The Fault in Our Stars Alternative Book Report

For the Alternative Book Report Assignment, I created a “character map” in which the interactions of the major/minor characters are plotted are plotted out like a map, in order to show the course of the story. The one caveat for students is that the map must fit one page, which emphasizes the importance of being able to pick out essential details of a novel while eliminating the more inconsequential ones.

Students will also be given quite a bit of freedom with this assignment; if they don’t consider themselves artistic they are welcome to create a more simple timeline or even a scientific map of sorts.

The assignment doesn’t have a specific grade level in mind as it could be altered to be more complex or simple. Additionally, this activity could also be altered to fit any novel.

 

-NC

New YA book

This morning on Weekend Edition, Scott Simon interviewed James Klise, school librarian and author of new YA release, The Art of Secrets.

Sounds like a book to put on our reading list.

–BR

Maniac Magee Mini-lesson

I hope you all enjoyed my mini-lesson on Maniac Magee. It was so great and insightful to see how you guys illustrated your family. Some drew their family in a setting (e.g. having dinner, watching TV), some wrote their family names in flower petals, each flower representing a group of people. It was also interesting to who or what was considered family, one student included their characters they create in their fiction writing as a part of their family, another student included friends and even family members who were deceased. 

I loved reading your comments and suggests. There was a common thread in the reflections asking to tie the activity to the text. I think it’s important for students to establish their opinions on a unit before entering it. Asking students the essential questions before a unit can help also the teacher on grouping students with different or similar views. It can also help to determine how much knowledge students have on the unit topic. It terms of a unit for Maniac Magee having the students illustrate their family is a fun, relaxing project. I thought students drawing their families would give me a similar insight to the insight I received about you guys.

I hope you guys had fun and that you found some benefits in adding art projects to your lesson.

Juan de Pareja Painting

OM

Painting : Juan de Pareja
Artist: Diego Velasquez
Date: 1650
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimension: 32 by 27.5 inches
Current Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art : Gallery 618
Page 139 “Paint me , Master! Paint a portrait of me!” “Come , we will buy a canvas. Yes I will paint you Janico.”