Independent Novel Project
Instructions
In this project you will be reading a novel independently and completing
activities related to this piece of literature. The objective is to discover a
fascinating piece of literature and dig deep into its meaning. As a formal
project, you are expected to put forth strong effort, both into completing
nightly reading assignments and creating thoughtful and neat responses.
You must have a book selected by: September 28, 2011 (begin reading)
You must have the first quarter of your book read by: October 6, 2011
One assignment of your choosing is due October 7, 2011
You must have the second quarter of your book read by: October 13, 2011
You must have the third quarter of your book read by: October 20, 2011
One assignment of your choosing is due October 21, 2011
YOU MUST have your book finished by: October 24, 2011
Final assignment from the Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze section is
due: October 26, 2011
Lastly, on October 31, 2011 you will complete an individualized in
class assignment/essay/exam regarding your novel.
Please type all work following portfolio conventions, and note page
numbers where information can be found in the text. Using post it notes is
an excellent way to keep track of important elements you wish you cite or
recall later.
Your finished work should be prefaced by a creative cover page for your
project, as well as a Table of Contents (label each assignment with the
corresponding page number listed). Please be prepared for a final
presentation of your project to the class.
Book Selection Criteria:
You are free to choose any challenging text at the high school level,
provided you meet the following criteria:
1. You have not yet read the book! (This is a must follow requirement.)
2. You are passionate about it.
3. It is approved by both your parents and myself, Miss Mann.
Projects
PLATINUM
You must chose ONE assignment from here:
Give a summary of the plot. In this section, first outline 7-10 major
plot components, then write a paragraph that summarizes this action.
(This can be done as a graphic organizer, on a Word document, a
Prezi, a Glogster or through an iMovie).
Analyze the protagonist, antagonist and two supporting characters.
Compare and contrast each as you learn about them through the
book. This should be done in a table format. Be sure to keep the table
organized and consistent and proper sentence structure is
MANDATORY. The more information you provide about each
character the better. Keep traits and information consistent and
organized in one line. If you do not know a particular trait for one
specific character- a) leave it blank or b) write, unknown
Example: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Protagonist:
Bella Swan
Antagonist:
James
Bella is shy and James is brash
reserved.
and evil.
Bella is a
human.
James is a
vampire.
Bella is a young James is an
teenage
adult man.
woman.
Supporting
Character:
Alice Cullen
Alice kind
hearted and
family oriented.
Supporting
Character:
Jacob Black
Jacob is kind
hearted but has
a temper.
Alice is a
vampire.
Jacob is a
werewolf.
Alice is a young Jacob is a
teenage
young teenage
woman.
man.
GOLD
You must chose ONE assignment from here:
Discuss in 1 full page your ideas about the main
character(s). Answer what you like or dislike about them and why
they are worthy of praise and/or criticism. Also 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. Ensure you consult notes on writing a character sketch, as
discussed in class.
In double-entry journal style, copy 5 of your favorite quotations from
the book, then on the right side of the page explain the context and
significance of these lines.
SILVER
You must chose ONE assignment from here:
Describe the setting and genre–time period, location, etc. Explain
how this setting affects the action and characters of the book.
Discuss what you believe to be the theme of the book. This
paragraph should examine a particular issue or human truth the novel
explores, and explain what you believe the author is implying about
this subject.
Explain the significance of the title in a paragraph. Authors do not
choose a title randomly. Usually the tile is symbolic in some way.
In a paragraph 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)?
Suggested Novels
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Z. Hurston
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Waiting for the Rain by Shelia Gordon
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Stranger by Albert Camus
A Good Man is Hard to Find by F. O’Connor
The Republic by Plato
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathon Swift
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Wuthering Heights by Emile Bronte
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
The Old Man and the Sea by E. Hemmingway
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Odyssey by Homer
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Call of the Wild by Jack London
White Fang by Jack London
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R. L. Stevenson
The Stone Angel by Margaret Lawrence
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
The Accidental Tourist by Ann Tyler
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Barometer Rising by Hugh McLennan
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Contact by Carl Sagan
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
The Wars by Timothy Findley
Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso
A Separate Piece by John Knowles
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
The Green Mile by Stephen King
Lives of the Saints by Nino Ricci
Brian’s Song by William Blinn
The Once and Future King by T. H. White
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
In the Heat of the Night by John Ball
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Dune by Frank Herbert
Forbidden City by William Bell