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Book Reports
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You may choose any of the 20 here, but please choose a different one each time.
Book
Celebration #1
Create
A Childhood For Each Character
Your task:
If your main character is an adult, try to figure out what he or she would have been like as a child. Write the story of his or her childhood in such a way that shows why he or she is the way he or she is in the novel.
Requirements:
Be creative!! Keep in mind that your story needs to explain why this character acts, talks, behaves, and lives the way he/she does in your novel. It might be helpful for you to go back through your novel and look at how the character talks, acts, behaves. You may use quotes from the text if you choose. You are only limited by your creativity here.
Your story needs to be at least four well-developed paragraphs long. Please feel free to write more if you want or need to - extra points can be earned this way! Whatever you turn in needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your story.
Presentation:
There are a variety of ways you can present this. You may choose to type this up and submit the story in report form. You may also create a collage with the story or make a poster with the paragraphs. Don't limit yourself hereÉlet the creative juices flow!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #2
College
Application
Your task:
Create the application that a character you have just read about could write and submit to a college. Use all the information you know about the character and infer and create the rest of it. On the application include Name, Academic Rank I Class, High School Courses Taken, Grades, Extracurricular Activities, Personal Activities, and Work Experience.
In addition, choose one of the following questions to answer in a two-page essay from the character's point of view:
Requirements:
This assignment requires a good understanding of one character, and what he/she might want to do with his/her life. What would he/she say in a college essay? Be true to the character - take a look back in the novel to get a sense of what he/she might say. You may want to support your essay with quotes from the text, although this is not required. The essay portion needs to be typed; if you have a different idea, please talk with me first.
For the application section, you have many options. You can create your own college and application; you can contact one of the local (or not!) colleges and request an application packet. If you choose to use an application packet from an actual college, and would rather write on one of their essays, please let me know.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your essay.
Presentation:
In terms of presenting this project, you have many options. You may submit the typed essay and application. You can also put all of your work together in a poster/collage format if you wish.
Whatever you turn in needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #3
Create
A Home Page
Your task:
Select several characters and design a home page for each of them, picking out appropriate backgrounds, colors, and pictures and then creating information that would tell a view about your character. Also, create links to at least five different sites that you think your character would be interested in. Then write up and post on the page an explanation of how you made the decisions you did and what this tells us about the character(s).
Requirements:
This celebration requires a pretty good sense of who your characters are. You must include no less than three characters in your home page. If you would rather create an in-depth home page on one character, please see me and we will work something out. Otherwise, for each character, you need to provide at least five working Internet links that are in some way affiliated with your character. Be creative!
The explanation of your decision-making process needs to at least three paragraphs (one page) long. You need to include it in your home page, but supply me with a hard copy as well.
Whatever you turn in needs to be proofread by yourself at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your essay and home page.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #4
Cartoon
Squares
Your task:
Create a series of six drawings in six squares that shows a significant event in the novel. You will need to do this for three separate events in the novel. (Each event will have six drawings in six squares.) Under each picture or cartoon, write at least two sentences of explanation.
Requirements:
You need to choose three major events in the novel, and represent them in a six-square cartoon drawing. Instead of limiting yourself to six drawings, you may choose to do this another way - be creative! You must include the lines of explanation however you choose to draw the events.
In addition to the drawings, you must submit three well-developed paragraphs. In the paragraphs, you need to explain why you chose the events you did; how you decided to draw the characters (what color hair, clothes, etc.), and, how the events you chose are important in the novel.
Whatever you turn in needs to be proofread by yourself at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your cartoons.
Presentations:
You really have a wide range of choices in terms of how you would like to present your celebration. Again, I will be looking for creativity! You can put together a poster, a cartoon storyboard, a comic book - don't limit yourself.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #5
Word
Collage
Your task:
Write the title of the book in the center of a sheet of paper. Then look through magazines for words, phrases and sentences that illustrate or tell something about your book. As you look, think in terms of the theme, setting, plot line, as well as the characters. Work to get fifty such words, phrases, or sentences so the whole sheet of paper will be covered. The visual impact of the collage should tell a potential reader a lot about the book.
