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101.Create a bulletin board that catches the essence of the novel.
102.Create a setting booklet that shows drawings of at least five settings from the novel.
103.Write a letter to the novel's author inviting him or her to come visit the class.
104.Write a particularly memorable, provocative, alarming or confusing paragraph on one side of a piece of paper. Below it, paraphrase the paragraph and write any questions or comments.
105.Compare and contrast the settings within the novel.
106.Present a particularly vivid section of the novel to the class. Discuss why this particular section had an impact on your reading.
107.Write a paper describing the goals, dreams, and motives behind a main character in the novel.
108.Develop a paper that explains the changes that take place within a main character in the novel. Present your findings to the class either orally or through some other medium.
109.Organize a panel discussion about the similarities and differences among the characters.
110.Stage a meeting between the main characters of two separate novels. Speculate on what they would talk about. Would they have anything in common? Could they be friends? Write a dialogue. If you can talk a buddy into helping you, perform the dialogue for the class. You could also record it, if you'd prefer.
111.Create a reader's support kit to help prepare future students for the novel. Include reflection papers, any activities you have done, pictures, puzzles questionnaires, and other appropriate items.
112.Write a scene that could have happened in the book, but did not. Explain the effect it would have had on the novel.
113.Create models of four objects which were important in the book you read. Present the models to the class and tell why the model is important.
114.Complete a series of five drawings (or composites of cutouts) that show five of the major events in the plot of the book. Write captions for each drawing so that the illustrations can be understood.
115.Write a resume for a main character in the book. You may need to infer some information from the novel.
116.Pretend that you are one of the characters in the book you read. Tape monologues of the character telling about his or her experiences.
117.Pretend you are a newspaper reporter. Video tape an interview with the main characters of the novel.
118.Create an "I am" poem for a main character in the novel.
119.Create a debate between two characters on an issue. Write out the script. Remember to stay true to the characters the author created! Talk a buddy into helping you present it to the class for more marks.
120.Set up a mock trial to judge the guilt or innocence of a character in your novel. If no one else has read this book, write out scripts and talk people into helping you out. The class will be the jury.
121.Rewrite a novel as a play. You may abridge and condense or you may choose 1-2 important scenes to rewrite. More marks if you can convince a group to help you perform (acting or reader's theatre). Those helping will receive marks as well.
122.Create a photo presentation that captures the main events of the novel. Create a soundtrack that could be used if the novel were ever produced as a movie.
124.Fill a bulletin board with pictures, quotes, and art pertaining to the novel.
125.Create a diary as if you were the main character of the novel.
126.Gather a large collection of current events that reflect incidents that closely parallel the novel.
127.Create a personality folder for a colorful character in the novel. Using a file folder, create a montage of pictures portraying the character's personality on one side. On the other side write a detailed explanation of the illustrations.
128.Create a sales-pitch designed to persuade your classmates to read the book you have read. Do you need any visuals or other gimmicks? (Freebies and food always work well.) Present it to the class.
129.Write a poem that captures the essence of the novel.
130.Videotape a TV commercial advertising the novel you have read.
131.Find some reviews of the book you have read. Read and present a summary of at least five summaries. You may present through an oral presentation, a bulletin board or poster, or in a written form. Include your own review and an opinion statement about the other reviews for more marks.
132.Create a picture book based on the book.
133.Create a pop-up book based on the novel.
134.Create a comic strip series based on the book.
135.Design a mural based on the action in the book. It will be hung on a wall in the classroom or in the hall.
136.Develop a character crest or coat of arms (characteristics, what a character does, setting or environment, any notable aspects of life). Be sure to include a motto for the character.
137.Design a sweatshirt, T-shirt, scarf, or tie based on the book.
138.Create a bulletin board selling the novel.
139.Is your book also a movie? With your parent's permission, view the movie (AFTER reading the novel). Compare/contrast the book and the movie. Present it to the class in some manner (orally, visually, written, etc.).
140.Has your book ever been on a banned book list? If so, research to find out why. Write a position statement, stating why you think the book should or should not be banned.
