Name: _________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________
6B- _____
Reading: Character Unit: FINAL PROJECT DIRECTIONS
Directions:
Complete ONE of the following projects for ONE of the books you read during our Character Unit. If
you choose to write the paragraph, use one of the novels from the unit. If you choose to do the slideshow, use one
of the biographies from the unit.
Project 1: Independent Character Trait Paragraph:
Write a character trait paragraph on the main character
from one of the character novels. Choose your best quote, and make it the evidence your argument. For this
assignment, you can’t really make a strong interpretation of a character without a strong quote.
1. Go to Google Classroom; open the Independent Character Trait ¶: Outline assignment and complete an
outline. Once you’ve completed the outline, turn it in. DUE IN CLASSROOM: ______________________________
2. Then go to Google Classroom again; open the Independent Character Trait ¶: Final Draft assignment;
copy and paste your outline into this document in paragraph form (not as separate parts). Edit and
revise your paragraph until it’s polished. On the due date, “turn in” your final draft in Google
Classroom.
DUE DATE FOR YOUR INDEPENDENT CHARACTER TRAIT PARAGRAPH:
_____________________________________________________________
Project 2: Independent Character Slideshow:
Use Google Slides to make a 1-3 minute multimedia
slideshow that you use to “narrate the life story” of your biography subject. Requirements: 1. You need the
research skills to have great notes; 2. You need the technical skills to use Google Slides independently and
effectively; and 3. You need the public speaking skills to deliver a strong presentation. Your slides convey the
most important, interesting details of your subject’s life, such as the following: birthdate and birthplace; childhood
and family life; inspirations and influences; obstacles faced or beaten; greatest achievements or beliefs; travels;
death; etc. You may use reliable outside sources, such as websites or additional books, to get extra
information for your slideshow. (If so, please cite these sources.) You may use your own words or quotes on
your slides. Highlight the essentials, plus the most interesting, surprising, or colorful aspects of your subject’s life.
(over)
Remember, for a slideshow looks matter! Your slides should not have a lot of words. Instead, you
might just use bulleted lists of notes, shortened to the bare minimum. Think about the tone of your
slideshow. Avoid silly sounds or complicated special effects. Your images, fonts, video, and audio should have a
consistent feel to them (they should be similar to each other); avoid odd pairings (ClipArt on one slide and a black
and white historic image on the next). Your images should add meaning to your facts or bring them to life. Your
slideshow should be easy to read and a pleasure to look at. Your facts should be accurate, specific, and worthwhile.
They should appear in a logical order (time order?). (See sample slide on pg. 6.)
Title Slide:

Include the title (italicized or underlined) and author of your biography.

Include your first and last names and your class (6B- ? ).

Include the name of the subject of your biography. (Ex: Steve Jobs)
Impact: Beyond the facts, you should also provide an interpretation of how your subject impacted
the world around her. In other words, how did she change or influence the people, places, objects, or
general way of life in her world or for the generations that have followed her? Did she “open doors” for
others?; change people’s thinking about race or religion?; “tear down boundaries” for others?; broaden our
understanding of gender, politics, fashion, etc.? And HOW? Try to be specific about this impact. Chances
are you’ll need to arrive at this conclusion for yourself; your biography might not tell you how your subject
impacted society, but the facts in your book should lead logically to your interpretation.
Multimedia: You’ll also need to provide ONE or more of the following media in your slideshow:

Images/Pictures: These are REQUIRED. Add plenty of images of  or at least related to  your
subject. Search reputable, reliable websites for pictures, or take pictures of the images in your
biography and then edit and upload them into your slideshow. People like pictures. Good pictures
(clear, large, crisp images) can breathe life into a slideshow. The best images are high-resolution
shots that aren’t pixelated (spotty). You should filter your search by size. Try to find images that
actually add meaning to your text. In the best cases, your notes will deliver one message; your
image will deliver another; and your text alongside your image will deliver yet another.
(over)
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
Audio: This is OPTIONAL. Record yourself delivering a smooth and expressive reading, roughly
10-30 seconds in length, of a dramatic, interesting, or important passage from your biography (or
from another reputable source) that brings your subject to life. If your subject is a well-known
speaker (MLK, Jr.?) or politician (JFK?), this could be a particularly powerful part of your slideshow!
I suggest using iMovie to make the recording. To do this, first insert a picture(s); then
record yourself delivering the reading. Next, export the recording as a QuickTime (.mov) file.
Two ways to access the your QuickTime audio file (.mov) from your slideshow:
1. Google Drive: Upload the QuickTime (.mov) file to Google Drive; it’ll take time to
process… Then click Share; inside the Share window, click “Get shareable link.” Copy the link and
make sure “link sharing” is “on.” (You don’t actually have to share the file with anyone.) Then, in
your slideshow, open a slide; click in a text box; and add the link (Insert > Link). When you present
this slide, you’ll have to click on the link you’ve made, which will take you into Google Drive to listen
to your audio file while looking at your image.
2. YouTube: To do this, YOU NEED A SIGNATURE BELOW TO CONFIRM THAT A
PARENT HAS ALLOWED YOU TO POST PRIVATELY ON YouTube FOR THIS PRESENTATION:
Parental YouTube Permission: __________________________________________________________________
*You must turn in this signed sheet BEFORE your presentation if you want to put a YouTube clip in your presentation.
First, register at YouTube with an email address. Then upload the QuickTime (.mov) file
PRIVATELY. Finally, upload the QuickTime (.mov) file to YouTube. You can easily add it to your
slideshow in Google Slides by creating a new slide; clicking in a text box; and going to Insert >
Video. (YouTube won’t allow you to post just audio, which is why you need to add a picture to your
recording, to make it count as a video.) Next, enter the URL for your YouTube video.
During your presentation, make sure you introduce your recording with context. Tell
your audience necessary background information so they understand the importance or the
meaning of your recording. Let your audience know what they’re going to hear in your recording.
(over)
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
Video: This is OPTIONAL. Download a roughly 10-30 second video from a reputable, reliable
source on the Internet; YouTube plays nicely with Google Slides. If you download a longer video, I
recommend you clip the video to just the right part, so it starts and ends at the right time.
To do this, you can use http://ytspecifictime.blogspot.com/, a website that allows you to set
the start and stop times for YouTube videos. For “embedding,” select the “PowerPoint” option from
the drop-down menu. Paste in the long version of the YouTube link/URL. Set the start and stop
times in total seconds, not in minutes and seconds. (Yes, it’s math. I know…) And set the video to
play automatically. Then “Get the code!” Copy and paste this code into your slideshow using Insert
> Link. When you reach this slide in your presentation, put it in context so your audience
understands its importance and its meaning. Tell your audience what they’ll see in the video
and why it’s important. After the video plays, you might want to comment further on its meaning.

OPTIONAL/ADVANCED: Works Cited Page: For your final slide, make a list of your sources (the
books, websites, etc. from which you took your information). If you use additional sources beyond
your biography book, such as websites or other books, a works cited page will add authority to your
presentation. You may simplify your list of sources by grouping them according to type. For
example, you might make two lists, one for Books and the other for Websites. Under each heading,
you would then write the names of your sources. Use http://www.easybib.com/ for help with book
titles. EasyBib will ask you a few simple questions and then create a citation for you (see example
below). To cite websites, for now you may simply copy the web address / URL for your citation.
o
Books:
Korman, Gordon. Schooled. New York: Hyperion for Children, 2007. Print.
Etc.
o
Books:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
Etc.
(next)
4

Delivery: The text on your slide should be written in shortened note form, not in full sentences
(unless you’ve written quotes). To deliver a lively presentation that feels natural, you should NOT
read directly off your slides. This can drain the life right out of your presentation. Instead, your
text should just be a reminder to you of what to discuss. You need to be able to speak about your
bulleted notes without simply reading them, and you should elaborate on, or add to, the
information on your slide. Talk about your slides; don’t just read them. Say more than your
audience can see on the slide. Otherwise, why would you deliver a slideshow when your
audience could just as easily read your notes by themselves? Your delivery should be easy to hear;
your voice should be warm and enthusiastic; your body language should communicate your
message; and you should connect with your audience through eye contact. Practice your
presentation so you deliver it with poise (calmness and confidence).

Submission: Go to Google Classroom; open the Independent Character Slideshow assignment.
Once you’ve completed your slideshow, turn it in. (If you “turn in” early, you won’t be able to edit
your slideshow; you’ll have to “unsubmit” to access it again…)
DUE DATE TO “TURN IN” YOUR INDEPENDENT SLIDESHOW IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:
__________________________________________________
DUE DATE TO DELIVER YOUR INDEPENDENT SLIDESHOW PRESENTATION:
__________________________________________________
5
Sample Slide
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