Requirements:
This celebration is fairly self-explanatory. The story elements (plot, setting, etc.) must be evident in the final collage.
In addition to the collage, you need to include at least two well-developed paragraphs explaining what your word collage represents. What do you want people to be able to see? What should we learn about the novel? This portion needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
Presentation:
Because there will be so many words, phrases, and images included on this collage, this must be done on poster board (or anything equivalent in size). If you have another idea, please let me know.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your collage.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #6
Yearbook
Entries
Your task:
Imagine what three or four characters from your novel were like in high school. Cut out a picture of a person from a magazine to represent each character. Mount one picture per page and under each picture place the following information which you will create: nickname of character, activities, clubs, sports they were in and what years. A class mock-award such as Ôclass clown' and a quotation that shows something about the person and what is important to him/her. Include favorite things such as colors and foods, a book that has had a great impact on him or her, and voted Ômost likely to' what? Include any plans after high school.
Requirements:
For this celebration you need to make entries for at least three characters; if you choose to do more, you may receive extra points. Make sure your entries are as true to your character as they can be. Make guesses based on what you read in the novel. It might be helpful for you to go through the novel and retrieve quotes for the entries, if you choose.
You need to have between ten and fifteen categories for each character (some ideas were listed above). The school library contains copies of old yearbooks; you may find these helpful in generating ideas for yours.
In addition to the entries, please include one paragraph for each character, basically summarizing the information you provided in the entry. What did you want to convey in the entry? What should we be able to learn about the character?
The writing portion does not need to be included in the final project - it does not have to be part of the final yearbook. The writing portion does need to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your entry or yearbook.
Presentation:
You can do this in a variety of ways. You may choose to actually create a mini-yearbook or put the entries on a poster. Be creative!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #7
Poetry
Your task:
Write three poems in response to the novel. The poems can be about the characters, where the book takes place, or the themes covered in the book.
Requirements:
This task may not be as easy as it sounds. Each of your poems needs to cover a different topic of the novel - you may not write all three poems on the same topic.
I will accept any Ôtype' of poem - free verse, sonnet, etc. If you would like more information on different forms of poetry, please let me know and I will get you more information
In addition to the poems, you need to submit a two-paragraph response explaining why you chose the events or themes that you covered in the poems, and how you decided to write the poems like you did. The paragraph portion needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project. I will also look to see various drafts of your poems.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title each individual poem.
Presentation:
There are a variety of ways you can present this. Poems may be handwritten (the more creative the better) or typed. You can submit them on regular sheets of paper, bind them into a small book, or paste them onto a poster of your choice. If you choose, you may also read your poems in class - reading aloud in class merits extra points for this assignment.
The two-paragraph explanation does not need to be included in your project. Please give this to me separately.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #8
Talk
To The Author
Your task:
Write a letter to the author of the book explaining to him or her why you think he or she wrote the book and what he or she was trying to show through the book. Be sure to explain what you got out of the book - what you learned, what you liked and/or disliked. If the author is still alive, send the letter to the author via the publisher of the book.
Requirements:
This assignment must be done in the standard letter format. If you are unaware what this format is, please see me and I will give you the information. I will be looking for a two-page letter (double-spaced) to the author. Feel free to cover any pertinent information you choose about the novel, but you need to cover the topics mentioned above first.
If the author is alive (check the back of the book), prepare to send your letter to the author via the publisher. Many publishers will include mailing information with the copyright in the book itself; otherwise, you can usually find publishing house information in the library or on the internet.
The letter needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name.
Presentation:
Because this letter will actually be sent if the author is alive, you need to keep the assignment in standard letter format. If you would like to take the extra effort and present it in another way, please do so. If the author of your novel is no longer living, you may present the letter in a variety of ways. Be creative! You can submit the letter on regular sheets of paper, bind it into a small book, or paste pieces of the letter onto a poster of your choice.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #9
Point
Of View Column
Your task:
Write an opinion column like those that appear on the editorial page of the newspaper. Choose a theme or topic from the novel you just read and write the columns from the point of view of one of the characters. Your character might write about the importance of education or why we should accept people who are not like us.
Instead of writing one column, you could write two columns, one from each character's point of view. Create a dialogue between the two characters in your "opinion section." What are they discussing or arguing about?
