English II Honors
Independent Reading Project: The Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver
Due Date:___________________________________________________________
Choice #1: Create a scrapbook of Taylor Greer’s life and journey. This must be done as
chronologically as possible and include all events: the people she encounters, the historical
events and geography of the times which influence the events of the novel, and artifacts or
memorabilia that she may acquire along her journey.
Choice #2: The Bean Trees is being made into a movie. You are responsible for all the
promotion of this film; in other words, your review, advertising, and marketing will be the key
to success of this film. Therefore, you must put together a marketing package to promote this
film. This package should include (at the bare minimum) the following:
1. Newspaper, magazine, and poster advertisements for the film (Remember, here you
must have chosen your cast, your location (i.e. setting for the film), and your visuals to
promote the novel (at least 2 – One should be poster-board size)
2. A “trailer” for the film that should last between 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. (Model this after
the “previews” you see before the feature presentation starts in a theater.)
3. A Film critic review commenting on the events of the film and performance that would
attract a wide audience (a decent film review will include some negative critiques, as
well)
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You may work with a partner or by yourself for this project, though no groups of 3 or
more are allowed. Remember, if you are working with a partner, I expect your final
project to be that much more comprehensive
Choice #3: Create a professional study guide for The Bean Trees. This study guide must
include the following components:
1. a powerpoint presentation introducing the novel to students
2. a chapter-by-chapter summary followed by a critical evaluation of the significance of
this chapter in a literary sense
3. A discussion of literary elements (i.e. symbolism, themes, motifs, style)
4. A test on the novel as a whole (this must include objective questions, i.e. multiple
choice, matching etc.) and written questions. You should also provide an answer key
with this test.
5. TWO different paper topics to write on The Bean Trees. You must include an outline as
to what you would expect for evaluation of each essay—i.e. what would you deem
acceptable content for each topic.(you are not writing the essays, but creating the
topics)