Independent Reading Project for 3rd Marking Period ...



Independent Reading Project for 3rd Marking Period: Nonfiction Focus

Book review for 1st non-fiction choice due 2/20

Book review for 2nd non-fiction choice due 3/11

Editorial/comic book/book talk for fiction choice due 4/5

TWO of your three independent reading books for the quarter MUST be nonfiction selections that are at or above 7th grade reading level and 100+ pages (approximately). Choose books with subjects that are of great interest to you.

Part I: Book Reviews for Nonfiction Choices

Write a three-paragraph review for each of your nonfiction books using the following format…

Paragraph One:

• Topic sentence with a hook that draws your reader into the book you are reviewing (mention what is most interesting about the topic of this book).

• The rest of the paragraph should briefly summarize what the book is about, and it should hint toward whether your review is positive or negative.

Paragraph Two:

• Include any other summary information that your reader needs to understand the basic idea of the book.

• Specific references to interesting parts of the book and what these parts made you think about as a reader (Note: If this is a negative review, you could focus on the parts of the book that you did not like. Just be sure to support your opinion with specific examples from the book.)

Paragraph Three:

• Clearly state your overall opinion of the book and why you feel this way. This information could be related to what you said in paragraph two, but it should add a new element that leaves the reader thinking about what you have said.

• This paragraph is a great place to get into how the book affected you emotionally, and it should clearly demonstrate whether or not you think this is a book that others should read.

*Post your reviews on Edmodo by the due dates mentioned above.*

Part II: Complete ONE Project for Your Fiction Choice

Option A: Letter to the Editor

Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper (real or fictional) as the main character of your book. What issue does this character feel most strongly about? How can you re-create the voice of your main character?

Make sure your letter is persuasive, at least three paragraphs long, and correctly formatted (research “letter to the editor format” online). Attach letter in .doc, .rtf, or .pdf form to Edmodo by the due date.

Option B: Comic Strip or Comic Book

Draw/create a cartoon strip or short comic book that captures the main events or themes in your book. It must have a minimum of ten panels (boxes). Please include a caption under each frame to explain the illustration. Time must be taken to produce the highest quality illustrations that you can accomplish. You may want to use online tools like Comic Life (free for 30 days) to use photos and online images to create your comic. Significant points will be deducted if your work is not neat. Turn in printed or drawn comic by the due date.

Option C: Video Newscast, Podcast, or Book Talk

Translate your book review into a video newscast, podcast, or book talk that highlights the most important ideas from your book and expresses them into a video discussion/news format. The video should also include images or other effects to enhance your content. Upload your video to SchoolTube and attach a link to Edmodo by the due date. Significant points will be deducted if the link doesn’t work, so check in advance.

✓ You will be assessed on creativity, originality, evidence of understanding, and evidence of time invested on the project.

✓ If you need help, please schedule meeting time with me during Activity or Advisory Support.

Emily Townsend

IRP - Marking Period 3

3/21/11

Book Review of Left for Dead by Peter Nelson

It's an unlikely beginning to what became a momentous, history-changing history fair project. Eleven-year-old Hunter Scott was watching Jaws one day when he first heard about the World War II sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Intrigued, he investigated further, and discovered a shocking, heartbreaking story behind what should have been a tale of heroism and patriotism.

Torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, the Indianapolis went down in minutes, taking more than 800 sailors with it. Several hundred survived, but only after spending days in the open sea with sharks diminishing their numbers hourly. This is only the beginning of the tragedy, however. In an effort to make an example of the ship's captain, and in order to deflect blame from itself, the U.S. Navy unfairly court-martialed the captain, painfully changing the lives of all the men involved.

Basing much of his text on young Hunter Scott's research, author Pete Nelson does a fine job of presenting this story through the eyes of many of the survivors. Old and new photos allow readers to know many of the men of the ship, and personal accounts reveal the horrors of those days in the ocean and later in the courtroom. A bittersweet ending will leave the reader pensive and deeply moved.

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