8th Grade
2nd Quarter Book Project – 8th Grade Gifted
A Taste of Banned Books Online Review and Poster
Step One
Choose a banned book to read (Ms. D. and your parent(s) must approve your title) and read it!
Step Two
Write a review of your book that will be posted online and included on your project poster. The attached guidelines will help you write a strong review. Avoid personal pronouns. Ms. D. must approve your review BEFORE it’s posted online.
After your review has been approved, you can post it on a site of your choosing. Goodreads.com is easiest as you can join for free. There are other places you can post a book review as well (Library Thing, Shelfari, Biblionasium, Figment, Scholastic, Amazon, etc.) You are free to use a pseudonym when posting just be sure to tell Ms. D. your pseudonym. Remember, this review will be seen online, therefore, write it well and remember that you have an audience.
Step Three
Create a poster – you must use a poster board. If you need one, let me know and I can get you one.
The design of your poster is up to you. Think of the book’s theme and incorporate that into the design of your poster. It must have the following elements:
It is due by Monday, December 9, 2024.
You should have your book with you at ALL TIMES. You never know when you will have class time to read.
7th Grade
2nd Quarter Book Project - “The 10 + 1” Book Project
7th Grade Gifted Language Arts with Ms. D.
Step one:
Choose a book to read over the next quarter. It must be a chapter book, and it must be approved by Ms. D. It must be a book worthy of your intelligence and time. It CANNOT be a book that has been made into a movie. It CANNOT be a book derived from a video game. It must be a book you have not read before.
Step two:
As you read, think about items that could be used to represent your book, characters and events in your book and why those items are significant.
Step three:
Step four:
Create a box or bag to house your items. The box or bag must have the book title, author and your name. It should be creatively done and also represent the book you read. You have over a month to do this project, so I would love to see effort and care put into your container… not something you threw together at the last minute.
Step five:
Your “+1” item is a written book review of your book. Did you like it? Why or why not? What were the strong points? What were the weak points? What did the author do well? What, in your opinion, needed improvement? Would you recommend this book to others? Explain. The book review should be 10 (or more) sentences. A book review is NOT a synopsis of the book. The review will be on its own slide.
This project is being assigned Friday, October 4, 2024.
It is due by Monday, December 9, 2024.
Suggestions for writing a quality book review
Though it is YOUR review, there should be no personal pronouns in the text. The reader will know these are YOUR thoughts.
EXAMPLE:
No: I think this is the greatest book ever written.
Yes: This is one of the greatest books ever written.
Read the book and take notes
Write down your notes or use a voice recorder to document any thoughts or impressions you have of the book as you are reading. They don't have to be organized or perfect, the idea is to brainstorm any impressions you may have of the book.
Think about the book's genre
Consider how the book fits or does not fit in its genre or field of study. If necessary, use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field of study and the genre of the book.
Determine the major themes of the book
The theme is often a lesson or overall message that the reader perceives between the lines. The theme can also be the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a book. Authors may present multiple themes in their writing, especially works of fiction.
Pay attention to the preface, any quotes, and/or references in the book’s introduction
This content will likely shed light on the book’s major themes and viewpoint. A simple way to determine one of the major themes of a book is to sum up the book in one word. Once you have your one word in mind, stretch that word into a message or lesson.
Consider the author's writing style
Ask yourself if the style suits the book's intended audience. Remember that genre is a category of writing and style is the manner in which a subject is expressed or performed. So, depending on the style used, the author can present different viewpoints to the intended audience.
Consider the Author’s Writing Style
If the book is written in the first-person narrative - the author lived the events and is recounting them. Is this more powerful than someone else writing about the events?
Think about how well the author develops the major areas or points in the book
What areas are covered/not covered? Why? Locating gaps in the time frame or character development of the book can help you think critically. As well, noticing any well developed elements of the book will help you create good points for your review.
Consider any literary devices in the book
If the book is a work of fiction, think about how plot structure is developed in the story. Take notes on the book's character, plot, setting, symbols, mood or tone and how they relate to the overall theme of the book.
Think about how unique the book is
Does it add new information to a genre? The author may be trying to challenge or expand the existing rules and norms of a genre. Consider how the book does this, and how this may affect the intended audience's reception of the book.
Assess how successful the book is
Was the author successful in carrying out the overall purposes of the book and did you feel satisfied by the book's ending? Would you recommend this book to others?
To best write a book review, it is essential to keep track of the answers to the following questions, either as you read the book or as soon as you have finished it. All of the answers can then be incorporated into your review.
Questions to Consider in your Review
Narration
Who narrated the story? Was it first-person narration or third-person narration? Was the narrator a reliable source of information.
Setting
Note the time period and location the boot is set. How did the setting drive or influence the plot of the book?
Theme
Not the overall theme or message of the book.
Genre
What genre of literature was it? How did it compare to another work in this genre?
Author
Name the author. Consider any of their previous works and how they compare with this work.
Plot
Give a brief plot summary without giving away any key details. Don’t spend too much time on this since your review is the most important part.
Evaluation - Your Opinion
This is the most important part of the review. What this a good book? Why or why not? Should others read this book? Would you read other books by this author? What were the book’s strongest points? What were the book’s weakest points?
2nd Quarter Book Project – 8th Grade Gifted
A Taste of Banned Books Online Review and Poster
Step One
Choose a banned book to read (Ms. D. and your parent(s) must approve your title) and read it!
Step Two
Write a review of your book that will be posted online and included on your project poster. The attached guidelines will help you write a strong review. Avoid personal pronouns. Ms. D. must approve your review BEFORE it’s posted online.
