You are to select eight notebook entries to do independently.
Please write the topic number and date at the top of each
entry. Minimum length for each entry to receive full credit is one page,
without skipping lines. You may only use a topic
once. No more than four of your entries may be artsy. All entries that require
drawing must be done in color. You can do
extra writing entries for extra credit, if you want.
1. What problems do the characters have, and how do they solve them?
2. Which characters would make good next door neighbors? Which ones wouldn’t?
Why?
3. Describe the setting (time and place) for your book. Could the story take
place in a different setting? Why or why not?
4. Tell in your own words how the setting of the story made it more interesting.
5. Did this section remind you of anything that has happened to you? What?
Why?
6. Did this section give you any new ideas about yourself? Why?
7. What would the main character be likely to do if s/he visited out classroom?
8. If you were in a problem situation like one in the book, how would you have
acted? Be sure to tell what the situation is.
9. What lesson did you learn (are you learning) from the story?
10. Tell about a time something similar to what happened in the story happened
to you or to someone you know.
11. Write a letter to a friend recommending this book.
12. Pretend you are one of the characters in the book. Write a diary about
the happenings in your life for two days.
13. List the places in the book that are important. Then make up a map including
these places as you imagine they may look. It
may be a city map or a country map or any other kind of map.
14. What changes would have to be made if the book occurred 200 years ago?
15. If part of your story happened in a foreign land, compare/contrast that
land to the United States.
16. If your story occurred long ago, compare that time with today. If it was
a modern story, compare it with a long time ago
and tell what would be different.
17. Pick one of the main characters. Think of a shape that fits that person's
traits. Draw the shape. Then describe the
character inside the shape
18. Pick an event in the story and decide what the five W's (who, what, when,
where, why) and the H (how) would be for that event. Then write a newspaper
article including these facts.
19. Write a different ending to a chapter in the book. Tell why you changed
it.
20. Describe ways in which the character is like you. How is the character
different?
21. Compare this book with the last book you read.
22. Compare two of the characters in this book.
23. What part would you change in the story, and why?
24. Write a short story or another chapter for the book using the same characters.
25. Name one character. Rewrite a section of the story from this character's
point of view.
26. Write a poem or song about something in the book. It must be a least twelve
lines long.
27. Design an advertisement to sell this book. Use the advertising techniques
discussed in class.
28. Pretend you want to make a movie for this book. Explain what actors you
would choose to play the parts and why you
would choose them.
29. Make an eight section comic strip with captions showing the main events
of a part of the story.
30. Imagine Oprah was going to interview one of the characters. What questions
would/should she ask and how would the
character respond to each one?
31. Prepare a book jacket that illustrates the kind of book as well as the
story
32. Divide your paper in four squares. Design and draw four outfits with clothing
for the characters.
33. The climax of any book or story is the exciting or interesting part. Tell
what you think is the climax of the book and why.
34. Choose an interesting character from your book. Think of what his/her dislikes
are; then think of a gift you would like to
give him/her. Design a greeting card to go along with the gift in which you
explain why you gave that gift.
35. Identify one problem in the book and give an alternate solution that was
not given by the author.
36. Imagine that you are the author of the book. Explain why you chose to write
this book, who you wanted to read it, and
where you got your inspiration.
37. If you could only save one character from the book in the event of a disaster,
which one would it be and why?
38. Did you like the way the story ended? Why or why not?
39. Which character in the book would you choose for a friend? Why?
40. What did you think was the most interesting part of the book? Why?
41. Summarize the most exciting part of the book and explain why it was so
exciting.
For all of the online notebook entry options you can choose to receive credit for your work by either printing out what you create or emailing me the link, if available, so I can view it online. Email me at karen@mrshatzi.com . When you email me, be sure to include your name; I can't always tell who has sent me an email just from the email address.
In order to save some of your work, you may have to register with the different sites Be sure to get your parents' permission before doing so. It's always a good idea to let your parents know what you're doing when you work online.