141.Nominate characters you have read about for awards which reveal something about their characters. Let your creative juices flow as you create awards which will show us something about the characters in your novel. List the character (and the novel he or she is in and its author) and award he or she is to receive. Then use a quote from the novel to tell us why you would present the character with that particular award. You can even create certificates or descriptions of prizes to go along with awards!! EXAMPLE: John Barron Nose Sprayer Extraordinare in The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen "The board hit him across the back of his shoulders like a sledgehammer. He saw something, a spray, out of his nostrils, saw it spray from the wind leaving his lungs because of the force of the board, saw it as he went down and thought, funny, funny how that sprayed and I didn't even know it was coming. Funny . . All fuzzy and funny how that happened and he was on his knees and then on his face and all the time he thought how funny and fuzzy it was, the spray."
142.Collect sentences from your novel. As you are reading, be watching for sentences which have an effect on you for one reason or another. Maybe it is just a sentence that you really, really like. Or maybe it is a sentence that says something just the way it should be said. Write it into a sentence journal. After the sentence, jot down the title of the novel from which it came and the page number. Then briefly tell why you have included this sentence in your journal.
143.This activity requires that you have a partner and that the two of you read the same novel at the same time. You must plan ahead for this to work. After reading only a few pages, write in your reading journal about your reactions to the novel.. Your partner should do the same thing. Exchange journals; read what your partner has written. React to what your partner wrote. Return the journal. Now, you may write a reaction to more of the novel or to what your partner has written. You should do this at least 10 time throughout the novel. Turn in both journals at the same time.
144.After reading brief descriptions of the astrology or sun signs, figure out which sign you think three of the main characters from your book were born under. Write an explanation of why you think they fit the sign, drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book.
145.Select two or three people your character would think of as a hero or superhero. Describe the characteristics would be important to your character. Also describe which characteristics your character would most want for himself/herself that the hero or superhero possesses.
146.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.
147.Select an organization that might have a lot to say about the actions or portrayals of characters in the novel you read, and write a critique of the book from its point of view. For example the society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals might have a lot to say about Lennies' treatments of animals in Of Mice and Men, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the portrayal of Crook, and the National Organization of Women on the portrayal of Curley's wife and the fact that she was never given a name. ***My middle-schoolers had difficulty with this one because their knowledge of organizations and their purpose was limited. So, I gave a few people credit for finding lists of organizations and their purposes which I now keep in my binder.
148.If the events in the novel merit it, write up a report as a social worker would on the conditions in the home and whether or not it's a good environment for a child. For example, if a social worker went to the McNabs' house in Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli how would she describe the home and parenting style of Mr. McNab? What would her recommendations be?
149.Create the application that a character you have just read about could write and submit to a college. Use all of the information you know and infer and create the rest. On the application include Name, Academic Rank in Class, High School Courses Taken and Grades, Extracurricular Activities and Personal Activities, and Work Experience. Choose one of the following questions to answer in a two-page essay from the character's point of view: What experience, event or person has had a significant impact on your life? Discuss a situation where you have made a difference. Describe your areas of interest, your personality, and how they relate to why you would like to attend this college.
150.Write a summary appraisal from the school counselor's point of view that assesses the character's academic and personal qualities and promise for study in college. The college is particularly interested in evidence about character, relative maturity, integrity, independence, values, special interest, and any noteworthy talents or qualities. Why do you feel this stu dent would be well-suited to attend college?
151.Select a character, think about his or her involvements and experiences, then figure out which talk show would most want your character on as a guest. What would they want the character to talk about? Who else would they invite on the show to address the issues the character is involved in? Write up the correspondence between the talk show host and the character in which the host explains what the character should focus on while on the show. After the show, have them exchange one more letter mentioning how they felt about what happened.
152.Your character calls into a radio show for advice. Choose which show your character would call in to and then create the conversation he or she would have with the radio advice giver.
153.From all the movies you've seen in the last couple of year's pick five you would recommend that your character see. Give a brief summary of each movie and explain why you think the character should see it.
154.Select several characters and design a home page for each of them, picking out appropriate backgrounds and pictures and then creating information that would tell a viewer 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 you believe this tells us about the character.
155.Imagine that your character has found other people to talk with while in a chat room he or she found while surfing the Internet. Describe the chatroom your character was in and why your character would be drawn to the kind of group that operates the chat room. Then construct the conversation your character had with others while in the chat room.
156.Create the e-mail directory of all the people you can imagine your character keeping in touch with on e-mail. Explain why you selected the people you did and what it shows about your character. Then construct several exchanges between your character and some of the people in your character's directory.
