Readers Notebooks RNBs Readers Notebooks This quarter each

Reader’s Notebooks (RNBs)

Reader’s Notebooks ● This quarter, each week you will be responsible for completing a DIFFERENT assignment in your RNB. ● These assignments will be based on the dystopian novel you have chosen. ● They will allow you to use information from the book to show your understanding of it in various creative ways. ● You will choose eight DIFFERENT assignments from the list I have provided. ● Today we will go into greater detail about each of these assignments, and look at examples, so you know what is expected and what to do. ● If you’re ever unsure, you can always find this powerpoint on my website and review it so you complete your chosen assignment correctly. ● These should be colorful, so you should avoid using just pencil, or if you do, write over it in colored pencil, pen, or marker after you’ve checked your grammar and spelling.

How You Are Graded ● Each assignment will be graded on a scale of 0 -5 for effort, creativity, grammar/ spelling, following directions, and proof of reading. Each assignment will therefore be a 25 point homework grade. ● EFFORT- Does it look like you put some time and care into the assignment? Is it neat? Is it legible? Does it look like you threw it together in ten minutes or spent some time on it? ● CREATIVITY- Does it seem like you put some thought into the content? Did you use the information from your book in a unique and creative way? If it is an artistic assignment, is it colorful and meaningful? ● GRAMMAR/ SPELLING- Did you use proper punctuation and capitalization? Did you include any words or phrases of death? Did you use complete sentences?

How You Are Graded ● FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS: Did you include the NAME of your assignment choice on the work? Did you fill out a rubric COMPLETELY and paste it in your RNB? Did you follow the assignment guidelines given here for that particular assignment? ● PROOF OF READING: Is it obvious, from your work, that you READ your book? Did you incorporate details about the story and characters? Does your work show your understanding of the novel on a deeper level? This is probably going to be the HARDEST part and the one I will grade MOST SEVERELY. If it is obvious that you didn’t read your book, the WHOLE ASSIGNMENT will be a ZERO. Take CARE in these assignments! We’re trying this in the hope that you will find some activities you enjoy and they will help you interact with your book in a fun and creative way!

Your Assignment Choices (It would be a good idea to think about which assignments you want to do BEFORE you start reading each week, so you know what to look for AS you read!)

#1: Prompt Response Choose a prompt from a handout I will provide and write AT LEAST one page responding to the prompt. Use information from the book to support your responses, and be sure to use proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. You should format this like an essay, and have an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You CAN decorate the page in a way that reflects your book, like the example, which will boost your “effort” score. Most of these prompts require a decent amount of knowledge about your book, so this assignment would be best to complete toward the middle or end of your reading. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Prompt Response)

#2: Beautiful Words Similar to the quotes you were to find for your One Pager, for this assignment you must look for TEN lines from your book that you liked. These can be lines that you thought were beautifully written, were memorable, were important to the story, made you laugh, made you cry, shocked you, angered you, etc. The point is to display them in a creative way. This must be a TWO PAGE SPREAD, and show color and meaning! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (“Beautiful Words. ”) Make sure you CITE these lines, which just means you need the character’s name who said it, and the page number. “

#3: Symbolic Tattoo Imagine a character in your book is getting a symbolic tattoo. Based on what you know about the character, consider what tattoo he or she might choose and for what reason. Draw the tattoo, OR find a picture of what you think they would get and put it in your RNB, and explain your reasoning IN DETAIL. Which character do you imagine getting this tattoo? Why did they choose this particular design? What does it mean to them? Where would they get it, and why? You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (“Symbolic Tattoo”).

#4: Poem, Rap, or Song Write an original poem, rap, rock, pop, or country-western song that summarizes a chapter, the book, or a character in the book. Be sure to title the poem/song and identify what you are summarizing or which character you are describing. This means, IN ADDITION to the poem, rap, or song, you MUST write something like “In this poem/rap/song I’m summarizing what happened in chapters 1 -4/ what (character’s name) is all about/ all the main events of this book” and write a few sentences about what happens in the part or what the character is like. Your lines/lyrics must be SCHOOL APPROPRIATE! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Poem/Rap/Song).

#5: Book Cover Create a book cover with the same OR alternate book title. You must explain your changes IN DETAIL. Why did you choose the title and/or images you did? What do they mean? Why are your choices better that the original? Include a picture (drawn or printed) of the actual book cover. This should be COLORFUL and cover TWO PAGES! One page should be your design and the adjoining page should be your explanation! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Book cover).

#6: Journal Entry Choose a character and write a journal or diary entry as if you are that character. What are you thinking and feeling right now? What are your deepest (and perhaps darkest) thoughts? Be sure to include commentary about the events that are taking place in the character’s life. This should be AT LEAST one page long! Be sure to check your spelling and grammar! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Journal Entry).

#7: Timeline Create a timeline of events/plot journey/character journey from the novel. You can include drawings on your timeline. Be sure to summarize, in a few lines, each main event and its impact on the story and/or characters. You could do a straight line, a spiral, a wavy line, a zig-zag, or event a plot diagram. This activity would best be done toward the END of your reading. You must include MORE than these examples; they were the only ones I could find. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Timeline).

#8. Book Review Write a book review. Before writing, read reviews from goodreads. com or amazon as examples. Be sure to RATE your book, out of FIVE stars. This activity would be best done at the END of your reading, as your LAST assignment. It must be AT LEAST one page. This should include SOLID information and DETAILS from the book. You must show that you read it and comment on the characters, the story, etc. What did you like about the story and characters and WHY? What didn’t you like AND WHY? What did you think about the plot, the future world, and how characters treated each other? Is it scary to think about a future like this? What about the author’s style? Did they paint a picture for you or did you find their style lacking? (These are NOT specific questions I want you to answer, I’m just trying to give you some ideas. This is NOT a summary! This is what YOU THINK about the book! These MUST BE YOUR WORDS, THOUGHTS, and OPINIONS and NOT come from an actual book review!!! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Book Review).

Two Stars (from goodreads. com) “A Long Way Home” is Saroo Brierley's personal account of finding himself tragically lost from his family at the young age of 5 years old. His journey back to his birth mother 25 years later is a truly amazing story. The fact that he survived before (and after) being discovered as homeless is a miracle in itself. Despite my thoughts about the astonishing facts, I have mixed feelings about this reading experience. In my perspective, this memoir was very to-the-point and caused it to feel disappointingly one-dimensional. A little help with the writing and overall storytelling could have added personality and allowed this piece of nonfiction to pull at the heartstrings and keep the reader on the edge of suspense, because when you think about Saroo's experiences, those emotions are within reach. I plan to watch the film adaptation: Lion and have no doubt it will more than make up for my lack of connection to the book. Regardless, A Long Way Home is a story to be heard and I don't regret reading it.

#9: Status Updates/ Tweets Write status updates or tweets for one of the characters throughout the novel. You must include at least five and write a short summary about what is happening in the character’s life when they wrote the status. These should be SIGNIFICANT “updates” and not random, meaningless commentary. You can decorate your page to make it look like a Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter profile or feed. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Status Updates)

#10: Film Director You are the film director of the movie version of this novel. You must cast actors for each of the characters. Who would you cast for each role and why? Explain IN DETAIL. Feel free to include pictures. If a movie exists, choose different actors and explain. Depending on how many characters your book has, this will most likely be a two page spread! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Film Director).

#11: Playlist / Soundtrack If this novel had a playlist (or soundtrack), which songs would be included and why? Explain IN DETAIL. You must choose at least FIVE songs, briefly summarize each one, and explain WHY this song would be appropriate for this book. How does it relate to the plot, or the characters? Would the characters like this song? If a movie version with a soundtrack exists, be sure to use DIFFERENT songs. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Playlist/ Soundtrack).

#12: Interview If you were to interview the author or a character, what questions would you ask? How would he/she respond? Identify who you are interviewing and develop and answer at least FIVE interview questions. These must have DETAILED answers, NOT simple, one sentence responses. It should be a FULL PAGE. Look at actual author interviews online for examples, and so you can see the format of an interview if you have never read one before. Check your GRAMMAR AND SPELLING! You CAN type this and glue it into your RNB! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Interview).

#13: Alternate Ending Didn’t like how your story ended? Write a different ending to the novel! This must be at least a page long. You must write as if YOU were the author, and continue the story in their style, and from the point of view they used. Use proper paragraph and dialogue formatting! See me for help! BEFORE your ending, write a brief summary of what actually happened at the end of the book. This would obviously have to be your LAST assignment, since you have to finish your book first so you know what happens at the end. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Alternate Ending).

#14: Predictions Predict what will happen in the next section of the book. This must be AT LEAST a page long and include WHY you are making these predictions. In other words, use evidence from the book to support your predictions. SHOW that you read by using what you already know about the story and characters to predict what will happen next! Dig deep! Be sure to write legibly and use proper spelling and grammar! You can always type this, spellcheck, and paste it into your RNB. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Predictions).

#15: Found Poem Create a found poem. Select a powerful chapter or use the entire novel and select words, lines and phrases you think project strong images and show the impact of the story. Arrange these words, lines, and phrases to create a poem. Be sure to include an indication of WHERE you got each line (page number). You can type the lines or write them by hand. You can decorate your page to show the impact of the poem, symbolism of the story, etc. Remember, poems don’t HAVE TO rhyme! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Found Poem)

#16: Author Collage Create an author collage using pictures and words that represent the novel and author’s life. This should be AT LEAST a full page, include words AND pictures, and requires a little research into the author. Look up interviews and find out what the author has said about this particular book, what it means to them, why they wrote it, etc. Be sure to check your grammar and spelling! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Author Collage).

#17: Character Collage Create a character collage. Choose a character from the book, and make a collage that signifies them, their personality, their background, and the challenges they are facing in the novel. Use words, pictures, drawings, character quotes, and magazine cutouts/ pictures from online sources. This should cover the WHOLE PAGE and be colorful and meaningful! Include information about any pictures, including what they are and how they represent this character. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Character Collage).

#18: Text Messages Create text messages between two characters (or a group chat with more than two) during an intense or powerful moment of the novel. Briefly explain the scenario before the texts and be sure to label who is texting what. Each character must “send” at least four texts. These must be RELEVANT to the story, make sense, and not just include “WYD? ” You can draw the texts in text bubbles like they appear on a phone. For this assignment you CAN use “text talk, ” but you MAY have to explain to me what it means! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Text messages).

#19: Conflicts What are the problems, or pressures, facing your main character? What issues are they struggling with? Draw representations of your protagonist’s internal and external struggles. You can use pictures and/or words. Be sure to show WHICH conflicts are INTERNAL, and WHICH conflicts are EXTERNAL. Include what KINDS of conflict they are: character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, character vs. society, or character vs. machine. This should fill the WHOLE PAGE and be COLORFUL! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Conflicts).

#20: Symbolism Look for symbolism as you read, and record important objects, colors, people, or events. What do these things symbolize to the characters, to the story, or to you? Include pictures of at least FOUR symbols you found, and write at least TWO sentences about each one, including what they are and what they mean. You can draw or use pictures you find online. This should be COLORFUL and fill the WHOLE PAGE! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Symbolism).

#21: Character Traits Pick TWO characters (maybe the protagonist and antagonist? ) and write FIVE Character Traits they embody. Then give an example from the novel (include page numbers) showing how they displayed these traits. Remember, character traits are NOT emotions like happy, sad, or angry, since we all feel these things at some time or another. Character traits are DEEPER; they are part of a person’s personality. Find expressive words like audacious, cunning, or defiant. Expand your vocabulary! This should be a TWO PAGE SPREAD, with one page for each character. Put the name of the character at the top and make two columns, one for the trait and one for the example. You can show they are ALIKE and how they are DIFFERENT! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Character Traits).

#22: Comic Strip Draw a Comic Strip depicting an important event in your book. Use AT LEAST FIVE panels (squares) and use speech and thought bubbles to show what is going on. Include a five-sentence summary of the event under the comic strip. Make it COLORFUL! It’s a good idea to draw with pencil first and then go over your comic in pen, and then add color. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Comic Strip).

#23: One Pager Create a One Pager like we did in Quarter 2. Include character traits of the protagonist, symbols, four quotes, information about the world in which the story takes place (government/ controlling force, living conditions, family units, etc. ) and the main conflicts. You can use a template like the one I provided for Quarter 2, I can show you some others, or you can just do it free-style. This MUST fill the WHOLE PAGE and be COLORFUL! You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (One Pager).

#24: Dystopian World Map Focus on the word your character lives in and draw a Dystopian World Map. Include important sites that are portrayed in the book using words and pictures. Look at an actual map for ideas, since the examples I found aren’t the best and I expect yours to be better, with more detail! You may want to include a key, like many maps do. This should be a FULL PAGE or a TWO PAGE spread, depending on how big the world is in your book. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Dystopian World Map).

#25: Reading Log Just like the reading logs we did first quarter, you will write a five sentence SUMMARY and a five sentence RESPONSE based on the section you read. Watch out for Words of Death, filler sentences, and incomplete sentences. Make sure ALL your response sentences are WHAT YOU THINK, NOT more summary. You must include three vocabulary words with part of speech and definition. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Reading Log).

#26: Blackout Poetry Create a page of blackout poetry. For this you will choose a page of your book, make a copy, and “blackout” ALL words EXCEPT the few selected ones you chose that form your poem. Color the rest of the page with an image that relates to the poem or a blackout design. This differs from Found Poetry since you’re actually using a page of your book, and using words from just ONE page. If you need me to make a copy of a page in your book so you can complete this, please see me. You MUST include the name of your book, the author, and the assignment name (Blackout Poetry).