| Book Project Ideas
« Letter to the Author—Ask at least three questions; offer a change or
suggestion; explain why you enjoyed the book and/or what confused you.
«
Triangle Book report—see Mrs. Lykens for an explanation.
«
Make a poster about the book that –explains deeper research or
interprets scenes from the book
«
Jackdaw—a more detailed book-in-a-bag. Choose at lease five objects
from the book, mount the creatively in a box or on a small poster and be
prepared to verbally explain their significance.
« Story Quilt. Divide a piece of paper into 4 boxes—each will be a
quilt square. Each square will contain a picture of a significant event, a
border that is meaningful and will contain a quote form the book. Please
remember quotes do NOT have to be dialogue—just any lines or sentences from
the book.
« Make a 3-D art project. You may build a model, make a soap carving,
do a wood burning, etc… and must be able to verbally explain the
significance
of your creation.
« Design a newspaper front page. Report on a major event in the book—
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?—be sure to have pictures and extras
« Write a letter to or from a character—this letter should ask about
or
explanation three events from within the book
« Design a board game. Include a board, directions and any necessary
pieces and cards
« Make a diorama—but include a two paragraph explanation
« Make a super deluxe book jacket including a “blurb” about the book
and two quotes from your classmates about why someone should read the book.
« Find a partner and design a puppet show or screen play to perform
for
the class
« Draw a detailed scene from the book and decorate it with significant
quotes.
« Write a new chapter for.. the middle of the book—add an event…for
the
end of the book( an epilogue)—tell what happens next…for the beginning of
the
book ( an prologue) —what happened before
« Rewrite an scene by changing it—make a different outcome, good or bad
« Write a section of the story form another person’s perspective
« Oral Book Report—dress as a character, bring in a few props and tell
us about yourself
« Make a video or newscast and we’ll watch it on the TV
« Write a song about the book and perform it for the class
« Write a poem about a major event in the book—and remember that not
all poems rhyme
« Make 3 trading cards about the book. The front of each card should
have a picture of a character. The back should share one quote form the
book
and one or two sentences about the character.
« Commemorative coin or bill. The front of the bill should have a
picture of a person, the name of the country/town, an amount (like $5) and
a
year. The back should show a scene, a quote from the book, the amount and
the year.
« Picture book. Draw at lease three pictures or scenes from the book,
with a paragraph explaining each—don’t forget your cover.
« If a character died in your story write a eulogy (speech for at a
funeral) that celebrates his/her life by describing three of their “great”
accomplishments—or design a tomb stone with an appropriate epitaph (brief
statement that sums up the person’s character)
« Draw a map complete with legend that shows 4 or five significant
locations in the story or traces the path traveled by the characters.
« Write a medical report if a character is injured—who, what is the
problem, when, where are the injuries and how did it happen.
« Dinner and a conversation. Imagine that you could invite at least
three of the characters to your house—what would you serve them? Design a
menu that reflects the foods in the book. Who would you invite? Create a
guest list. What would you talk about? Generate a list of at least 2
questions per character.
« Make a time line of at least 6 significant events in the book.
« Time Warp the story—imagine that the setting could be moved into the
past or the future—how would that effect the story?
« Wanted advertisement—Help Wanted/ Criminal Sought/ Missing Person—
create a poster answering who, what, when, where and why.
« Dual Journal—divide your paper in half. Describe a scene in the
book
from two different character’s points of view.
« Fortune cookies—make fortune cookies with significant quotes from
the
book—describe why you chose each quote when you share the cookies.
« Find a unique container to share your quotes and thoughts about the
book—for example, for the book Holes you could make a poster of the dry
lakebed. Each hole could be a window you lift to display a quote.
« Write titles or new titles for each chapter that give the reader a
hint of what to expect.
« Draw or make a totem pole with at least three characters or symbols
from the book—write two or three sentences about each person/symbol.
« Draw blueprints or write a set of instructions about a significant
place or action within the book.
« Make a book sandwich.
1. Write the book title, author, illustrator (if there is one), and your
name
the BREAD top.
2 . Write a one-paragraph summary of the book on the
LETTUCE.
3. Describe or draw the book's setting on the TOMATO.
4. Describe the main character in one paragraph on the
MEAT.
5. Write about a part of the book that made you happy
on the CHEESE.
6. Describe a part of the book that you thought was sweet or sad on the
ONION.
Also write what you thought of the book.
