Book Project Lesson Plans

When working through a class novel, I like to incorporate a long term project throughout the duration of the unit. My objective in assigning a long term project is to scaffold students' critical thinking and comprehension skills, and reinforce story information (i.e., concepts, themes, elements, etc.) throughout the literature unit. Over the years, I have collected many projects and response techniques that I use throughout the school year. Some projects have been more successful than others, and depending upon the particular group of students, some projects have been more engaging than others. Therefore, I continue to collect and "tweak" project ideas and choose the ones that will best benefit each group of students. My favorites include the Bloom Ball, Novel Newspaper, and Tic-Tac-Toe Through Literature.  Each project includes different levels of thinking as well as some degree of student choice.

The literature project that best organizes the different levels of thinking, in my opinion, is the Bloom Ball. The Bloom Ball is an independent book project that is made up of several different pentagons that represent a different level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Each pentagon is an activity associated with each level of thought. For example, the knowledge level activity requires students to recall main characters and settings of the novel, while the synthesis level‘s activity is the composition of a poem. Each pentagon is attached to one another in order to form a ball that resembles a soccer ball. Each week I assign a different pentagon for students to complete. At the end of the novel study each student presents their Bloom Ball to the class.

The Novel Newspaper is a book project that a colleague found and shared with me last year. Students create different parts of a newspaper that symbolize different plot elements and characters in a novel. From the newspaper headline to the letter to the editor, students utilize various critical thinking skills in order to retell and analyze the novel they have read.

Tic-Tac-Toe Through literature is a similar activity in that it utilizes different levels of thought, however, it differs by offering student choices and the activities are geared toward different learning modalities. Students are provided with a Tic-Tac-Toe paper where all the squares have been filled in with a different activity. Students make a tic-tac-toe pattern on the paper which shows their activity choices. Choices are arranged in a manner that allows students to work from a different level of thought, and include a character sketch, character journal, miniature scrap book, a plot map, poems, etc. . .  I can change the activity choices depending on the group of students completing the project. This is also a great project for students at different learning levels. Students seem to enjoy be able to choose which activities they will do.

The Bloom Ball, Novel Newspaper, and Tic-Tac-Toe Through Literature are some of my favorite book project ideas due to student engagement and the success I have seen. I also tend to use projects, such as these, because of the flexibility of use for the different groups of students I work with each year. There are many great ideas out there, and I enjoy collecting and trying out new projects that come my way.

Book Project Lesson Ideas:

Reality Check: Students evaluate the four basic types of reality television after reading an article and working in small groups. Each group submits responses and opinions based on the class information. Extension activities and resources are available with this lesson.

Literature E-Circles: This two week lesson integrates technology with the literature response. In two different schools, students read the book "Holes". After completing their reading assignments, students meet in e-circles (also referred to as virtual literature circles in this lesson) to discuss literature questions. This well-organized lesson includes the rubric and instruction for completing the activity.

Introducing Literature: Students work in a small group to create an outline and visual they will present as part of a presentation on a book or novel. Students' presentations will teach the other students about the book read and researched. Graphic organizers are available with this lesson plan.

I Had a Hero Lesson: After a series of journal prompts, students analyze and identify what it takes to be a hero. The literature resource for this lesson is the story "I Had a Hero". The journal prompts require students to connect their reading and reflections to their personal experiences.