Summer Reading Project 2008-2009
Middle and High School ESL Class
Levels II and III
Name:
______________________________________________________
Novel:
______________________________________________________
Author:
_____________________________________________________
Students will present a novel project as a Summer
Reading Assignment. Follow the
Rubric and present it in class.
·
The Cube:
Students will have to make a cube like last quarter,
and give the same information about the novel: ANSWER THE QUESTIONS from the
handout to help you.
- Characters:
describe the characters.
- Setting:
describe the place, and time.
- Plot:
describe all the main actions in the story.
- Theme: tell
what the story is really about.
- Point
of view: explain who tells the story.
- The
chapter you liked the most: why did you like the chapter?
Explain
* Students will have to make a poster describing a
scene from the novel that they found the most interesting. They have to give
the following information:
- Why
have you chosen the chapter?
- What
does the picture represent?
- Where
did it take place?
- Who are
the main characters in the picture?
- What is
the message of the picture?
- Give a
short written report using the MLA Style.
* Do Not Lose the novel; if you lose
it, you have to pay for it.
Have Fun!
Name: Date: Period:
The Cube: Rubric
Presentation
— 5-6 min (no more
than one minute on each part especially
plot)
— Fluid, consistent
presentation
— Energetic
— Converses, not
reads
— Use of cube for
illustration
/10
Cube
r
At
least 5” square
r Neat and easily
read (appearance indicates time invested)
r Creative (not just
words)
r Theme or style of
decoration reflects the themes/style of the novel
r Utilizes correct
grammar, spelling, and usage
/10
Novel Analysis
§
All
six categories represented, most
questions addressed in each category
§
Obvious
knowledge/thinking about elements of the novel
§
Responds
appropriately to teacher asked questions about the novel
/10
Grade: /30 =
Summer
Reading Project: The Cube
Your
summer reading will be presented ORALLY to the class and your visual will be in
the shape of a cube (no less than 5” square). Determine how to design a cube –
literally (hint, it has six sides). Each one of these sides is going to host a
different type of information (see categories below). Answer the questions
presented in each category in the information you post on the sides of your
cube (do not include the questions, just include the information; information
for questions in bold type must be presented). You can be as creative as you
can like in the presentation of your information, as long as it is clearly
legible and all there. Also, make sure that your finished cube has a string or
ribbon with which it can be suspended from the ceiling (from a corner is best).
- SETTING
Where does the story happen?
When does it happen?
Can you draw a map of the setting from
the author’s presentation of it?
How does the author describe the time
and place?
What kinds of terms does he/she use?
Does the author name the places? Are
they real or fictitious? Do the places and/or times of the story have any
associations with other significant historic events or literary works?
What “artifacts” from the era (songs, books, catch phrases
etc.) does the author include in the story? How are they significant?
How do these elements affect other
elements of the work?
- CHARACTER
What is each
main character’s name and/or nickname?
Are characters called different names
by different people? Why?
Are the character’s names symbolic (do they have hidden
meanings)? What does it indicate about the character’s nature?
What does the character do? How do
they generally act? What kinds of things do they say?
How is the character described? (You
could draw them)
At what point is the character
introduced?
How do other characters react to this
character? What do they say about them? Is what they say believable?
Does
the author repeatedly use any key words or images to describe this character or
their actions? What might they be trying to tell us about the character?
- POINT OF
VIEW
Who is telling the story (who is the
narrator)?
Is the narrator inside or outside the
story?
How are they related to the story? Main character? Observer? Minor character?
If the narrator is outside the story, are they all knowing, or do they have limited knowledge (can
they read character’s thoughts?)
Does the narrator seem to remember the
story clearly and fairly? Are they biased? How do you know they are not being
objective?
Is the narrator lying? How do you
know? Are they lying to us, or also to themselves?
If
different people narrate the story, what is the effect?
- PLOT/ACTION
OF STORY
What happens in the story? (How many big events, and of what type?)
In what order do the events happen? (chart a timeline!)
What is the major conflict that causes
the main action to happen?
Do the major events reflect or repeat
some older event or pattern of events?
Have you ever seen a plot progression
like this in another story?
What is the climax of the story (or the event that has to
happen before there can be any resolution)?
Is there anything that happens in the
story that is not a direct result of the primary conflict? Are these
“secondary” events significant? What might they show us about the character?
- STYLE
Does the author’s choice of words call
attention to itself? How?
Is the language appropriate for the
story? Is there any time it seems inappropriate? How?
Does the author repeat any words or phrases? What is the
intended effect, in your opinion?
Does the author use figurative
language (metaphors, similes, allusions, personification)? Present examples
Does the author create strong visual
images for the reader? Do they use a series or pattern of images to convey a
particular concept?
Does the author refer to real-life famous people, events,
artworks or concepts? How are these allusions significant?
Does the author ever use dialect (improper grammar,
spelling and punctuation in character dialogue)? What is the effect?
- THEME (a
generalization about life, reality, the Human Condition, etc. that the
author illustrates or clarifies in the work. It is always a complete idea.
“Love” is not a theme. “Love is hard, and can destroy your life as easily
as it can make you happy” would be a theme.”)
What is the story really about? What does
it show us or attempt to teach us? Why was the story told?
What do you know about humanity, human
situations and conditions that you did not know before?
When did you feel that you were really understanding the main idea of the work, that
you were “getting it”?
If the story has more than one theme,
what is the strongest theme?
Which theme can be supported with the
most evidence?
If you feel you have room, you might
also want to include information about the following on your cube:
The author’s
life, personality interests and influences.
What was going on in world history at
the time the novel was being written?
The literary
period or tradition, of which the author is considered a part.
Any
psychological or philosophical theories that the work subscribes to or
supports.
Any other
pertinent information about the author or the time in which the work was
written.
A WORD ABOUT APPEARANCES…
THIS IS NOT QUESTION AND ANSWER, IT IS
NOT A WORK SHEET, AND IT SHOULD DEFINITLEY, POSITIVELY, MOST UNDOUBTEDLY NOT LOOK
LIKE A WORK SHEET! In other words, no questions on the cube please, just info!
Carefully consider the FORM of your
cube. What kinds of COLOURS AND TEXTURES would suit the story? Are there any
strong, recurring symbols and images that should be presented? How could you
indicate the personality of the main character visually? What kinds of font
would suit this subject matter? In addition, the big question…how can I make it
look GOOOOOOD??? Flashy is not everything, but it is an added bonus, and of
course, as we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words!
Summer
Reading Books for ESL students
Historical Fiction: