Culminating Activities: ANALYZING THE

NOVELSWhat have these books taught you about life and living?

Learning Outcomes: It is expected that students will… express ideas and information in a variety of

situations and forms to– explore and respond– recall and describe– narrate and explain– persuade and support– engage and entertain

after reading and viewing, select and use a range of strategies to extend and confirm meaning, including

– responding to text– asking questions– reviewing text and purpose for reading– making inferences and drawing conclusions– summarizing, synthesizing, and applying ideas

create thoughtful representations that communicate ideas and information to

– explore and respond– record and describe– explain and persuade– engage

write and represent to synthesize and extend thinking, by

– personalizing ideas and information– explaining relationships among ideas and information– applying new ideas and information– transforming existing ideas and information

Representing the Learning: Choice ActivitiesStudents will choose one of the following four activities to demonstrate their understanding

of the novels they have read and the literary devices used by the authors of the books.

1. Novel Sphere2. Ideagram (electronic or paper)3. Hollywood Dream Deal4. I Highly Recommend

Please see specific project criteria on the following pages.

Culminating Activity #1 – Novel Sphere

Form: Written/Artistic: 3-D sphere (dodecahedron)

Through a variety of activities you will prepare a 3-D report on the novels you have read. The report will be presented in the form of a sphere. There are 12 sections in the sphere. Each assignment will be written/typed/drawn on a pentagon-shaped/circular paper (!) and will be glued together when completed.

It is important to have read a minimum of 3 novels to complete this assignment fully.

Assignments:

Circles #1-3 Artistic Title Pages : Prepare a title page for three of the novels you have read. Ensure you have included the title and author’s name on each page. Include a visually pleasing illustration that reflects the plot or theme of each novel.

Circles #4-6 Written Character Analysis:Write a detailed description of three characters from the novels you have read. Include the growth these characters have shown or lessons that they have learned. Give evidence from the novel to prove what you are saying about each character. Each character will be represented on a separate page.

Circle #7 Written Theme:Write about a theme that was evident in the novels you have read. Show how this theme can be related to more than one story line. Give examples from the novel to support the theme.

Circle #8 Artistic Setting:Show a visual representation (drawing, map, plan, etc.) of the setting from one of the novels you have read. Include as much detail as possible. Label your illustration to show how it relates to the story.

Circle #9-11 Written Personal Review:Write a personal review of three of the novels. Give your opinion as to each novel’s strengths and weaknesses. Describe your personal reaction to the characters and events as you read these books. Each review will be on a separate page.

Circle #12 Written Creative Writing - Poetry:Choose a theme from one of the novels you have read. Createa poem to reflect the theme and how this theme affects the character, you personally, or the world in general. You may choose any style of poetry: free verse, cinquain, rhyming couplets, etc.

Culminating Activity #2 – Ideagram

Form: Poster (electronic or paper)

An “ideagram” is a display that represents a theme. It is a creative collection of quotes, personal responses, pictures and drawings. Choose one theme and present evidence to show how this theme is addressed in the novel(s) you have read. Show connections to outside sources from the real world as extensions of the theme beyond the novel.

Possible themes:

courage loneliness determination friendship persecution fear

family conflict death love loyalty survival greed

discrimination hope …and many, many

more!

Possible ways to show evidence: (from the novels and from sources other than the novel)

quotes (from novels) personal responses/comments/reflections from novels song lyrics and/or music newspaper/magazine articles, pictures, video poetry internet research/quotes from other sources

Example:

Your poster must not be larger than 70cm x 55cm (Average poster board size)

Culminating Activity #3 – Hollywood Dream Deal

Form: Information/Video Package

Choose one of the novels you have read that you feel would make an excellent movie. Create a proposal package to be sent to a Hollywood movie director.

Your package must include the following:

1. Proposal : Write a detailed letter of introduction telling the director about the plot of the movie and why you think it should be made into a film. Use correct letter format when writing your letter.

2. Casting: Choose three characters from the novel. Make a one page presentation per character. Each page should include:

a. Summary of the character’s personality and issues dealt with in the novel.

b. Growth that the character has shown and emotional traits that the actor will need to portray in order to do justice to the life of this particular character.

c. Help the casting director by naming an actor (a real actor) who you feel could play the role of this character. Explain why you chose this actor to play this role.

3. Location : Propose a location (or several locations) where this novel should be filmed. Include a written rationale for the place you have chosen, with specific reference to the setting and events of the novel. Include a map of the region, identifying different sites that would be used in different parts of the film.

4. Advertising : Make an advertisement (small poster - 8.5x11) for this proposed movie. The poster will include:

a. Title/author

b. Name of producer (you)

c. Movie stars who will play the leading roles

d. An illustration (hand-drawn or taken from computer) that represents the main issue or event in the story

e. Brief written slogan summing up the main theme of the story

f. Opening date (when the film will be released to the public)

5. Trailer : Prepare a one minute promotional video of the film. Choose a scene from the upcoming movie and prepare a clip to promote your project. You may need to recruit

friends or family members to participate in your promotional video. Script, costumes, scenery are yours to create.

