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.

Creative Project Presentation List

The following list contains a few topic ideas that you can use for your creative project. If you do not like any of these options on the list, you can create your own with prior approval of me. Keep in mind that your project needs to be a minimum of three hours of work for an A as well as keeping a detailed work log. Your work should include the date and time that you worked on your project, and a good size paragraph explaining what you did during this time.

• Scene performance: select three scenes and record them using Youtube or create an I-Movie or use Windows Movie maker. I must see the video BEFORE you present to the class (See Digital Storytelling Rubric).
• Create your own puppet show (See Puppet Show Rubric).
  

• Research the author of the story. Did anything you learn about the author help you better understand the story? Does it parallel his/her life? (See Research Rubric).
  

• Make a new book cover for the story. You should include a summary of the story, at least five reviews from people who have read the story, and at least one colored illustration (See Book Jacket Rubric).
  

• Create a mural, collage or find clip art or images from Flickr or Creative Commons that represent characters, scenes, themes, symbols from the story and explain the importance of each (See Collage Rubric).
  

• Create a blog that talks about important scenes, characters, happenings within the book and share it with the class (See Web Design Rubric).
  

• Create your own podcast/radio show that deals with the story. Must view before presentation.
  

• Write an exchange of letters between a major character and one other in the story. Have them discuss a common topic. Remember: Each character must remain consistent with his/her established character (See Writing Letter Rubric).
  

• What if? Speculate what would happen if certain events discussed in the novel had happened differently. Rewrite the ending (See Research Writing Rubric).
  

• Create a sequel to the novel (See Research Rubric).
  

• Update. If the characters lived now, what would the character be doing? How would they survive, and how would their lives be similar or different? (See Research Rubric).
  

• Write the script for a 'Talk Show" and videotape it to show to the class. Must see prior to presentation. (See Talk Show Rubric).
  

• Write several diary entries reflecting a day in the life of a character from the story (See Letter Writing Rubric).
  

• Describe a character in the story by explaining how they would be or how they would be treated in modern day society (See Research Rubric).
  

• Write a local newspaper account of a certain episode (See Newspaper Rubric).
  

• Pick an episode from the story, making it into a graphic novel or comic strip with appropriate captions and bubbles of dialogue and thoughts (See Comic Strip Rubric).
  

• Choose your own topic with prior approval of me.

Movie Trailer

One creative project choice students have is to compare the novel to the movie. They can then create their own trailer based on the novel. Here is the movie trailer of the book I am currently reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty.