Six Weeks Outside
Reading Assignment
“Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”
~Edmund Burke~
Quick Links:
I. Overview
II. Dates
III. Book List
IV. Book Descriptions
V. MWDS Form
VI. Rhetorical Devices with Definitions
VII. Book report Options
VIII.MLA Citation Generator
I.
http://www.citationmachine.net
Overview
• The purpose of outside reading is to foster a personal habit of
reading for pleasure.
• To this end, you are asked to read two books per six weeks, and
to compose a report about your chosen book.
• We have provided a list of themed fiction and nonfiction books
for each six weeks. However, it is up to you to choose which
book you wish to read. The list is extensive.
• The first book of each six weeks will be nonfiction, the second
fiction.
Outside Reading Reports
• Once per six weeks, you must turn in a Major Works Data
Sheet. (Form explained later in presentation.)
• Once per six weeks, you will turn in an alternative project.
– I will tell you which project is to be done each six weeks, though
you may choose which project is done for which book.
• The details of these book reports can also be found online.
Read over them carefully, and well in advance, some of them
are more time-consuming than you might expect.
So when do I do what?
1.
2.
3.
4.
You must read one nonfiction book from the Approved List
You must read one fiction book from the Approved List.
You must prepare one MWDS
You must prepare one “Choice” book report, chosen as a
class from specified options
MWDS
Fiction
NonFiction
Choice Report
The way you combine the above books and reports is up to
you, but you must turn in one book report every three weeks.
When is it due?
Every Three Weeks… but more
specifically:
Fall Semester:
1st six weeks:
9/6-9/9
9/22-9/27
About the Dates:
Please note, the window for turning in
the project opens on a Thursday, and
closes on a THURSDAY, not Friday.
If you are absent, for example, on Sept.
9th, the book report is late when you
return as you had 7 days to turn it in.
Do NOT wait until the last minute.
So What Can I Read?
• Each six weeks one of six themes will be assigned.
– Each theme is a different tab on the spreadsheet
below.
• Choose one book from each list to read, Nonfiction
first.
So What’s On the
Major Works Data Sheet?
•
MLA Citation: for now, use a citation generator
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•
Basic Information:
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Primary Mode of Discourse: Narration &Description, Process Analysis, Comparison & Contrast, Division &
Classification, Definition, Cause & Effect, Persuasion & Argument
Point of View: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Person
Characters: Descriptions of three characters or figures from the book, and why they are important.
Rhetorical Strategies (four): (use Flip Chart &/or Rhetorical Devices PPT)
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Social Environment: how does the social setting influence the events? (ex: private high school, Southern
Mississippi in 1825, Cold War Russia)
Plot:
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Significance of Title: What does the title mean, how is it important?
Author’s Nationality: can influence a work as it is reflective of the author’s background; this is where they are
from, not their race (answering with the author’s race will result in a 20 point deduction)
Setting:
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http://www.citationmachine.net
Strategy: Name of Device/Strategy
Text: Quote where it appears in the book
Function: What does it do? This is NOT a definition, but rather an explanation of its function in the text.
Author’s Purpose: Why did the author choose that specific strategy? How does it enhance the story?
Style: What are some of the distinguishing characteristics of the author’s style?
Theme: What is the theme of the book?
Category: Every six weeks your OR will have a category, which is it? And how does the book relate to that
category?
And the “Choice” Book Reports?
• One Choice Book Report will be assigned for each six
weeks.
– Though each book report is ‘assigned,’ each report
has certain elements that can be tailored to your
individual book or style.
– Detailed instructions are on the embedded file on the
next slide.
Choice Book
Reports Overview
(overview ONLY, consult detailed instructions before attempting)
• Book to Film: write a script with soundtrack, or create a Photo Story of your
book
• Dialectical Journal: a handwritten journal including summaries, questions,
and rhetorical devices for each chapter
• Collage: choose eight rhetorical devices to represent in pictures, and explain
each choice (Glogster)
• iSearch: write a research report on something from the book that piqued
your curiosity.
• Essay: one of four options for an AP style essay concerning the book’s
theme and plot
• Book Log: choose five logs (from twelve) to complete over your novel,
creating a booklet
• 54321 Poster: visual book report with specific elements
Book Qualifications
aka: “What about this book that
isn’t on the list?”
Book Recommendations Must:
– Fit the theme for the six weeks, and
– Have a Lexile level of 1100 or greater,
• See www.lexile.com for ratings. You can also search the
library database according to lexile.
– Be approved by me in advance.
• Generally limited to books you are reading for other
classes or adult novels that do not have lexile levels.