157.Take a sheet of construction paper and write the title of the book down the side of the paper. For each letter in the title, construct a sentence that begins with that letter and that tells something significant about the story.
158.Create a series of six drawings in six squares that shows a significant event in the novel. under each picture or cartoon, write a few lines of explanation.
159.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 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.
160.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; class mock award-- "class clown"; quotation that shows something about the person and what is important to him or her; favorites such as colors and food; a book that has had a great impact on him or her; voted "most likely to" what?; plans after high school.
161.Create a letter exchange between a character and the author or write a series of self-reflective letters from several characters on what the character learned about himself, others, and life.
162.Create and perform a talk show around one of the major
issues or themes in the novel. For example, after reading The
Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher you might want to
discuss the issue of running away from home. Include people to
represent several points of view on the issue. You might include
characters form the book, a social worker, a police officer, a
gang member, etc.
163.Where do you think your character would most like to go on
a vacation? Pick a spot, describe it, and explain why he or she
would want to go there or download information from the Internet
on the place. Then write a day-by-day itinerary of what the character
would do each day and why you think the character would enjoy
this activity.
164.Think about all the kinds of mementos you would put in a scrapbook for your character, cutting out pictures from magazines or drawing the mementos he or she would have in a scrap book.
165.Find two or three photos or magazine pictures that would have special significance to your character. Mount them on a sheet of paper and write an explanation of why they would be important to your character.
166.After reading a novel, figure out how you would divide the book up into sections. Then select a piece of music that you think captures the feel or tone of each section. Record the pieces and if possible do voice-overs explaining what is happening in the novel during the piece of music and why you felt this piece of music fit the section of the novel.
167.Write three poems in response to the novel. The poems can be about the characters, where the book took place, or the themes in the book.
168.Imagine that three classmates are each assigned the role of one of the characters in the book. You and your fellow classmates have to figure out which person is which character. Only 20 questions may be used. Create the questions that you and your classmates can use to figure out the identity of reach of the three students.
169.Adapt the persona of one of the characters who you feel was portrayed in a sexist or racist manner. Write up a complaint explaining what you feel was unjust in the portrayal and explain the action you would like the author to take to remedy the biased portrayal.
170.Select a character and figure out what two or three thing you believe your character most needs or wants. Draw or cut out pictures to represent these "gifts" and write to your character an explanation of why you picked these things our for him or her.
171.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 you think he or she was trying to show through the book. Be sure to explain what you got out of the book. If the author is still alive, send the letter to author via the publisher of the book.
172.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 column 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.
173.Select an event in the story that characters have different views on. Then write up two or three characters' opinions on the same event in the form of a monologue.
174.Think of fifteen words that are essential to the understanding of the book. Explain why you picked the words you did and how you would define them in terms of the story.
175.Answering machine messages have gotten more and more creative over the years, reflecting the interests and idiosyncrasies of the owner. Select five characters from the novel you have just read and create an answering machine message from each of them. Pay particular attention to diction and tone.
176.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/ Shattered into a spider's web./ River of red blood/ Running form 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.
177.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.
178.One way we get to know characters is to think deeply about them and make inferences based on their actions and on what they or others say about them. Through a person's actions we can learn what they fear and what they want to avoid the most. Select several 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.
179.Select five current news or feature stories from TV 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.
180.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. Think of an issue that was very important to your character. Then create a pamphlet aimed at persuading others of the importance of the issue. Include factual information, testimonials, picture or graphics, etc. For instance, Charlotte from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi might want to create a pamphlet explaining the reasons women should have more life choices.
You reminded me that I had forgotten to give credit where credit
is due.
While the sources for my list are varied and numerous, here are
the ones I
still have access to:
Dennis Scott, my special methods instructor at Northern State
University in
Aberdeen, SD (I have NO clue as to where he got them.)
34 Alternatives to Book Reports
from Ideas for Teaching English in the Junior High and Middle
School, ed.
Candy Carter & Zora Rashkis. Urbana, IL NCTE 1980
( This is the list Nancy Patterson just posted.)
Using Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom
John H. Bushman and Kay Parks Bushman. New York: Merrill, 1993
Various copies of English Journal particulary January 1998--had
a
SUPER list of 50!
Madia Dietz, my best friend all through college
NCTE-Talk
Feel free to use as you wish!
Kathy Marie