Requirements:
Reading through the editorial/opinion section of the newspaper will be extremely helpful for you in this assignment. Choose an issue you would like your character(s) to discuss - the issue can be one you make up, or it can be a topic discussed in your novel. Either way, you need to build a strong case either for or against your issue.
I will look for a two-page essay (double-spaced) or column of writing. If you choose to keep this in essay form, you need to have at least three well-developed and well-thought out paragraphs. The essay/column needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your essay/column.
Presentation:
You have a great deal of freedom here. You may choose to keep this in traditional essay format. You may also choose to create a mini newspaper, make a few ads to go in your opinion section. Be creative! Don't limit yourself - I am looking for content and creativity.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #10
Character
Monologues
Your task:
Select an event in the story that characters have different views on. (For instance, Willie in Crazy Horse Electric Game, his girlfriend, his mom, dad, and friends all had different views on his running away.) Then write three characters' opinions on the same event in the form of monologue (one person talking to him/herself).
Requirements:
I will look for three characters' opinions on the same event. Each character needs to have at least two well-developed and thoughtful paragraphs of monologue. This writing portion needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your monologues!
Presentation:
There are many ways to present this information. You may choose to draw the monologue (people, too), or create a section of a newspaper focused specifically on this particular event seen from other people's views. Be creative!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #11
Found
Poems
Your task:
Select a chapter from the novel you have just read that you consider powerful or interesting. Then, select words, lines, and phrases that you think project strong images and show the impact the chapter makes. Arrange this material into a poem.
The following example comes from Chapter Twenty in Spite Fences by Trudy Krisher:
Violence at the Lunch
Counter Sit-In
Fist slammed into George Hardy's face
Glasses slid to his chin
Scattered into a spider's web
River of red blood
Running from his nose.
It was the red color of the fence
The red color of the earth
on which I stood
It was red
The color of my life this summer
The color of kinship.
Requirements:
You must complete two found poems, preferably from two separate chapters or sections/events from the book. The poems can be any length, but must be descriptive enough to convey the event/chapter you have chosen.
In addition to the poems, you need to write two well-developed and thoughtful paragraphs about why you chose the events you did, and how you went about "finding" the pieces of your poem. These paragraphs need to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your poems!
Presentation:
There are many options for presenting these poems! You could arrange the words/phrases like a ransom note or collage and mount them onto a poster board. You could do the something similar on a normal sheet of paper. You decide, but be creative. Don't limit yourself!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #12
Name
Analysis
Your task:
Select a few of the characters from the novel. Look up each of their names in a name book to see what the name means. Write all the meanings down and then write a short essay for each character explaining in what ways the name is suitable and in what ways the name does not fit the character.
Requirements:
Sound familiar? This celebration requires you to research the names of at least three characters from your novel. In your explanation of the names, be sure to address whether or not the name description "fits" the character (similar to what you did with your own names). You need to explain why the name is appropriate, or why it is not appropriate - this is the major key for this celebration! You must have this element! You need to complete at least one paragraph per name - if you are able to find more information, please write more! Your fourth paragraph should explain why you chose the three characters you did, what you learned about their names, and how those names fit in with the overall idea of the novel. (Ask me about this if you are at all confused!)
These paragraphs need to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your analyses!
Presentation:
There is much room for creativity here. You can create a collage for each name; create a poster for the novel and include the names for each character; submit the information in traditional "report" style. These are just a few ideas - by no means are you limited to these thoughts - let your creative juices flow. I am looking for content and creativity.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #13
A
Character's Fears
Your task:
One way we get to know characters is to think deeply about them and make inferences based on their actions and on what they and others say about them. Through a person's actions, we can learn what they fear and what they want to avoid the most. Select two characters from your novel and write short essays on what you believe they fear the most and what evidence you used to come to this conclusion.
Requirements:
You need to write at least two well-developed, thoughtful paragraphs about each character. Going back through the book and examining your characters might be helpful for this celebration. Pulling quotes from the text will also be helpful, as you need to provide some kind of evidence to support your opinion (not just "I think he/she said/felt this" - use a concrete example from the book).
In addition, please write one paragraph explaining why you chose these particular characters. Are they the main characters? Are they related? This paragraph is solely your opinion - just tell me how you decided on these two characters.
All of the writing needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your character's fears!
Presentation:
You certainly have many options in this department. You may want to paste the fear paragraphs into a collage, or put them on a poster. You could create a mini-magazine and devote the issue to your novel and the characters' fears. Be creative! I am looking for content and creativity.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #14
Current
Events
Your task:
Select five current news or feature stories from television or news magazines that you think your character would be interested in. Then, explain how your character would respond to each of the stories and the opinions your character would have about what was happening in the story.
Requirements:
You need to write at least one well-developed paragraph for each current event story. In each paragraph, be sure to include a summary of the current event, why your character would be interested in it, and the opinions you think your character would have about each of the events.
You will also need to write a paragraph giving the basic information about the character you will be using. Who is he/she in the novel? Why did you choose him/her as your focus character?
All of the writing needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your project!
Presentation:
There are a variety of
ways you can present this. You have a great deal of freedom here. You may
choose to keep this in traditional essay format. You may also choose to create
a mini newspaper, make a few ads to go in your section (current events,
characters, or the novel). Be creative! Don't limit
yourself - I am looking for content and creativity.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #15
Advertisements
Your task:
To show your understanding of a character, go through several magazines and newspapers looking for advertisements of goods you think your character would like. Cut out the pictures, mount them on a poster board, and under each picture write a few lines about why this product would appeal to your character.
Requirements:
You need to provide at least ten (preferably fifteen) goods/products/services for your character. The more the better here. Please provide two sentences per advertisement, explaining why/how it applies to your character. Why would your character choose these goods? Where possible, pull information from the text - things the character did or said that would indicate endorsing a certain product.
In addition to the poster board, you need to write at least two paragraphs explaining what we, as readers, should understand about the character from your poster. What do you want us to learn? What should we be able to see? You can explain how certain products/goods complement the theme or plot of the book. There are many possibilities here.
Presentation:
Because there will be so many pictures, words, images, etc. for this project, you need to complete it on a poster board, or something else equivalent in size. The two-paragraph explanation does not need to be part of the final project - you can hand that in separately.
All of the writing (including the sentences for the pictures) needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your poster!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #16
Diorama
Your task:
Think carefully about the events that take place in the novel. What happens? How do those "make" the story? For this celebration, you need to choose one of the main events of the story or a scene in the novel that touched you personally, and create a diorama based on that event. The event that you choose to represent needs to be a significant event in the novel. (For example, in Robert Cormier's Fade, one of the main events would be when the main character realizes he has the power to make himself invisible.)
Requirements:
A diorama is defined as "a scene reproduced in three dimensions by placing objects, figures, etc., in front of a painted background" (Random House Dictionary). You need to create/build a diorama of your own, based on an event in the novel. Your diorama needs to include the characters involved in the event and the setting/background. The diorama should also convey a sense of what is happening, or what the main event is.
In conjunction with the diorama, you need to write two paragraphs describing: a) the event you chose to representÉbe sure to include details that you weren't able to put into the diorama. Some background information about what led up to this event would also be helpful. b) Why you chose this particular event. Is this the main event in the novel? Were you particularly impressed with what happened here? Give me your opinion.
Presentation:
There are so many possibilities here! Be sure your diorama has a three-dimensional quality to it. You can use a shoe/boot box, a cardboard box, cereal box, or anything you want to use in order to create your diorama. Be creative! Be colorful! Please ask me if you need further suggestions.
All of the writing (the paragraphs) needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your diorama!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #17
The
Tabloids
Your task:
Create a mini-tabloid magazine/newspaper about certain elements in your novel. Exaggerate characters, plot, settings, events, quotes - anything correlating to your novel.
Requirements:
However you choose to address this tabloid, you need to include at least four mini-news stories. As stated earlier, you can focus on any element of the story, but each story needs to be at least one well-developed paragraph long.
For each tabloid story you create, you need to write a paragraph explaining the truth you exaggerated. For example, let's say you've created a tabloid story about the main character joining the local circus to bearded ladies' beards. In your truthful paragraph about this story, you'd explain that no, he didn't join the circus; he joined the army (or whatever).
