Name:
Mrs. Garrard
EN47
Quarter 2 Independent Unit
INDEPENDENT READING UNIT: COMING OF AGE
A CREATIVE WAY OF RESPONDING TO LITERATURE
Independent Coming of Age Novel Project
As the name implies, independent reading will require you to read a novel of your choice on your own and during
extra time during class. In addition to exposing you to authors and novels not covered by class times, this Independent
Coming of Age unit presents a unique opportunity for you to choose a book that you are interested in reading, to create an
individual response to your chosen book, and to demonstrate your understanding of your book in a way that shows creativity
and critical thinking. My hope is that you have fun not only reading a good book, but then also have fun working on your
project.
It may take you a long time to read a novel, and you will be expected to do all of the reading and projects outside of
our instructional time. Do not procrastinate your reading!!! Throughout the quarter there will be ongoing assessment in the
form of short writing assignments, group discussion, quote/literary device analysis, and various other informal assessment
forms.
There will be several other students in class who will be reading your novel with you; you will be expected to
participate in an academic discussion with these classmates throughout the quarter. Before the due date below, you will be
expected to independently complete your novel and be prepared to write a summary of your novel, as well as, an in-class essay
analyzing your novel. More information on this essay will be provided as we get closer to the end of the quarter.
Remember that with either this novel or your second quarter novel you must complete a project selected from the list
on the second page of this handout. You are expected to have this novel with you at all times during the first quarter.
Coming of Age Novel Project Due Date:
BOOK REQUIREMENTS
• Must be a book you have never read before.
• Must be selected from the list below:
Title
Author
Lexile
A Separate Peace
John Knowles
1110
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
810
Paper Towns
John Green
850
The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
930
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
1330
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
820
Date
4.
5.
6.
Parent Signature
NOVEL GROUP MEMBERS
1.
2.
3.
In order to ensure that your parents are aware of this assignment, its requirements,
due dates, and content, please have them approve your novel selection. Once you
have chosen your novel have this portion of the document signed and returned to
me. This signature is required and will be entered as a graded part of this project.
Student Signature
_________________________________________________________________
Your summative assessment must be selected from the following list of
assignments. Below are the general requirements for each of the
projects you can choose from:
1) Projects will be assessed on the following: timely declaration,
aesthetics (presentation, physical appearance, neatness,
organization, color, etc.), and content and detail (to what extent
does this project prove to me that you read this book? Does the
final product reflect well thought-out ideas and demonstrate
understanding of the book?).
2) When choosing a product which involves
drawing/art/photography, you absolutely may NOT copy, Xerox,
or trace any cover art or incorporate illustrations/pictures provided
in the book or elsewhere – including the Internet. The artwork
submitted as part of a project must be original.
3) Even though certain projects may appeal to you, make sure the
project you choose will work well with the book you have read.
4) You will be required to write a summary of the book which will be
completed in class on an announced date. You must bring your
book with you on this date.
BOOK PROJECTS
1. Essay : Write about character and his/her role and purpose in your novel. Cover theme, quotations,
relationship with others, and conflict in a 750 word essay. The 6 traits will be used to score your essay.
2. Poetry Collection: Create a collection of four to five poems relating to characters and incidents in your
book. Each poem must be accompanied by an explanation of its applicability to the novel. These poems
can be written or collected. Then create a cover and back for your collection and bind the poems within it.
Be creative in your cover design and material you use to make it out of. Possible poetic forms for you to
choose are: "My Name Poem/Piece" (as one of the characters), an acrostic poem based on the title of the
book, and miscellaneous rhyming and free verse poems. Please type all poems and use a creative font.
3. Movie Trailer: Film a trailer (your own, do not just download one that already exists!) for a movie
version of your novel. Prepare a script, practice, and then videotape short scenes to be used for your
trailer. Use an attention getter at the beginning of your trailer; add appropriate music; mention actors and
actresses who star in this feature film. The trailer should be at least 2 minutes long and convey an
appropriate tone and context for your novel. Turn in your script with the video.
4. Soundtrack: Select five songs that you would put on the soundtrack for this novel. Three of these
songs must be annotated with notes in the margins explaining connection to the novel. For the remaining
two songs you must compose an informative paragraph explaining the connection. Be sure to correctly
cite the song lyrics and the novel in your writing.
5. Character Interview: Pretend you are a newspaper reporter whose job is to interview one of the
characters. Write your interview. This should be at least two full pages long in MLA format.
6. Music Video: Write an original rap or song which relates to your novel. Include movements, dance
steps, or dramatics as you would see in a music video. You may set the lyrics to a popular tune if you like.
Perform for the class. (High Tech: Video tape or tape record your song. Play for the class.)
7. Comic Strip: Create a comic strip for a scene from your novel. Your comic strip must be at least 10
frames long and include dialogue and color. The dialogue does not have to be word for word from the
text, but the context should remain the same.
8. Newspaper: Create a front page to a newspaper that is devoted entirely to the book you read. The front
page should look as much like a newspaper as possible, with writing in columns, headlines, a newspaper
title, etc. You may include a variety of features including horoscopes for each character, “Dear Abby”
letters, comic strips, news articles, opinion pieces, advertisements, personal ads, an obituary section, or
anything else you might find in a newspaper. EVERYTHING you include must be based on actual events
and characters in the book you read. Articles must be typed.