Mater Academy Charter Middle / High School



Independent Reading Novels MUST be purchased prior the beginning of each quarter. Some might have an online free pdf available.*The class reading novels are not to be purchased, they have a free pdf file.1) First Nine Weeks-Assignment and Project Due Sept. 21 “Soldier's Heart: Being the story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the Minnesota Volunteers” by Gary Paulse 2) Second Nine Week “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld In Class Reading: *The Giver, by Lois Lowry3) Third Nine Week"The Fold" by An NaIn Class Reading: *Night, by Elie Wiesel4) Fourth Nine Weeks TBA*There will be a weekly assignment for each book. Book Project- Choose one of the following alternatives ??????? Technology Enhanced Alternatives to Book Reports1. Let students create a cartoon version of the book they have just finished.Use a tool like Creaza , Piki Kids , or Kerpoof to inject a little fun into the book report. Students can create a short cartoon or comic strip summarizing the book they just read. Encourage students to include key characters from the book as well as the problem and solution. If there are no appropriate background templates to fit the book they have just finished, students can tell the story in the form of an interview between two characters or choose a cartoon character to review the book. This alternative to book reports is particularly appealing to boys who are already excited about graphic novels.2. Let students create a short video clip about the book.Creaza , Kerpoof , and Xtra normal text to movie are all great online tools that allow students to create short movie clips. Students can create an interview type show where they interview characters in the book, create a short movie trailer for the book, or actually have characters act out portions of the book.3. Create a virtual poster advertising the book.Think about movie posters, they give just enough information to give you a taste of what the movie will be about. They also contain information such as the title of the movie, the major actors, and a rating. Students can use Glogster to create an online book poster that acts as an advertisement for the book they just read. Students should include the title and author of the book, key characters, use pictures that support the story line, and create a tag line that will make others want to read the book.4. Encourage students to create their own virtual bookshelves with Shelfari is not only a great alternative to book reports, it is also a nice alternative to reading logs. Shelfari allows students to display books that they have read on a virtual bookshelf. This site enables students to connect with other students and teachers, sharing book recommendations and reading reviews. Shelfari provides the ability to create online book clubs and discussions. Inspire students with similar interests to start a book club where they read and discuss together. When students finish reading a book they can add it to their bookshelf, rate the book, and write a short review of the book for others to read. The collaborative component makes it easy to keep up with what students are reading and to measure understanding. It also allows teachers to recommend books to students based on what they are currently reading. This is a great way to keep your students engaged in their reading and ensures they will always have great suggestions for new books to keep them reading.5. Bookcasting is a recorded audio podcast about a book.A book cast is a movie trailer-like audio review of a book that students can create and share with one another. Free online tools such as Audacity , G Cast , or Pod Bean make recording audio and sharing simple. Bookcasts let students be creative and provide them with a great sense of audience. It has the added benefit of acting as a book review to excite other students about reading. Before students create their own bookcast, find some radio movie trailers of current kids movies online for students to listen to as an example.6. Allow students to create a timeline of events in the story they just read in an online timeline.Capzles is an interactive timeline creator. Students can add photos, video, audio and text to their timeline to support telling the story sequentially. Themes, colors, backgrounds, and background music can be added to further personalize the timeline. Timelines have the ability to be shared with other students and teachers.7. Excite and motivate students to read with Book Wink incredible website motivates students in 3rd to 8th grade to read using fun podcasts and web videos. The video book talks range from 3-4 min. in length and introduce students to a topic or genre and the books that exhibit the topic well. Students can watch a video and then search books by grade, subject, author, or title. After students read a book, they can create their own book talk using a web cam or video camera. The student book talks could be shared on websites like Viddler or Fliggo so that other students can watch and comment on the book or topic.8. Voice Thread is an amazing site that allows students to create web 2.0 slide shows that become interactive and collaborative.This is a great place for students to discuss common genres and books online. Students can create a slideshow summary of their book with pictures, audio, and text. Other students can leave text, audio, or drawn comments on the book reviews. Voice Thread would be a great place to begin online classroom book clubs.Technology brings interest back into reading and helps students continue to find reading that they enjoy while providing the teacher with feedback about student reading comprehension. These are great alternatives to book reports that will keep your students from ‘readicide’. Most of the above tools have the added benefit of being able to be embedded into a classroom blog, website, or wiki. All student projects can be collected, organized, and viewed in one place. It doesn’t get better than this!Late work will not be accepted. Absolutely NO exceptions will be made. ................
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