Student Project Ideas
KNOWLEDGE & COMPREHENSION: Levels 1 & 2
1.Bulletin Board: Make an eye catching and interesting bulletin board (poster size) about the book to encourage the class to read the book.
2.Dictionary: Make a vocabulary list of unusual words from the book.
3.Dramatic interpretation: Read a serious, dramatic selection from the book and explain why you chose this passage.
4.Humorous interpretation: Read a humorous selection from the book and explain what makes it funny.
5.Oratorical interpretation: If there is one, read a speech from the book and explain it’s significance to the story.
6.Define: Write about whether the book is real or imaginary, fact or fantasy, truth or fiction, actual or pretend. Give examples to support your statements.
7.Panorama: Make a large mural type of illustration on butcher paper. It should have four separate illustrations depicting four periods of history; four settings of the book, or four scenes of some kind.
8.Illustrate the Book: Make an illustration for each chapter. Put your illustrations together in book form.
9.Collage: Make a collage picture of part of the book and write a paragraph to explain it.
10.Diorama: Make a diorama of one of your favorite episodes from the book and write a paragraph explaining it.
11.Cartoon Story/Comic Strip: Using at least six pictures, design a cartoon or comic strip depicting an episode from your book. It can be displayed like a comic book or on a roll like a television cartoon.
12.Placemats: Make a set of four placemats depicting different scenes from the book.
13.Model: Make a model cut of clay, cardboard, toothpicks, paper mache, salt and flour, baker’s dough, soap or wood. It could be of the setting or of a character. Write a paragraph to explain your model.
14.Mobile: Make a mobile illustrating characters and/or scenes from the book.
15.Riddles & Stumpers: Try to stump the class. Write question clues about your book.
16.Feature article: Write a feature article about something in the book such as Johnny’s love of silver smithing in Johnny Tremaine.
17.Tape Recording: Tape record an exciting part of the book for younger children to listen to. Explain why you think it is a good passage to record.
18.Video: Make a video of a chapter or scene from the book.
19.Be the Teacher: Create a worksheet. It could be a word search, secret code, maze, etc...
20.Song: Write a song about your book. Be prepared to perform it for the class.
APPLICATION & ANALYSIS Levels 3 & 4
1.Poem #1: Write and recite an original poem about the book.
2.Poem #2: Write a poem about the characters or events in your book.
3.Book Jacket: Design and decorate a book jacket. Use a lot of color and exciting pictures. Write a short blurb about the book to put on the inside cover. Try to match the mood of the book. If the book is spooky, make your cover spooky. If the book is dreamy and enchanting make your cover dreamy and enchanting.
4.Map: Make a map at least 24” X 36” of the area in which your book takes place. It can be in poster form or it can be a relief map made out of clay or flour and salt. Write a paragraph about the location and it is important to the story.
5.Slide Show/ Power Point/ Prezi: Make a slide show depicting an episode from your book.
6.Movie: Make a movie recreating some scene from the book. Show it to the class.
7.Letter to a Character: Using correct form, write a letter to someone in the book, or, write a letter from the point of view of the character to you.
8.Crossword Puzzle: Using characters events, places and things from your book, make a crossword puzzle using the best definitions you can find as your clues.
9.Interview Character: Interview one of the characters in the book. Write about it or film it.
10.Interview Relatives: Interview pretend relatives of the characters in the book. What information do they give you? Write up your interview.
11.Puppet Show: Do a puppet show on a scene from the book using brown paper bag puppets, clothespin puppets, or stick puppets.
12.Skit or Play: Plan and dramatize a scene from the story. Recreate a whole chapter or a shorter selection. Film it to show the class.
13.Radio Broadcast: Give a radio program about the novel. Use special effects.
14.Board Game: Design a board game about your book.
15.Lost: You and characters from the book are lost in Disneyland. Imagine what that would be like. Write your adventure. Have fun!
16.Hero Story: Find out about what a hero is. Write a short story including the major elements of the hero in this story.
17.Advocacy: Tell all the reasons why something in your book should be so, why a character should be liked, why a conflict exists, why the setting is right for the story.
18.Genie: Think of some event in the story. How might magic have helped? If you were in the story, what would you have wished? Use your imagination. Remember that through magic, anything could happen.
19.Debate: With a partner, debate the pros and cons of an issue in the book. (Partner must have also read book)
20.Television Show: Choose your favorite television show and write it up using the characters from the novel. It could be a drams, news show, or game show.
21.Diary: Pretending you are a character from the book, write a daily log, journal, or diary.
SYNTHESIS & EVALUATION: Level 5 & 6
1.Add A chapter: Using the same style as in the book, add another chapter. This should be an episode which is believable in terms of what happened before. The same characters with the same personalities should appear.
2.Be Adventurous: Write an adventure story or another genre using the characters and settings from your book.
3.Mock Trial: Put one of the characters on trial from something he did. Have fellow classmates serve as judge, attorneys, defendant, witnesses, and jury. Provide scripts for each part.
4.Original Music: Compose music typical of the era. Explain how it relates to the book.
5.Scientific Change: Change some scientific development in the story and discuss how that change would have changed the book. For example, what if there had been electricity in the time of Laura Ingalls Wider or what if there were no cars in a present day story?
6.Sociological Change: Change some sociological custom in the story and discuss how that change would have changed the book.
7.Historical Change: Change some important historical fact in the story and speculate on what things would be like in view of that change. For example, how would the story be different if some slain leader had lived?
8.Time Change: How would this story be different if it had taken place 200 years later or 200 years earlier?
9.Survival Trip: If you were a character from the story and had to take a survival trip, what would you take? Make a list. Prioritize the items on the list. In your new place, what would your government be like? What laws would you have? Who would make decisions? Who would enforce the laws? What kind of homes would you have? What kind of food would you have? Who would work? What would they do?
10.Be a Scientist: Write a factual report on some scientific aspect of your book. If your book is about mice, write about real mice and compare them to the pretend mice in your book. Explain something mechanical to the class.
11.Be An Historian: Do a factual report on the historical time depicted in the book. Why was this time important: How was it different from life today?
12.Book Report: Read another book in the same series or on the same subject. Compare and contrast it with the major book you read.
13.Letter to the Author: Using correct form, write a letter to the author, Tell him/her how you like the book. Tell him/her how you would have changed his/her book.
14.Letter to the Editor: Write a letter to the editor expressing your opinion about some issue in the book