Middle School Summer Project Assignment
Select a project from the selections below. All projects are due August 31, 2015.
Be prepared to discuss your project with your teacher or present it to your class!
Create a diary or journal in the voice of a character from your book. Choose three major events from the novel and give your chosen character's impressions and reflections on those events. Why are these events important? Be sure to go beyond the obvious. Sure, he might have been worried about starting school, but how would he write about that in a journal? What thoughts are racing through her mind? Pick this project if you feel like the book's characters really came alive for you. You must write at least 12-15 journal entries. The project should be 200-600 words (1-3 typed pages, double spaced.)
Make a movie trailer featuring your book. If you have Windows, chances are you have Movie Maker without even knowing about it. If it's your first time making a movie on the computer, though, think about downloading Microsoft's Photo Story. It's free and simple to use and has enough features (photo effects, neat transitions, the ability to add music) that you can create a pretty cool product. Choose this project if you dream about being the next Steven Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan. Your final movie should be a professional-looking 5-7 minutes long.
Write a pamphlet or handbook for people traveling to the place and time of your book. Introduce the culture and describe any differences in lifestyles and beliefs that travelers from your place and time should know about. What do the people there eat? What kinds of jobs are available? What behaviors are considered polite or rude? What do the people think is most important in life? In order to do well on this project, you should include details from your book. While you should be creative, you should also quote characters and show your teacher that you read and fully understood the importance of the setting of your book.
Create a newspaper for your book. Summarize the plot in one article, cover the weather in another, do a feature story on one of the more interesting characters in another. Include an editorial and collection of ads that would be pertinent to the story. Your newspaper must include at least 5 stories and should be laid out as a newspaper.
Biography and Sketch. Choose one character in the novel and write a 300 word biography. The biography should explain where the character lives, the conflict(s) the character faces in the novel, tell about their family life, and summarize the resolution or ending of the novel. Then draw a sketch of the character. The sketch can be a head and shoulder picture or a scene from the novel. The sketch must be in color. The project will be presented by the student as the character. Share with the class all of the above information in first person – speak in the character’s style, and come dressed as the character. Include any important props that will make your presentation more realistic. Both the sketch and the biography must be mounted to poster board. Drawings must fill the page and must be no smaller than 8 ½ x 11 unlined paper.
Write the next chapter. Did you not want the book to end? What happens to the characters after the book is over? Do your best to imitate the author’s style. This should be 200 – 600 words (1 - 3 typed pages), double-spaced, and include dialogue.
Write letters between characters. This project can be done in two ways. You could write letters back and forth between two characters from your book. Or you could think outside the box a bit more and write letters between one character in your book and another person from literature or history. For example, say you read The Mighty Miss Malone and think its protagonist, Deza, might be a good pen pal to The Magician’s Nephew’s Aslan. What would they say to each other? How would they get along? What stories might they share? Choose this project if you think interaction between characters is more interesting than introspection from one character. You may write as many letters as you would like. The project should be 250-800 words (2-4 typed pages, double spaced.) Make sure your interactions are grounded in the books.
A gentle reminder: Plagiarism is a big deal. Any time you turn in someone else’s work as your own, whether you found it on the internet or borrowed it from their computer, you are plagiarizing. All plagiarized assignments will be given a zero. Don’t be tempted!
Be prepared to discuss your project with your teacher or present it to your class!
Create a diary or journal in the voice of a character from your book. Choose three major events from the novel and give your chosen character's impressions and reflections on those events. Why are these events important? Be sure to go beyond the obvious. Sure, he might have been worried about starting school, but how would he write about that in a journal? What thoughts are racing through her mind? Pick this project if you feel like the book's characters really came alive for you. You must write at least 12-15 journal entries. The project should be 200-600 words (1-3 typed pages, double spaced.)
Make a movie trailer featuring your book. If you have Windows, chances are you have Movie Maker without even knowing about it. If it's your first time making a movie on the computer, though, think about downloading Microsoft's Photo Story. It's free and simple to use and has enough features (photo effects, neat transitions, the ability to add music) that you can create a pretty cool product. Choose this project if you dream about being the next Steven Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan. Your final movie should be a professional-looking 5-7 minutes long.
Write a pamphlet or handbook for people traveling to the place and time of your book. Introduce the culture and describe any differences in lifestyles and beliefs that travelers from your place and time should know about. What do the people there eat? What kinds of jobs are available? What behaviors are considered polite or rude? What do the people think is most important in life? In order to do well on this project, you should include details from your book. While you should be creative, you should also quote characters and show your teacher that you read and fully understood the importance of the setting of your book.
Create a newspaper for your book. Summarize the plot in one article, cover the weather in another, do a feature story on one of the more interesting characters in another. Include an editorial and collection of ads that would be pertinent to the story. Your newspaper must include at least 5 stories and should be laid out as a newspaper.
Biography and Sketch. Choose one character in the novel and write a 300 word biography. The biography should explain where the character lives, the conflict(s) the character faces in the novel, tell about their family life, and summarize the resolution or ending of the novel. Then draw a sketch of the character. The sketch can be a head and shoulder picture or a scene from the novel. The sketch must be in color. The project will be presented by the student as the character. Share with the class all of the above information in first person – speak in the character’s style, and come dressed as the character. Include any important props that will make your presentation more realistic. Both the sketch and the biography must be mounted to poster board. Drawings must fill the page and must be no smaller than 8 ½ x 11 unlined paper.
Write the next chapter. Did you not want the book to end? What happens to the characters after the book is over? Do your best to imitate the author’s style. This should be 200 – 600 words (1 - 3 typed pages), double-spaced, and include dialogue.
Write letters between characters. This project can be done in two ways. You could write letters back and forth between two characters from your book. Or you could think outside the box a bit more and write letters between one character in your book and another person from literature or history. For example, say you read The Mighty Miss Malone and think its protagonist, Deza, might be a good pen pal to The Magician’s Nephew’s Aslan. What would they say to each other? How would they get along? What stories might they share? Choose this project if you think interaction between characters is more interesting than introspection from one character. You may write as many letters as you would like. The project should be 250-800 words (2-4 typed pages, double spaced.) Make sure your interactions are grounded in the books.
A gentle reminder: Plagiarism is a big deal. Any time you turn in someone else’s work as your own, whether you found it on the internet or borrowed it from their computer, you are plagiarizing. All plagiarized assignments will be given a zero. Don’t be tempted!