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Outside Reading Project
Choosing the novel:
The book must be at the students level and never have been read by the student before this project. The book should be approximately 200 pages in length. If you have any questions or concerns, please check in with Mrs. Sulser. Requirements: 1. Once you have chosen the book, you need to fill out a register sheet for the book and turn it in. This will be due in two weeks. 2. You will complete one of the following projects outside of class. You will receive a list of a wide variety of projects to choose from, however, if you would like to do something that is not on the list, please discuss it with the teacher first. Also, even though certain projects may really appeal to you, remember to make sure the project you choose will work well with the novel you read. 3. Projects that require a performance or presentation of some sort such as creating a video or audio recording need to be between 5-10 minutes in length. Written projects need to be between 3-5 pages in length. 4. When choosing projects that involve drawing, you absolutely may NOT copy the book cover or any pictures found in the book. This involves no creative thinking on your part whatsoever and will not be given credit. 5. You must follow MLA format when turning in your project. You must cite the book and other works, if used for the project, with a works cited page. 6. You will also be required to fill out the Book Information Sheet included in this packet. It will be turned in the same day as the project. Assessment Physical Appearance (neatness, organization, color, etc) 5 points Spelling and Grammar 5 points Content and Detail (to what extend does this project prove to me that you read this book? Does the final product reflect well thought-out ideas and demonstrate your understanding of the novel) 20 points Completed Book Information Sheet 10 points
Project Ideas: 1. Childrens story Turn the novel you read into a childrens story by retelling the plot in a simple way with vocabulary appropriate for youngsters. Make sure your creation looks like a childrens book, complete with a hard cover, an appealing book jacket with the title and author, and colorful illustrations above and below your writing. Do NOT use lined paper, and make sure all writing is either typed or written neatly with a black marker. 2. Write your own scene Write a scene that could have happened in the book you read, but didnt. Be sure to write in the same style as the author. On a separate page, include a brief explanation of what has occurred up until this point in the novel and give a general description of the characters. In a second paragraph, explain why you made the changes you did and how they would have affected the outcome. 3. Map If the book you read involves a number of locations within a town, country or geographical area, create a colorful map. First make a list of all the locations houses, stores, streets, parks, lakes, etc. mentioned in your books setting. Then draw the map showing a birds eye view of the area. Label each location. Below the map, create a legend with a list of all the locations. Include a one-page description explaining each item on the map and what important events occur at each location. Make sure your map has lots of details, is colorful, and is large enough to be seen clearly. All writing should be done in black ink or markers. 4. Comic Book Create a comic book based on the novel you read. It should have an illustrated cover with the title and author and be comic book size. Inside retell the story using dialog and descriptions of setting and characters. Put your writing in bubbles. Create colorful illustrations that help tell the story. 5. Magazine Create a magazine that depicts the major events, controversial issues, and significant themes developed in the novel you read. Your project should realistically portray a professional magazine. All articles in your magazine must be typed and arranged in columns. If you cut and paste the columns onto the page, Xerox the final product. You will need a colorful front cover with the name of your magazine, date of edition, a picture that relates to your most important article and short descriptions of the kinds of articles featured in your magazine. Remember, EVERYTHING in your magazine needs to be related to the novel you read. You can have a Dear Ann Landers section with letters from characters asking for advice about their problems and responses of advice, articles related to significant events in the novel, advertisements, and anything else you might find in a magazine. 6. Newspaper Create a front page to a newspaper that is devoted entirely to the book you read. The front page should look as much like a real newspaper as possible with writing in columns, headlines, a newspaper title, the main articles, etc. On the second page, you can include a variety of different kinds of features including horoscopes for each character, Dear Ann Landers letters, comic strips, advertisements, personal ads, an obituary section, or anything else you might find in a newspaper. Everything you include, however, must be based on events and characters in the book you read. Articles must be typed. 7. Scrapbook Create a scrapbook for one of the main characters that reflects the many events that occur to him or her in the novel you read. You can include photographs, letters, post cards, telegrams, a family tree, newspaper article clippings, memorable items or anything else you can think of that you might find in a scrapbook. If you include objects or photographs, be sure to write captions below describing what they are or whats going on and their significance to the character. Create a nice cover for your scrapbook. On the inside, paste an information sheet identifying the full name of the character, his/her age (guess if you dont know), birth date (if known), where he/she lives, and any other important information. 8. Movie Preview The book you have read has just been made into a movie and you have been hired to create an interesting, attention getting preview that will make moviegoers all across the country want to come see this new release. Prepare a script, practice and then videotape short scenes to be used for a preview. Remember previews should not reveal whole scenes, but instead, give us quick glimpses of what the movie is about. Use an attention getter at the beginning of your preview by having a narrator ask a question, describe a situation, etc. (just like when you write an attention getter for the introduction of an essay). Add appropriate background music that fits the mood or atmosphere of the overall movie. Be sure to videotape an interesting visual design of the title (to be shown at the end of the preview) and mention the actors and actresses who star in the feature film. (Turn in the script with this project!) 9. Photo Album Seek out friends, family, teachers and classmates with a camera, ask them to pose in positions and places that reveal events in the novel you read, then shoot! Make sure your pictures are not just of people smiling and saying cheese though. Your pictures need to reveal EVENTS that occur in the novel. Use small props and costumes in your pictures to help identify who each character is and what is going on and try to choose models that resemble the characters. Once you have your pictures, arrange them in a photo album in the order the events occur. Below each, write a caption that explains who the people are, what is going on in that particular scene. 10. Model of the Setting If the place where the story takes place is a significant part of the story, create a model of the setting. Create your model in either a large box, on a piece of cardboard or a piece of wood. Be sure to make it as realistic as possible. Include lots of details in your model that demonstrate events that occur in the novel you read. You may also want to include characters from your novel on the model you create. Label each place. On a piece of paper, write at least a one-page description of the setting and its significance to the rest of the story. 11. Storytelling Turn the novel you read into an oral story that you tape on a cassette. Do NOT read from the novel, but instead, retell the story in your own words. On your tape, before you actually begin your story, introduce the title and author. Be sure to use appropriate tone and volume as well as special sound effects to help make your story more exciting! You might even want to use music. Develop a different voice for each of the main characters that spoke in your story. (Ex: If you were telling the story Little Red Riding Hood, when you came to the part where Little Red says, My what BIG teeth you have, you would speak in a high-pitched voice and then switch to a much deeper, rough voice when the wolf responds, All the better to eat you with.) You will obviously have to skip parts of the story because a novel is very long. Create a script to use when you tell your story. Turn in the script with your tape. 12. Letters Write a series of letters that the characters may have sent to each other during the course of the novel. The letters need to reflect each characters personality. Begin each letter with a greeting and end it with a closing. Write from the first person point of view. Place your letters into a cover that you create, organizing them in the proper order. On the first page, include an information sheet identifying the full names of the characters, their ages (guess if you dont know), where they live, their relationship to each other, and any other important information. 13. Movie/Book Comparison-Contrast Essay After reading the book, watch the movie version. On a piece of paper, type the name of the movie, year it was made, and the names of the stars playing the characters (it should look like a program). Attach this paper to your essay. You will need to type a five-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting three things between the movie and the book. Use specific details. You may write in first person. I expect you to share your opinion about which version you preferred and why. Please double space the essay and use size 14 font.
Name: Teachers Name: Class: Date: Book Information Sheet 1. Title: ______________________________________________________ 2. Author:_____________________________________________________ 3. Describe the setting of the story: _________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 4. Describe the main character: ___________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 5. Describe the central conflict of the story: __________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 6. Describe the resolution of the conflict:_____________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
7. In five sentences outline the plot of the story: Sentence 1: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Sentence 2: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Sentence 3: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Sentence 4: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Sentence 5: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 8. State the theme of the story: ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
9. Describe in detail why you liked or disliked the story: _________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________