling and Grammar / 543210
Punctuation and Capitalization / 543210
Length and Format of the Assignment / 543210

Newspaper Article

The student will create a news article similar to that which might be found in a newspaper such as the Newark Advocate, the Columbus Dispatch, or the New York Times. The article should describe a significant scene or event from the book. The student should follow typical journalistic style by doing the following:

Begin with a headline that states the main idea of the article and catches the reader’s interest.

Write the article in reverse-pyramid style, which starts with the most important information, and ends with less significant information about the event. If you are unsure what this means, consider visiting the following newspaper websites:

Write in a concise manner, including only relevant information and excluding any “fluff.”

Provide comments or quotations from witnesses or participants of the event. These comments can be direction quotations from the book (which should be accompanied by a page number), or they can be created by the student as long as they fit the character’s personality and do not alter the event in any way.

The article should be at least 500 words, typed and double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. The headline should be 16-point bold-faced Times New Roman font.

The article contains an appropriate headline that draws the reader’s attention. / 543210
The article is written using reverse-pyramid style, starting with the most important information, and concluding with the least important information. / 543210
The article accurately describes a scene from the book or novel. / 201612840
The student provides quotations or comments from characters, related to the event, to support the article. These can be from the book (provide a page number) or created by the student. / 201612840
The article has a strong introduction and conclusion. / 1086420
The article is contains transitions which flow well. / 543210
Spelling and Grammar / 543210
Punctuation and Capitalization / 543210
Length and Format of the Assignment / 543210