Responding to Literature The Homeschooling Way

1.WRITE THE STORY IN THE BOOK FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW. Take an entire story (or part of it) and write a version as someone else would tell it.

2.WRITE THE DIARY A MAIN CHARACTER MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN. Imagine you are the person in your book. Write a diary for a few days or weeks as she or he would have done.

3.WRITE A CHARACTER SKETCH OF SOMEONE IN THE BOOK. This might be the central character or a minor supporting character in the story. Tell what he looked like, but also include favorite color, horoscope sign, sports liked, and even a bumper-sticker or a T-shirt.

4.REARRANGE A PASSAGE AS A “FOUND” POEM. Find a particularly effective description or bit of action that is really poetry written as prose. Rewrite it. Leave out words or skip a sentence or two, but arrange it to create a poem.

5.WRITE A PARODY OF THE BOOK. This kind of humorous imitation appeals to many students. Parody the entire book or one scene.

6.WRITE A LETTER TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK.

7.MAKE A NEW BOOK JACKET. It should include an attractive picture or cover design, an original summary of the book, information on the author and illustrator, and information about other books by the author.

8.CONVERT A BOOK TO A RADIO DRAMA.

9.CONVERT A BOOK INTO A PUPPET SHOW. Make simple puppets (stick puppets, finger puppets, paper bag puppets, and so on) or complex puppets (marionettes) and present the story or an exciting scene from it.

10.MAKE A SOAP OR PARAFFIN CARVING ABOUT AN EVENT OR PERSON IN A BOOK. These are inexpensive materials and soft enough so there is little danger from the tools used for carving.

11.IMPERSONATE A CHARACTER AND TELL AN EPISODE IN A BOOK. Dress up as a character and retell the story.

12.DRAW A SCALE MODEL OF AN ITEM IN A STORY. Making an object from the story to scale presents many challenges. For example, try a go-cart, a match-lock gun, or any other item.

13.COOK A FOOD MENTIONED IN YOUR BOOK. It is always fun to share something to eat.

14.DESIGN AND MAKE YOUR OWN T-SHIRT OF AN ILLUSTRATION ABOUT A BOOK. Create a design, using color-fast marking pens.

15.MAKE SOME COSTUME DOLLS FOR A DISPLAY OF CHARACTERS IN A BOOK. Create costume dolls and display them.

16.THE WRITTEN WORD VERSUS THE VIDEO. Compare the book to the movie or television version of it. What aspects of the book have been altered for the visual performance and why? Do these alterations make the story “better”? Why or why not?

17.RETURN TO THE FUTURE. Pretend that you are one of the characters who has “come back” 25 years after the novel has ended. Describe your reactions.

18.PERSONAL TASTE. Select one character from the book. If he/she were living today, what kind of clothes, books, records, movies, etc. would he/she select? Why would he/she do so?

19.WRITE A HUMAN INTEREST STORY ON ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY.

20.WRITE AN EDITORIAL ON SOME CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE RAISED BY THE BOOK.

21.DESIGN A COMIC STRIP RETELLING SOME EVENT IN THE STORY. This may be expanded to tell the whole story of the novel as a comic book.

22.DESIGN A TIME LINE FOR THE EVENTS IN THE STORY.

23.DESIGN A DETAILED MAP OR MAPS FOR THE SETTING(S) OF THE BOOK.

24.WRITE A LEGEND, FABLE, OR MYTH BASED ON SOME EVENT IN THE STORY.

25.PEN SOME POETRY. Write a limerick or a short poem about one of the characters or some event in the novel.

26.WRITE A BALLAD AND/OR MUSIC TELLING THE STORY.

27.TRADING PLACES. Write a short paper explaining why you would or would not like to change places with one of the characters in the novel.

28.WRITE A PERSONAL LETTER TO ONE OF THE CHARACTERS YOU ADMIRE OR DESPISE.

29.CORRESPOND WITH ANOTHER CHARACTER. Pretend that you are one character in the book. Write a friendly letter to another character.

30.A CHARACTER IN SEARCH OF A JOB. As if you were a character in the book, compose a resume and cover letter for your character, who is applying for a job suitable for the character and the setting of the novel, Does your character have any references?

31.ONCE UPON A TIME. Write a fairy tale about some event or character in the book.

32.DESIGN AND PRODUCE A POSTCARD OR A SERIES OF POSTCARDS. On one side draw/paint/reproduce an appropriate photo and on the other side compose a message to me from one of the characters. There will be automatic A’s for the best design, most intriguing message, most distant postmark, and most appropriate postmark (mail it to me from there!).

33.COMPILE A SCRAPBOOK OR A MEMORY BOX. Choose one of the major characters in your book, and, as that person, put together a scrapbook or memory box of special memories and mementoes. Be true to your character.

34.DESIGN A TRAVEL BROCHURE. Illustrate and advertise the “world” of your novel.