SUMMER READING PROJECTS

In addition to your in-class essay on your summer reading, you will complete your choice of one of the following projects as a portion of your grade. Choose one of the projects below and utilize the work you read this summer to complete it. Creativity, cohesion, detail, neatness, effort, and thoroughness will be important elements in grading your project. The written portion of these projects is due to Turnitin.com on MONDAY, AUGUST 21 AT MIDNIGHT. Each project is worth 50 essay/project points.

  1. Movie Trailer – Create your own movie trailer for the work you read. You need to include portions of important characters, scenes and events to entice others to want to read the work or see the “movie.” You trailer should be 2-5 minutes in length and must be provided to the instructor in a format that can be viewed by the instructor. This may include a memory stick, DVD, YouTube, or other format.
  1. Character Journal/Diary – Choose one main character from the work and write 8-10 journal entries from the character’s point of view about events that take place over the course of the novel. The journal entries should include and relate to major events and decisions the character faces throughout the work. Each journal entry must be at least one page in length.
  1. Newspaper/Magazine – Create a short newspaper or magazine for your work. Your project should include a front-page article feature story, interview(s) with characters including questions and answers, an editorial piece regarding a major issue/theme in your work. In addition to the 3 required sections, you will include other relevant sections such as fashion, obituary, crossword puzzle, letter to the editor in response to your editorial, advice column, book or movie review, editorial cartoon, or other type of section depending on the newspaper or magazine you are emulating. Each section should be at least one page long. You should have 7-10 total sections in your finished newspaper or magazine. Think of real newspapers and magazines as guides, such as the Santa Maria Times, National Enquirer, People, Vogue, GQ, etc.
  1. Classic Comic Book – You will design, illustrate, and write a comic book adaptation of the work you read containing at least 20 panels. You should include several significant themes, events, and characters from the work. Your comic should represent a consistent style, theme, or motif and be true to the actual work. This assignment may be presented on poster board or in comic book format.
  1. Mix Tape – Create a 10-song mix-tape CD for the character(s) in your work. Write a letter to your characters explaining why/how each song was chosen. Each song must include a paragraph of in-depth description on each song about why/how it relates to the character(s), theme(s), or event(s) of the work. Lyrics should be included to support your rationale. NO EXPLICIT SONGS OR LYRICS MAY BE USED.

6. Book Jacket & Book Review – You will design a book jacket/dust cover for your novel. Remember, it should make people want to pick up and read the novel. Include with your jacket a brief synopsis of the work and a section containing information on the author.

You also need to do a review of your work. You can look at the style of real world reviews in newspapers or magazines, if you would like examples. Your review should include both positive and negative aspects of the work regarding style, characters, themes and events. The review must be no less than two typed pages long.

7. Movie Poster and Review – You will design a movie poster for your work and also write a movie review based upon your work.

Your movie poster should mirror actual movie posters and include elements such as actors, directors, artwork, and other details.

If your work has been made into a movie, you must watch and then review a version of the movie on your work. You must describe similarities and differences between the movie and book and explain whether you feel that any changes made were justified and why.

If your work has not been made into a movie, explain how you would create a movie on your book, giving details based upon your choice of characters, scenes, setting, etc.

Your review must be at least two typed pages long.

If you have a wonderful and unique idea for a project not listed above, such as a research project, piece of artistic expression, or other idea, you may ask me about the possibility of doing your project idea instead. YOU MUST HAVE THE PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE INSTRUCTOR IN WRITING before you are allowed to choose your own project. The written approval will include mutually agreed upon guidelines for your alternative project.