Cul m inating Activity #4 – “I Highly Recommend…or Don’t”

Task: Prepare an oral presentation to share your thoughts about one novel you have read.

Part One: Briefly tell the storyline of the novel. Capture the attention of the listener!

***Spoiler Alert! Tell enough about the story to entice, but don’t give away important information that would spoil the ending for a potential reader.

Part Two: Explain how plot is enhanced or diminished by the author’s use of...

Characters... Setting... Conflict...Theme

Part Three: A personal comment on why you enjoyed (or did not enjoy) this book.

Part Four: Who would be the best audience for this book? Give a detailed rationale as to what kind of reader would enjoy this book and who would probably not enjoy it. Explain your reasoning!

Overall:

- Your oral presentation should be approximately two minutes in length- You will not read from a script, but will talk ‘naturally’ to the class

- Make your presentation visually captivating as well as interesting to listen to by using visual aids such as PowerPoint or posters to enhance your message

- Use memory aids (notes or cue cards) to help the flow of your presentation

Don’t just tell me about the characters or the conflict, tell me why or how the characters, conflict, theme or setting make the story more enjoyable.

Select a quote from the novel that supports your claim about how the character, setting, conflict or theme enhances the story. Read the quote and explain its significance during your presentation.

Don’t RETELL the story; ANALYZE IT!

Assessment:All projects will be assessed using the following rubric. Please remember, the culminating

activities are projects that are designed to measure your understanding of literary devices as they relate to the novels you have read. Accordingly, the following rubric will assess your

performance in relation to listed learning outcomes.

Learning Outcomes: It is expected that students will…

express ideas and information in a variety of situations and forms to

– explore and respond– recall and describe– narrate and explain– persuade and support– engage and entertain

after reading and viewing, select and use a range of strategies to extend and confirm meaning, including

– responding to text– asking questions– reviewing text and purpose for reading– making inferences and drawing conclusions– summarizing, synthesizing, and applying ideas

create thoughtful representations that communicate ideas and information to

– explore and respond– record and describe– explain and persuade– engage

write and represent to synthesize and extend thinking, by

– personalizing ideas and information– explaining relationships among ideas and information– applying new ideas and information– transforming existing ideas and information

Aspect: Not Yet Meeting Expectations

Meeting Expectations

(minimal to moderate)

Fully Meeting Expectations

Exceeding Expectations

Written/Spoken Evidence of Theme

Purpose or point of view unclear; relies on retelling or listing

Ideas are not developed; information may be misinterpreted and/or inaccurate

Relevant reactions and ideas; straightforward and direct

Uses details and examples primarily from the novel; some information may be misinterpreted or requires greater explanation

Reactions and ideas show some insight; speculates, generalizes, & attempts to extend the theme beyond the book

Accurate details & examples; logical explanations

Comments, quotes and personal reflections effectively convey the theme beyond the literal level of the books; shows insight, creativity and depth of thinking

Directly, clearly & thoughtfully references the novel(s) and outside sources; details, examples, and explanations develop analysis or arguments

Aesthetic Evidence of Theme

Irrelevant imagery; theme is not addressed

Overall design and presentation is poorly developed

Minimally connects the imagery and text with the theme

Design and presentation require more care & attention to detail

Visual elements represent the theme

Attempts to create an emotional impact; demonstrates some original thinking

Creatively and effectively uses imagery, such as photographs, pictures, titles (video and/or sound for electronic versions only) to develop the theme

Visual components are well-integrated, flow smoothly and bring out emotions in the viewer; the imagery

“speaks for itself”

Work Ethic

Criteria NNeeds Improvement

SSatisfactory

GGood

Participation, Co-operation & Attitude

□ rarely participates actively in classroom activities; does not work well with others; is disruptive and disrespectful

□ usually participates actively in classroom activities but is sometimes reluctant to contribute; sometimes works well with others

□ consistently participates actively in classroom activities; contributes thoughtful ideas and questions, shows open-mindedness and enthusiasm and works well with others

Focused & Ready to Learn

□ rarely listens to instructions, does not use class-time wisely and/or distracts others; is rarely ready to get to work when prompted and/or requires constant supervision

□ sometimes focuses on the task, needs reminders to listen to instructions and occasionally distracts other students; works when prompted

□ Consistently listens to instructions and uses time well, student is self-directed, motivated and reliable

Preparedness □ often forgets needed materials

□ usually brings materials, but occasionally forgets necessary supplies

□ consistently brings needed materials to class

Assignment Completion

□ rarely completes and/or hands in assignments

□ usually completes assignments on time

□ consistently completes assignments on time

Assignment Development & Effort

□ assignments are rushed and undeveloped; work is not organized or neatly presented

□ ideas are partially developed and work is usually organized

□ ideas are well-developed, work is unique, logically organized and neatly presented

Promptness □ often arrives late to class; is rarely ready to learn when the bell rings and is sometimes a distraction to other students upon arrival

□ usually arrives to class on time and is usually ready to work when the bell rings

□ consistently arrives to class on time; always prepared to work by the time the bell rings