After your review has been approved, you can post it on a site of your choosing. Goodreads.com is easiest as you can join for free. There are other places you can post a book review as well (Library Thing, Shelfari, Biblionasium, Figment, Scholastic, Amazon, etc.) You are free to use a pseudonym when posting just be sure to tell Ms. D. your pseudonym. Remember, this review will be seen online, therefore, write it well and remember that you have an audience.
Step Three
Create a poster – you must use a poster board. If you need one, let me know and I can get you one.
The design of your poster is up to you. Think of the book’s theme and incorporate that into the design of your poster. It must have the following elements:
- Book Title and author
- Research results: Why was this book banned? Cite sources for information gathered and display your results creatively on your poster.
- Top 10 Powerful Quotations – these should be displayed creatively.
- Collage – use words and images that fit the theme you have selected for your poster.
- 6-Word Summaries for each chapter – these should be displayed creatively. If your book has more than 25 chapters, you may want to combine chapters for each summary. If it has less than 25 chapters, write summaries for a section of pages so you have 25 summaries total.
- A review of the novel. Some things to ponder when writing a review: Did you like the book? Why or why not? What were the strongest elements of the novel? What were the weakest elements? Should others read it? Why or why not:?
It is due by Monday, December 9, 2024.
You should have your book with you at ALL TIMES. You never know when you will have class time to read.
7th Grade
2nd Quarter Book Project - “The 10 + 1” Book Project
7th Grade Gifted Language Arts with Ms. D.
Step one:
Choose a book to read over the next quarter. It must be a chapter book, and it must be approved by Ms. D. It must be a book worthy of your intelligence and time. It CANNOT be a book that has been made into a movie. It CANNOT be a book derived from a video game. It must be a book you have not read before.
Step two:
As you read, think about items that could be used to represent your book, characters and events in your book and why those items are significant.
Step three:
- When you finish the book, collect 10 items that represent events from your book. These will be actual items. You will also have a picture of the item on each Google Slide.
- Write an explanation for each item and why you selected it. The explanation for EACH ITEM must be at least one, well-written paragraph (6 or more sentences) long (longer is okay… shorter is not).
- You will create your project on Google Slides. You must still have the physical items in class to present.
- Be prepared to present this to the class as an oral report. You will show each item and explain it. Be creative with your items and explanations, but remember… we are at school and this must be school appropriate!
Step four:
Create a box or bag to house your items. The box or bag must have the book title, author and your name. It should be creatively done and also represent the book you read. You have over a month to do this project, so I would love to see effort and care put into your container… not something you threw together at the last minute.
Step five:
Your “+1” item is a written book review of your book. Did you like it? Why or why not? What were the strong points? What were the weak points? What did the author do well? What, in your opinion, needed improvement? Would you recommend this book to others? Explain. The book review should be 10 (or more) sentences. A book review is NOT a synopsis of the book. The review will be on its own slide.
This project is being assigned Friday, October 4, 2024.
It is due by Monday, December 9, 2024.
Suggestions for writing a quality book review
Though it is YOUR review, there should be no personal pronouns in the text. The reader will know these are YOUR thoughts.
EXAMPLE:
No: I think this is the greatest book ever written.
Yes: This is one of the greatest books ever written.
Read the book and take notes
Write down your notes or use a voice recorder to document any thoughts or impressions you have of the book as you are reading. They don't have to be organized or perfect, the idea is to brainstorm any impressions you may have of the book.
Think about the book's genre
Consider how the book fits or does not fit in its genre or field of study. If necessary, use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field of study and the genre of the book.
Determine the major themes of the book
The theme is often a lesson or overall message that the reader perceives between the lines. The theme can also be the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a book. Authors may present multiple themes in their writing, especially works of fiction.
Pay attention to the preface, any quotes, and/or references in the book’s introduction
This content will likely shed light on the book’s major themes and viewpoint. A simple way to determine one of the major themes of a book is to sum up the book in one word. Once you have your one word in mind, stretch that word into a message or lesson.
Consider the author's writing style
Ask yourself if the style suits the book's intended audience. Remember that genre is a category of writing and style is the manner in which a subject is expressed or performed. So, depending on the style used, the author can present different viewpoints to the intended audience.
Consider the Author’s Writing Style
If the book is written in the first-person narrative - the author lived the events and is recounting them. Is this more powerful than someone else writing about the events?
Think about how well the author develops the major areas or points in the book
What areas are covered/not covered? Why? Locating gaps in the time frame or character development of the book can help you think critically. As well, noticing any well developed elements of the book will help you create good points for your review.
Consider any literary devices in the book
If the book is a work of fiction, think about how plot structure is developed in the story. Take notes on the book's character, plot, setting, symbols, mood or tone and how they relate to the overall theme of the book.
Think about how unique the book is
Does it add new information to a genre? The author may be trying to challenge or expand the existing rules and norms of a genre. Consider how the book does this, and how this may affect the intended audience's reception of the book.
Assess how successful the book is
Was the author successful in carrying out the overall purposes of the book and did you feel satisfied by the book's ending? Would you recommend this book to others?
To best write a book review, it is essential to keep track of the answers to the following questions, either as you read the book or as soon as you have finished it. All of the answers can then be incorporated into your review.
Questions to Consider in your Review
Narration
Who narrated the story? Was it first-person narration or third-person narration? Was the narrator a reliable source of information.
Setting
Note the time period and location the boot is set. How did the setting drive or influence the plot of the book?
Theme
Not the overall theme or message of the book.
Genre
What genre of literature was it? How did it compare to another work in this genre?
Author
Name the author. Consider any of their previous works and how they compare with this work.
Plot
Give a brief plot summary without giving away any key details. Don’t spend too much time on this since your review is the most important part.
Evaluation - Your Opinion
This is the most important part of the review. What this a good book? Why or why not? Should others read this book? Would you read other books by this author? What were the book’s strongest points? What were the book’s weakest points?