In English this year we’ll be reading, writing, discussing, memorizing, acting, and working together as we consider a variety of literary works. The object? To help you learn to become a more thoughtful person and a more skilled communicator and to help you think more about what it means to be a human being.
While many of the readings in class are required, one special project asks you to select books which you want to read and to read them outside of class. The California English-Language Arts Content Standards stipulate that by grade twelve, students will read two million words annually on their own (Reading 2.0). We’ll begin working to that end in this class with the Million Word Extravaganza.
1. Select a book with your parents’ and friends’ input, select books which really appeal to you. These may be classic literature or popular fiction, romances, westerns, science fiction, horror novels, mysteries, plays, biographies or most anything else.
****All must be books that you have not previously read!!!****
2. Share what you’re reading with your parent or guardian. Bring the book home and give your parent or guardian an opportunity to look over your selection. Once they’ve done so, enter your selection on the Million Word log that is provided. Your parent/guardian then needs to sign the log. You’ll turn in the log at the conclusion of the project.
3. Bring the book in and show it to me. Once you’ve selected and acquired a book (from your home, the library, a bookstore, or borrowed from a friend), tell me about it. I’ll also sign your log.
4. Share what you’re reading with others. Later the quarter, we will have Million Word FRIDAY. This is a discussion day when you’ll share your thoughts about what you’re reading with others and fill out a progress log for me to review.
5. Estimate the word count. To determine how many words are in your selected book, simply count the number of words on an average page and multiply by the number of pages in the book. If there are illustrations or blank or short pages, deduct for those. Round off the number.
6. Be accountable for your reading. You are accountable for what you read in many different ways.
7. You must complete one of the following projects by the end of the quarter. Your project is due no later than Jan. 12-13, 2015.
Thanks to Hilary Zunin, Napa High School, for creating and sharing some of the ideas for this project.
Project Options
1. Complete a double-entry journal. The journal requires five detailed entries. Basically, in the left-hand column of a piece of paper you’ll copy a text passage or a short section of the book that particularly interests you. Include the page number of the passage. On the right-hand side, record your personal response to that passage: questions, comments, what you loved or disliked about the passage and why, predictions, connections with other readings, and so on. Your commentary will typically run 250-300 words for each of the five passages/quotes. Identifying rhetorical devices or strategies will improve your commentary! This double-entry journal must be typed.
2. Create a Book Trailer Video. A book trailer video is very similar to a movie trailer video only with the book you read as the focus. You can focus on the protagonists journey and the development of theme message from the author. By the conclusion, the viewer should understand the significance of the title, the protagonist’s development, and the central theme message.
3. Write a reflection (not a book report). As with any reflection essay, the point is to identify what you expected when you first started the novel due to the initial development and presentation of conflict and what you eventually