Presentation:
Your final project will be the mini-tabloid paper. The truthful paragraphs will be turned in to me separately. Be creative with the tabloid - you can put this into newspaper style, include pictures from the Internet or magazines/newspapers, etc. The more stories (articles), the better. And, since I am only requiring four stories, there is a possibility to acquire extra points for more stories.
All of the writing needs to be proofread by yourself at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your tabloid (this could be really creative)!
50 points possible.
Book
Celebration #18
Teacher
For A Day
Your task:
Ever wonder what it's like to prepare a class lesson, or how to teach the class a novel? Here's your chance to put those inquiries to test! Your task is to pretend you are a teacher preparing to teach your novel to the entire class. You will need to prepare:
Requirements:
Most of the requirements are listed above except one: you need provide the answer key to your lesson. For the vocabulary list, you need to provide the definitions as well as the page numbers where the words were found. Welcome to teaching!
Another important aspect of teaching is why we teach what we do. Why teach Steinbeck over Crutcher, or Romeo and Juliet instead of Hamlet? You need to submit at least one paragraph explaining why you should teach this book. What does this book have to offer that you feel is important? Does the book make any social commentary? Is what we learn in the book applicable to today's world? Explore your reasoning for why you want to teach this book.
This "position" paragraph should be based largely on your opinion. In teaching, this type of writing is referred to as a "position paper." For extra points, you can research (via the internet or library) position papers written by teachers about your novel, and include your findings in an additional paragraph or two. Did you find similar reasons for teaching the novel?
Presentation:
Most of this celebration involves written work, but the presentation of it can vary. Create a "mini-portfolio" of your lesson plans, and place the answer keys in a separate folder. Create actual handouts for students, and an answer sheet for the teacher. Be creativeÉthese are only suggestions!
All of the writing needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. Don't forget to title your lesson (this could be really creative)!
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #19
WANTED!!
Your task:
Your task is to create a "wanted" poster for one of the characters or objects in your book. Be sure to include the following:
Requirements:
You need to include all of the elements listed above in your poster. The descriptions need to be organized into paragraphs. In addition to the poster, you will need to write two or three paragraphs summarizing the information contained in the wanted poster, as well as why you are looking for the object or character. What has happened in the story to warrant this poster? If you are searching for an object, who had it last? Why is it so important for the character to find it? Remember, not all of your classmates have read your book, so you need to give information explaining why your wanted poster even exists.
Presentation:
Your poster can be any size or shape; make sure you leave enough room for all the information you need to display. The paragraphs explaining the poster do not need to be part of the poster - you may turn this in to me separately.
All of the writing needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name.
50 points possible.
Book Celebration #20
Three,
Two, One. . .Scene
Your task:
You are a movie director who has recently read a magnificent novel, and you are contemplating making a movie based on this novel. You need to consider the following elements:
You will answer these questions, and, assuming that you do want to make the movie, assign real actors/actresses to roles. You will also create a movie poster persuading audiences to view this film.
Requirements and
Presentation:
This celebration can actually be broken up into two segments: visual and written.
First, the written portion. The written section needs to answer the questions mentioned above, in addition to any questions or concerns you may have about turning this novel into a film. Be as realistic as you can. If you didn't like the ending of the novel (and would like to change it in the film), explain how you would change it and why. (The why part is important!) The written portion should be at least a page in length (double-spaced, typed).
Second, the visual portion. You will be creating a movie poster for your new film. The goal of the poster is to persuade audiences to see your film. A glance around your local video-rental store will be helpful. Remember, the poster needs to be persuasive! Have friends and classmates be "critics" and give quotes and reviews for the film. Be creative! The poster can be as large as you need it to be, and can incorporate magazine cutouts, drawings, sketches - whatever you feel you need to complete the task.
The written portion should be separate from the visual portion. In other words, don't put your report on your poster! All of the writing needs to be proofread by you at least once, and by a parent/guardian, a classmate, or myself. Be sure to check for spelling and mechanical errors. You will need to turn in ALL drafts of your writing with the final project.
You must include the title of the novel, the author, and your name. (You can put this information on the back of the poster.)
50 points possible.
