Monthly Reading Projects

Writing Projects All writings should be at least one page!
10 dollars	Rewrite your favorite part of the book using yourself as a character and a favorite place as a setting.
10 dollars	Create another character for the story and describe him/her. Give details about what he or she looks like and acts like and what is going on in their life. Tell how things would change with this character's presence.
10 dollars	Write a book review that might be published in the newspaper. Or you can pretend you are a movie critic. Criticize the book as if it were a movie.
10 dollars	If you had written this book, what part would you have written differently? Explain what would have happened if some major event did happen differently.
10 dollars	Write a one page letter to the author giving reactions to the book.
10 dollars	What object, person, or animal from this book would you most want to have at your house? Explain why.
10 dollars	Write a one page letter to the main character of the book asking questions or making complaints about the situations in the book.
10 dollars	Write a one page letter from the character to the reader explaining his or her actions in the story.
10 dollars	If you could change places with one of the characters, who would it be and why?
10 dollars	Which character from the book would make a good friend? Why?
10 dollars	Write about one problem in this story and how the character(s) solved it. Was it a good solution? Why or why not?
10 dollars	Why did the author write this story? Express your opinions.
10 dollars	Describe the setting of the story, where and when it took place. Think about the setting of this story. Why about why you would or would not like to spend a week visiting this place.
10 dollars	Choose one character in this story. Think about what the character was like at the beginning of the story. Write about how the character has changed by the end of the story. What events led up to the changes of the character?
10 dollars	If the main characters from two different novels could actually meet, who would you want to meet with whom? Why? What would their meeting be like?
10 dollars	Plan a party that your characters would want to attend from your book. Where would they enjoy going, what kind of food would they want to eat, what would they wear, what would they do? Explain.
10 dollars	Pretend you are a newspaper reporter whose job is to interview one of the characters. Write your interview. This must be at least 10 questions.
10 dollars	Compare and contrast your story with another you have read for class this year or last. Remember to include how the novels are alike and how they are different.
10 dollars	Pretend that you have been chosen to write a sequel to this story. Write a brief summary of the sequel. Include information about the sequel's plot, setting and main characters.
10 dollars	Write the same story plot, only use a different setting (time and place).
30 dollars	Create a newspaper page for your story. Summarize the plot in one of your articles. Cover the weather in another. Include an editorial (opinion writing on a topic) and a collection of ads that would be related to the story.
30 dollars	Write an advise column for all of the characters in your story. Respond to their problems.
30 dollars	Pretend you are a character in the book and write a diary entry (1/2 page each) for each of the chapters. (4-6 chapters)
40 dollars	Pretend you are a character in the book and write a diary entry (1/2 page each) for each of the chapters. (7-10 chapters)
50 dollars	Pretend you are a character in the book and write a diary entry (1/2 page each) for each of the chapters. (11 or more chapters)
50 dollars	Re-write and illustrate the book, as if it were meant for a first grader.

Drawing Projects
5 dollars	Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story. Add a caption (few sentences) explaining what is happening in your picture.
10 dollars	Summarize the plot of your story by creating a cartoon version of the story. Use about 6 to 8 frames.
10 dollars	Create a painting of a scene from the story. Write a short explanation.
10 dollars	Draw a picture time line showing the important events in your story.
20 dollars	Redesign the front and back cover of your novel. Include the important information as well as the short summary on the back. Draw 1 picture to put on the inside of your novel. State where in the story your picture would go.
20 dollars	Draw a movie poster advertising the story, and cast a real actor in each character's role. Which real life actor/actress would best play the main characters. Explain.
20 dollars	Sketch a portrait of a character. Write everything about him or her. Make up a poem about your character.
25 dollars	Make a series of 5 drawings showing the major events in the story. Describe them.
25 dollars	Make a travel brochure inviting tourists to visit the setting in your book.

Graphing Projects
10 dollars	Which character in the story is most unlike you and which is most like you? Make a Venn Diagram showing how you are not alike and how you are alike! List at least 15 reasons.
10 dollars	Make a graph of the personalities of all of the characters in your book.
10 dollars	Make a graph of your favorite parts and your least favorite parts in the book.
20 dollars	Think about the three most important decisions that different characters made during the book. Interview at least 20 people asking if they agree or disagree with the characters' decisions. Then graph your results.

Arts and Crafts Projects
5 dollars	Make a bookmark illustrating this story. On the back of the bookmark, write at least 5 words you would use to describe the story.
5 dollars	What award would you nominate this story for? Most exciting? Most likely to make you laugh your head off? Design and make an award for this story!
5 dollars	Make jewelry a character in your story would want to own. Explain your choices.
15 dollars	Use a cereal box to tell about your book. Cover your box with paper. Write a new title, place that on the front of the box. Place an short explanation of the book on the back. Add catchy phrases about the book all over to get people to want to read the book. Include the author, copyright...
20 dollars	Put together a collage of the story from magazine pictures. Describe.
20 dollars	Make a diorama of a scene from your story.
25 dollars	Make a display of items (at least 5) that would explain your story from beginning to almost the end. Make cards to explain the items in your display.
30 dollars	Construct a scrapbook of your favorite character. Explain it. (must be at least 3 pages)
35 dollars	Design and make a sample of a magazine, (names of articles, title, authors...) that a character(s) would enjoy reading from your story.

Demonstration Projects
5 dollars	Demonstrate how to make/do something learned from the story.
10 dollars	Put together a display of other books the author has written. Tell about them.
10 dollars	Invent something new that you could add to the story to make it more interesting. Explain how your invention could help a character with a conflict, change the event in the story...
15 dollars	Prepare a recipe from something mentioned in the book. Show the class how to make it and give them a taste!
20 dollars	Construct a dream house for one of the characters in your book from a shoe box or anything creative! Share with the class. (This is not a drawing, but an actual construction)
25 dollars	Make a time capsule for one of the characters with at least 10 objects. Explain what is in the capsule.
50 dollars	Create a power point presentation of the story elements from the story. Share with the class.

Music, Dance, Drama Projects
15 dollars	Choose a familiar melody, such as Mary Had a Little Lamb, and change the lyrics so they go with the story.
20 dollars	Create a dance that is set to music that explains the mood of your story.
30 dollars	Write out and sing three songs relating to the story. These can be songs you made up, or popular songs that just make you connect to the story.
40 dollars	Rewrite a portion of your novel as a play. Perform the play in class.
40 dollars	Make three or four simple puppets of the characters in the book. Write a puppet show about your favorite part of the book. Plan to perform your puppet show for the class.

Community Projects
60 dollars	Do a community project that relates to the book. Explain it to the class.

Video, Tapes, Photography Projects
20 dollars	Write and record a radio advertisement that will make people want to read the story.
60 dollars	Pretend you are a news reporter. Make up some stories, based on the book and report it using a video camera. Add a commercial in between stories. Sell something one or more of the characters in the story would want to buy.
60 dollars	Pretend you are a news reporter and two main characters in different stories meet. What type of news would take place from their meeting? Make a video with news stories of their meeting and what happens as a result.
60 dollars	Write and perform a TV commercial, or video, to sell the book.
60 dollars	Rewrite a chapter section of your story from another character's point of view. Record it on tape. Add sound effects to your recording. Play it in class.
60 dollars	Take photographs to represent someone in your story and the changes that person goes through. For example, if a character is sad all of the time at the beginning of the book you could take a picture of something blue as a symbol to represent being sad. If an event changes the character to make him happy you might want to take a picture of a something that makes you think of happiness. Paste your pictures in a book and explain.

Poetry Projects
10 dollars	Write a poem about your story. Include characters, setting, plot, and theme.
10 dollars	Pretend you are a character in your story and write a poem from that person's point of view.
10 dollars	Write a poem about a specific event that happened in your story.
10 dollars	Write a poem about the most important person in your story. Explain your reasoning for choosing that character.

Research Projects
30 dollars	Research to find some additional facts that would relate to your book. Tell the facts and explain the relationship to the book.
30 dollars	Study the life cycle of an animal mentioned in the story. Write a short report. (at least one page)
30 dollars	Research and prepare a report on the author's life. Present it to the class.