April 22, 2014
Dear Parents,
As we begin the last six weeks of the school year, each student is expected
to select an individual, independent novel, read it, and complete a series of
assignments related to it as part of their final project for the semester.
The primary objective of this assignment is to allow students to choose and
read books that interest them. However, because each parent feels differently
about what is appropriate for his/her own child, we require all students to have
their book approved first by you and then by the teacher before it can be used for
this project. These books will not be studied in class and are meant for
independent study.
When you are approving your student’ selection, please look it
over to ensure that you feel the content of the novel is appropriate
for your student. If you have objections, have your student choose
another book. Please have a discussion with your student about
what kinds of books and topics you feel are appropriate and instruct
them not to select books that contain topics about which you would
not want them to read. Once you have approved the book, please sign the
book approval form your student will provide. Only after you have approved the
book, I will secondarily approve the book for the student based on grade
level/individual student difficulty appropriateness.
In addition, this project requires students to work at a steady pace for the
six weeks with very few “checkpoints” along the way to make sure that they are
being responsible. Please join me in encouraging students to budget their time
wisely so that this project will be successful for all of us. Students will have a
syllabus detailing each deadline and can explain to you how this project will be
evaluated, but feel free to contact me with any concerns that you may have about
this six weeks. Thanks for your continued interest in the progress of your child’s
success!
Sincerely,
Jeannie Fonville
PAP English 1
PAP English 2
Lake Dallas High School
jfonville@ldisd.net
Independent Reading:
Book Approval Form
YOU MUST USE INK FOR THIS FORM!
Students – Complete the top portion of the form before giving to parents or teachers
Student Name: __________________________________________________
Book Title: ____________________________________________________
Author: ______________________________________________________
Number of Pages: _______________
Parents – Please do not sign a blank form or a form that is not completely filled out
above. Please ask your student to show you the letter that accompanies this form.
I, ____________________________, am aware that my child will be reading the
above named book in connection with English class this six weeks. I understand that my
child selected this book and that by signing this form, I give my student permission to
read this book. I understand I am approving the content of this book and the teacher
will approve the book for level appropriateness.
Parent Signature: _________________________________Date: ___________
**Please sign and return this form to your child’s English teacher by
Tuesday, April 29, 2014.**
Teacher approval granted on: (Date):
____________________________________
This book meets the eligibility requirements of the project and is suitable in difficulty
level for the above named student.
Teacher
Signature:_____________________________________________________
Independent Novel Choices
1. The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
2. Lord of the Flies
William Golding
3. Night
Elie Wiesel
4. Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
6. Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
7. Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
9. Twilight Series
Stephenie Meyer
10. Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher
11. Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton
12. Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver
13. Catch-22
Joseph Heller
14. The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
15. Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes
16. Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom
17. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
18. A Separate Peace
John Knowles
19. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Ann Brashares
20. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
21. House on Mango Street
Sandra Cisneros
22. Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
23. Paper Towns
John Green
24. The Absolutely True-Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie
25. Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli
26. Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kid
27. The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
28. The Color Purple
Alice Walker
29. The Book Thief
Markus Zusa
30. Go Ask Alice
Anonymous
31. The Truth About Forever
Sarah Dessen
32. An Abundance of Katherines
John Green
33. Angela's Ashes
Frank McCourt
34. The Princess Diaries
Meg Cabot
35. Shiver
Maggie Stiefvater
36. A Great and Terrible Beauty
Libba Bray
37. This Lullaby
Sarah Dessen
38. Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
39. The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
40. A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
41. Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte
42. The Help
Kathryn Stockett
43. The Road
Cormac McCarthy
44. The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
45. The Kite Runner
Khaelid Hosseini
46. My Sister’s Keeper
Jodi Picoult
47. 1984
George Orwell
48. Divergent series
Veronica Roth
49. The Hunger Games series
Suzanne Collins
50. ?? If you find a novel that you feel meets the criteria, bring it to me and we
can discuss its validity. 
Please note: If you cannot find books in the library at school
that suit your needs or desires, you have FOUR WEEKS to complete
the project. Take a day or two to choose a good one and have your friends or
parents take you to the Lake Cities library, or any other public library to find the
perfect book. Also, if you’re interested in owning the book, you can always go to
your local bookstore and buy it or order it from places like Amazon.com. Please
remember that you must pick a book that you have not studied in the
elementary or middle school grades and that you have not already
read. If you choose a book upon which a movie has been based, you might find
comparing and contrasting the movie and the book helpful or at least include
aspects of the book that differed from the movie.
Self-Discovery Journal
The pieces you will read should focus on your own path to self-discovery. You
will keep a journal tracing your own path to self-discovery by comparing your
path to a character in the novel.
Please read and follow the directions below to complete the double-entry journal
assignment.
DIRECTIONS:
The left side of your table must contain at least ten quotations from the reading
with page numbers cited: e.g. Dessen 24. Should you wish to refer to a
particularly large selection, you may paraphrase it. The quotes should
demonstrate the following literary devices: point of view, imagery, mood, setting,
foreshadowing/flashback, figurative language, characterization, diction,
irony/sarcasm/paradox, theme.
The right side of your table must comment on each of these ten points. Your
right side can respond to questions such as:
 What strikes you about this?
 What was your first thought when you read this? And then? And then?
 What does this passage/idea make you think of or remember?
 What else have you read/heard/experienced that connects with this
author’s ideas?
 Does something confuse you or lead to further questions?
 How do you feel about this?
This assignment is meant to help you analyze the text – similar to textual
annotation AND prepare you so that you are able to discuss your selected
passages in class; keep track of which passages you wrote about, perhaps by
marking them on the print copy of the text in your textbook.
When I grade these, I will be looking for detail. The best way to guarantee
earning full-credit for this assignment is to comment fully on your passages.
Self-Discovery Journal
Name: _______________________
Block: _______________
Author and Reading Covered:
Page
Quotations (character self-discovery)
Commentary/Analysis (own self-discovery)
Visual Representation
Create a visual representation of a character from the novel that you relate
to the most. Select and complete 1 creative project that relate to and reflect the
main points of your novel.
Note: Keep in mind that individual presentations will follow the independent
novel study. You will be able to choose what you present (from the above below –
it must include a visual/auditory element) but the presentations will be a
minimum of 4 minutes each. If you choose to present a CD please see me first.
Suggestions:
1. Diorama
a. Demonstrates a reconstructed scene from your novel with a short
summary of the scene; you explain after your summary why you
choose the scene
b. Creative
c. Colorful/ or appropriate colors to the book
d. All parts stable
e. Neat/organized/ clean
2. Character scrap or memory book
a. This option MUST have at least 7-10 pages
b. Creative and visually appealing
c. Neat and organized
d. Uses scrap booking tools and materials (you DO NOT have to spend
a lot of money to do this!)
e. Displays the elements of fiction from the novel.
f. Discusses important events, characters, themes, and symbols
3. Theme or symbol collage
4. Create a memory box for the novel.
a. This box will contain at least 8 items that have to do with the novel
(i.e.: newspaper clippings (real or created), objects, pictures, etc…)
b. This option includes a description of each item; why you choose this
item, and how it relates to the events of the book.
c. This must be typed, double spaced, and have the correct MLA
heading.
d. Items included should be well thought out and symbolic. The
descriptions of the items should be very thorough and complete and
relate many details from the book (one paragraph—at least 5-7
sentences)
e. Be Creative—Think outside the box!
f. Items should be in the box in an organized fashion.
5. Create a soundtrack for the novel (min. 5 songs) and explain why you
chose each song based on thematic relevance and/or symbolism. You
must provide the lyrics for each song as well as a cover for the CD.
6. Menus from the text
7. Comic or political cartoon
8. Choose a theme song for the novel. Include the lyrics/music and explain
why it fits (based on symbolism, theme etc…).
9. Scene rewrite from a different point of view
10. Pretend you are one of the characters in the novel and write a song about
your experiences.
***Please run your ideas by me before you start.
Have FUN! Be CREATIVE! 
Reflective Essay
1. Give a brief summary of the plot. 1-2 full pages, tell the story. Include 3-5 of the
main events and describe what happens at the end.
2. Explain the significance of the title (10-14 sentences). Authors do not choose a
title randomly. Usually the title is symbolic in some way.
3. Describe the setting and genre – time period, location, etc. (10-14 sentences).
4. Discuss in 1-2 full pages your ideas about the main character(s). Discuss what
you like or dislike about them and why they are worthy of praise and/or criticism.
5. In 1-2 full pages, identify what caused a major change in the main character(s)
and explain how the character(s) changed. These changes may have been a
consequence of choice, a conflict, a display of some outstanding trait like
courage, or even a result of events that occur during the novel.
6. Choose one sentence from the text and tell why this sentence embodies the theme
of the story. Illustrate the theme/sentence using text images that you feel bring
the theme to life.
7. In 1-2 full pages write a general review of the book. Would you recommend the
book? Why or why not? Would you have changed any element of the story (plot,
characters, setting, resolution, conflicts, point of view, etc.)?
Grading Rubric
Proof that you’ve read the novel
25
Discovery Journal (10 entries)
25
Visual Representation
75
Reflective Essay
75
____________
/200
Self-Discovery Project
Timeline
All work is due on the specified date. NO LATE WORK WILL BE
ACCEPTED DURING THE DISCOVERY PROJECT.
April 22-23
Assign discovery project
April 28-29
Turn in signed parent letters
April 30-May 9
Read novels in class
May 12-13
Turn in self-discovery journals
May 14-15
Turn in reflective essays
May 19-23
Present visual representations