Summary of Expectations for Unit

Every semester, students are expected to choose an independent reading novel. The main requirements are that the book they choose is something they are interested in and is at their reading level. I always state to students, if they don't know, ask me. They also cannot read books they read before, however.

For this semester long unit, I dedicate Fridays every week for reading, writing, creating their blog, mind mapping, and their creative projects. Since students learn and master things at different stages and ability levels, this works well because students can work at their own pace independently. The final unit portfolio is due one week before the semester ends.

In this blog, you will see what is expected of students during this time. We will spend time the first couple of Fridays having them set up their blogs and reading their books. The expectations are clear and straightforward.

Students should come prepared to work independently. Every week, they should blog about their book. In this section, they can share what they like, or dislike, what is confusing, and funny. They should however have four of these posts every week. I will be responding directly about their progress by way of posts on their blog. They will also be expected to comment on their blog partners posts 4 times a week as well. This shows me that they are grasping the ideas of their book and sharing these thoughts with a partner.

The next requirement for this semester long project is that students keep a mind map of all the main characters in their novel. They should include anything they learn about these characters such as how they look, act, feel, think, and how others perceive them.

Lastly, students will be responsible for presenting and creating what I like to call their Creative Project. Within the blog, you will see examples of things students can do such as create a movie, create a mural, and create a comic strip just to name a few. This part of the unit is really geared at applying what they have learned from the novel in a creative way that highlights other strengths the student might have as well. In order to receive an A they must keep a detailed work log that entails the date, time, and what they did every time they worked on their project.

All rubrics for this unit are conveniently displayed on the right hand column of my blog. I have also created examples of the mind mapping, journal entries, as well as sample Creative Projects as well. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me at any time.