If you can't print out a copy of your work, and instead send me an email to a link, please print-out the email and include it with your other notebook entries.
42. Create a Voki of your main character or another interesting character
from your book at http://www.voki.com/ .
43. Use NGA Jungle Kids Interactive one
of these drawing programs to illustrate a setting in your book.
44. Use Art Pad to draw an object that plays an important part in your book.
45. Think about a time when your character was feeling some strong emotions such
as anger, frustration, sadness, excitement, happiness, etc. Now go to BRUSHster and create an abstract piece of art that represents those emotions.
46. Use the Make a Card feature at Kerpoof
Studio to create a greeting card that
one of your characters might sent to another character.
47. Use Bubbl.Us to create a web showing the relationships of the characters
in the book and how they are connected to each other.
48. Create a Twitter account, and send me a tweet that summarizes each chapter
or section of your book. My Twitter name for class is mrshatzi.
49. Use Mindomo to make a character web with the main character in the middle.
Put the these methods of characterization as topics around the character's name:
words, actions, feelings, and appearance. Then create subtopics with examples
from the book for each one.
50. Create an online Venn
Diagram comparing/contrasting one of the following: two characters from the
book, two settings from the book, two events from the book, or the main character
and yourself.
51. Review the Parts
of a Book Cover. Then use this Book
Cover Creator to make
a new original book cover for your book.
52. Imagine your character has made a CD of his or her 10 favorite songs. What
songs would the character choose? Once you've decided use the CD
Creator to make a cover and booklet for your character's CD.
52. Make a trading card for one of your book's main characters. Use this planning
guide to prepare the information, and then use this online Character
Trading Card creator to make your card.
53. Use this Circle
Plot Diagram maker to construct an outline of the important
events in your story.
53. Create a Crossword
Puzzle using words from your vocabulary list or names of people, settings
or objects from your story.
54. Use this Story
Mapping tool to create graphic organizers for the character,
conflict, resolution, and setting of your story.
55. Make a Flip Book that describes five challenges your character faces during
the story.
54. Imagine that your character is writing a letter home to someone he or she
hasn't seen in a long time. Use this Letter
Generator to write a Friendly Letter
like your character would. Be sure to describe some of the interesting events
that have been occuring in your (the character's) life.
55. Imagine that your character is applying for a job. What kind of job would
your character be good at? What kind of job would he or she be interested in?
Use this Letter
Generator to write a business letter to a prospective employer.
As the character, describe all the positive traits you have that would make you
a good employee and explain why this is the job for you.
56. Use this Postcard
Planning Sheet to prepare ideas for a postcard that your
character would send to someone. The postcard should use strong descriptive details
to describe their new home. Then use the Postcard
Creator to design the finished
product.
57. Use this interactive Timeline
Creator to plot out the important events from
the story.
58. Think about three newsworthy events that have occurred in your book. Use
this Newspaper
Creator to make a front page of a newspaper. Give your newspaper
a title, and then write three news stories that explain the who, what, where,
when, how, and why of the three events you're writing about.
59. Go Ask for Kids and do a search for images that relate to your main character's culture. For example, search for images of Cambodian, Mexico, or Vietname, etc. You will need about 10 images to save to your computer hard drive. Save them to a folder on your desktop. Then go to Animoto and create a video using the images and music that you think fits with the theme of the images.
60. Go to Pixton Animated Comic Creator .
Make an animation of a conversation between two of the characters in your book.
Click on the title or book cover to read reviews and information on Amazon.com.
|
Children
of the River |
 |
|---|---|
 |
Dragonwings |
|
Goodby
Vietnam |
 |
 |
Project
Mulberry |
|
Crossing
the Wire |
 |
 |
Finding
My Hat |
|
Esperanza
Rising |
 |
 |
I
Heard the Owl Call My Name |
|
The
Circuit |
 |
 |
Journey
to America |
|
Behind
the Mountains |
 |
 |
The
Stone Goddess |
|
Home
of the Brave |
 |
|
|
Shadow
of the Dragon by Sherry Garland |
