Mrs. Nosbusch s Reading AT HOME READING WORK (PROJECTS & REFLECTIONS All students are required to read a chapter book, unless I have prearranged with them to read another type of text based on their reading level. EVERY student will have to complete a reading project where they will show their literacy skills and ability to put together an oral presentation, as well as a written/paper presentation. The project options are included in this packet. Once every three months (approximately) students will need to let me know which project they select and what the title of their chapter book is that they have MOST recently read and will need to get approval for the project and book. I will score students on their presentation skills (eye contact, voice quality and clarify, and preparedness), they will also be scored on their recall, analysis and thinking about the text they select. Date to Select Project Type and Book Date Project is DUE December 1 st January 9th March 3 rd April 1st May 1 st June 9 th Book Reflections: In addition students will need to complete a book reflect EVERY month that there is not a book project due. Reflection sheets can be picked up in the classroom or downloaded online at our classroom webpage. Responses must be complete, well develop and use evidence, examples and details from the text to support their responses. I also included ONE copy of the book reflection so that you know what it looks like. Reflection Due Dates: October 1 st November 26 th February 27 th April 30 th Home Reading: All reading projects are to be completed AT HOME. Some time is given to work on the reflections during our reading block, but a large majority will be completed at home. I often suggest that students work on these as they are reading their books so that they are not recalling everything at the end of the book. Then students can edit/revise their reflection to make it flow after they have finished the book. This helps minimize the amount of time spent on them all at once and produces better thought out work. Students are given time to read during the school day the book of their choice, however nightly reading is required, so I suggest that kids keep their book traveling from home to school in their backpack each day. Making this a habit early in the school year is great!
~ All book project options must include elements of literature such as the plot, character analysis, setting, author, resolution, etc. Each student will give an oral book talk on top of their project. All presentations must be 10 minutes in length. Book Project Options Cereal Box Cover a cereal box with paper. Design a new cereal box with illustrations and information about the story. Include the ingredients (character, setting, problem, events, and solution) and nutritional value (opinions and ratings). Sock Puppets Make sock puppets that represent the main characters. Write a short script, and share your story as a play with puppets. Script and puppets to be turned in. Rap Write a rap or rhyming song that relates the main event of the story with the theme or moral. Perform it for your class. Newspaper Create a newspaper. Must be typed in newspaper format. Include a front page, want ads, editorials, advertisements, obituaries, sports, and comics that are appropriate for the content of your book. People Magazine You are the editor of People Magazine. You are covering the main character in the book. Create a cover page of the magazine and the article that talks about the story. Edible Scene/ Diorama Must a store bought items. Examples, you can purchase a cake and use it as your platform to decorate with items that represent the character or a favorite scene. Must also give a speech that tells about the book. Must also bring utensils for you to share with class and plates. Recording Studio Select a scene from the book. Create a script. Tape record yourself and the other characters. Must include appropriate sound effects. Needs to be 10 minutes in length. You can silicate the help of your family to play some of the roles, but your role must be the largest role. Script and tape must be turned in. Games Develop a game based upon the book you read. Your game must be challenging enough for the people playing. You must include elements of your book in the game and/or game board. Elements include but are not limited to characters, setting, and main ideas of the story. Powerpoint Pretend you are a book critic who is going to give a speech. Create a powerpoint presentation about the author and the story the explains why you dislike and like elements of the book and why. You must have at least 10 slides, must be organized and you will be expected to present to class. This is not just a series of slides that recalls events in the story. Diary Assume the role of the main character. Create a journal which you make the binding and pages of the journal. It must represent the character. Inside the journal must contain at least 10 entries from the character which shed light on his/her life.
Elements of a story are: SETTING -- The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not. There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story (some, or all, may be present in a story): a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place? b) time - When is the story taking place? (Historical period, time of day, year, etc) c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc? d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like? (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)? e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening? PLOT -- The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot: a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed. b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax). c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not? d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and denouement). e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story. It is helpful to consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon: 1) the main character receives new information 2) accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it) 3) acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not he/she gains his objective). CONFLICT-- Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones. There are two types of conflict: 1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self. 2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc. There are four kinds of conflict: 1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals. 2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her. 3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people. 4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.
CHARACTER -- There are two meanings for the word character: 1) The person in a work of fiction. 2) The characteristics of a person. Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist Short stories use few characters. One character is clearly central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST. The opposer of the main character is called the ANTAGONIST. The Characteristics of a Person - In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways: a) his/her physical appearance b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams c) what he/she does or does not do d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real people) Characters are... 1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities. 2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by the end of the story. 3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc. POINT OF VIEW Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told. 1. Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being different from that of an adult). 2. Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions. 3. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels. 4. Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view. He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses. There are two main types of omniscient point of view: a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us. b) Omniscient Objective The author tells the story in the third person. It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered. The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain. The reader has to interpret events on his own.
THEME -- The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony. Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are: - things are not always as they appear to be - Love is blind - Believe in yourself - People are afraid of change - Don't judge a book by its cover
Book Report A Written Retell of Your Story Name: Communicate in COMPLETE THOUGHT and sentences. PROVIDE EVIDENCE from the story that supports ALL your responses. Specific example, quotes, etc. When you are writing be sure that you: Capitalize proper nouns (names of places and people) Capitalize the beginning of sentences and DO not capitalize letters that do not need to be capital. Use the correct punctuation at that end of the sentence. Answer the question completely. Rephrase the question in your topic sentence and respond with a complete paragraph for that section. Write in complete sentences. Show that you read and understood the book. Information About Your Book What type of literature was the book? What is the title of the book? Who is the author of the book? How many pages is your book? Fiction Non-fiction Realistic Fiction Science fiction Fantasy Historical Fiction Biography Auto-biography Other: Characters: Write a paragraph or two about the characters not a list. Who was the book about? Be descriptive when explaining the characters of the book. If this is a non-fiction informational text. Explain what the main topic of the book is about and why you are interested in it.
The Literature: Tell me about the book in a few paragraphs use extra paper if needed. Retell the Main Events of the book. What was this story about? Write in complete sentences and provide evidence from the book that supports your response.
Your thoughts: Provide paragraphs that talk about your opinion Write your opinion on these questions and support with information from the text. Did you like the book? Explain. Why is this title a good title for the book? Pick a new title and defend why this would be a good title for this book.