7. Tell what you liked or didn't like about the author's style on the BREAD
bottom.
«
« Write a crime report describing who, what, when, where, why and how
See Mrs. Lykens for an example«
« Make a story flower
« Materials: Scissors, glue, markers, a length of string, a 9x12 sheet
of colored paper, a hole puncher and assorted craft materials
1. You need to create a large (symmetrical) flower with only four petals on
the 9x12 sheet.
2. On one petal: Write the title of the book, the author's name, and your
name.
3. On the second petal: Write the name of the main character. Describe this
character using three verbs, three nouns, and six adjectives
4. On the third petal: Write a brief summary of the book's plot.
5. On the last petal: Describe the setting of the book. Use words and/or
pictures to tell where and when the story took place.
Construction:
1. Carefully cut out the flower.
2. Using a hole puncher, make a hole in the center of the flower.
3. Choose an object from the book that symbolizes the story. Use colored
paper and other craft materials to create a figure to represent that object.
The figure must be small enough to fit inside the completed ornament.
4. Tie one end of the string to the top of the figure; thread the other end
of the string through the hole.
5. Glue the ends of the four petals together by carefully curing each strip
around the center figure and then overlapping the tips.
« Resume Writing. As a tie-in to your career education program,
challenge each student to create a resume for a book character. The student
should include in the resume a statement of the applicant's goals and a
detailed account of his or her experience and outside interests.
« "Dear Diary." Invite each student to create a diary or journal and
write at least five entries that might have been written by a character in a
book just read. The entries should share details about the story that will
prove the student read the book.
« Trading Spaces. Students answer the question, Would you want to
trade
places with a character in the book? Explain that their essays must provide
solid information supporting their responses to the question. The
information
they use will help demonstrate how closely they read the book.
Here are some ideas by Sarah Effinger ~ Copyright 1999 Sandra Effinger ~ All
Rights Reserved
Plot: Diagram the main plot and any subplots. Find a visual way to
demonstrate and illustrate the various conflicts, turning points,
connections between plot and subplot, and so on. You might also consider
examining parallel or recurring events.
Timeline: Prepare an illustrated timeline of events in the work. Although
the actual events may not be revealed chronologically (by recollection and
flashback perhaps), remember to proportion the length of the line to the
total number of years the work covers. Include illustrations or quotes at
major points on the line.
Major Character: Prepare a poster portrait of one of the major characters.
Include an illustration of the character as described by the author and
include significant quotes from the work which demonstrate the various
methods of characterization -- name, physical description, what the
character says, what the character does, how other characters react to your
character, etc.
Character Comparison: Prepare a poster comparing and contrasting two of
the major characters who can be analyzed as doubles and/or opposites.
Include an illustration of each character as the author describes them and
include significant quotes from the work which demonstrate the various
methods of characterization -- names, physical descriptions, what the
characters say, what the characters do, how other characters react to your
characters, etc.
Character Relationships Make a cluster diagram showing the relationships of
the characters to each other. Include a sketch of each character or perhaps
a specific object associated with each one. Also include a characteristic
saying or a significant quote about each.. Start with the main character(s)
at the center.
Character Symbols: Frequently, characters in a work are associated with
particular objects which take on a symbolic value. Prepare a chart showing
characters and appropriate objects, explaining how the object represents the
character. If no object is actually associated with the character in the
work, you may choose an object that you think would be appropriately
symbolic for your characters and explain your choices.
Symbolic Recipes: Write and illustrate symbolic recipes for major
characters, events, and/or themes in the work. Remember to follow recipe
format for ingredients and method of preparation, but think symbolically. A
cup of evil, not a pound of flesh. .
Settings: Illustrate the major settings, including descriptive quotes from
the work and indicating major events that occurred at each setting. If
appropriate, consider using a map format.
Image Strands: Prepare a chart showing specific examples of the major image
strands in the work, including quotes as appropriate. Write a brief
statement analyzing the effect of each image strand. (Hint: colors, animals,
nature, darkness and light, etc.)
Significant Lines: Select what you consider to be the most important quote,
quotes, or longer passage in the work. Prepare a collage, which truly
illustrates the meaning of the lines from the work. Include the lines
themselves.
~ Copyright 1999 Sandra Effinger ~ All Rights Reserved
Links to check out...or try an internet search of book projects.
http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/foldedbkrpts071599.html
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/8405/MENUEOFREADINGPROJECT.html
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