Dear Educator,
This was originally designed for 6th grade ELA and aligned in that way to the Common Core. However, depending on the grade level, these activities can be scaled up or down to provide adequate differentiation for diverse learners.

If two characters were texting, what would they say to each other? Use what you know about the characters you chose to create a text message conversation between two characters.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. Start a Google Doc and write what each character would say on a different line. Share the Doc with your teacher.
2. You could get a friend to text back and forth pretending you are one the characters. Keep the texts on your phone or iPod and show your teacher.
3. You could open a room in TodaysMeet (todaysmeet.com) and you and a friend pretend to be the characters. When you are done, click on the Room Tools below the conversation and click Transcript. Print the Transcript and give it to your teacher.
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Common Core Alignment
R.L.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
~I can connect how characters behave in my book by creating an authentic text message between two of them.

R.L.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
~I can construct a text message conversation between two characters to demonstrates point of view.

When someone is interviewed on TV it's from the first person point of view. Write a list of 10 questions to ask one of the main characters to understand their point of view about the conflict.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. Decide which of the main characters you would like to interview.
2. Write questions they would have to answer that would help others to understand their point of view about the conflict.
3. The questions could be written on paper, in a Google Doc, or wherever. You have to be able to give the questions to your teacher and explain why you chose to ask those questions.
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R.L.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
~I can investigate first person point of view of a main character by writing questions that would help others to understand their point of view about the conflict in the book.

Trading cards are fun to collect and create especially when you are really into it. Create a deck of trading cards for the main characters in your book.

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How can you complete this activity?
1. Determine how you want your characters to look. You can cut out images from magazines, print/copy images from the Web, or draw and color your own.
2. Some options to make your cards:
- Use blank index cards to make your cards
- Use Google Presentations to make a slideshow
- Create a flipbook

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Common Core Alignment
RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
~ I can design original trading cards that depict the point of view of characters in my book.

Have you ever thought the book title didn't fit the book?
Make up a new title for the book you think is better and design a new book jacket for it.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. List new titles for the book. This can be on paper, sticky notes, or doodled in the margin of a spiral notebook. It doesn't matter where you make the list as long as you make it.
2. How you create your new book cover is up to you. You could use technology or paper, colored pencils, or crayons. Decide how it will work best for you.
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Common Core Alignment
RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details.
~I can synthesize a new title for my book.
~I can design a new book jacket for my book.

What if you could end your book ended in a different way? You have that power! Identify the climax in your book. Create a new climax and then rewrite the ending of the book.
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How can you complete this activity?
Talk with your teacher about the climax of your book. Use a Google Doc, paper & pencil, or other way to rewrite the ending of the book.
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Common Core Alignment
R.L.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
~I can create a new ending to my book by rewriting the last chapter.

Podcasting is a popular way people use to broadcast their ideas to the world. Create a bookcast about the main events in your book using the Simple Audio Recorder extension for Chrome.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. You'll need to install this extension by going to the Chrome Web Store and searching for "Simple Audio Recorder" and adding clicking "Add to Chrome."
2. You'll want to write out what you are going to say before recording
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Common Core Alignment

R.L.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
~I can summarize the main events of my book in audio format.

Comics are a fun way of telling a story. Create a comic retelling the major events of your book. Each frame or block in your comic need to have dialogue and drawings.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. Create a Google Presentation with images and text boxes to retell the major events in your book. Each slide needs to be a new major event.
2. Use Storyboard That (storyboardthat.com - no sign up for an account needed) to create a 3x2 comic.
3. Use Stripgenerator (stripgenerator.com - so sign up for an account needed) to create a new comic strip. Print it and it to your teacher. Or, print it to Google Drive and share it with your teacher.
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CC R.L.6.3
Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
~I can create a comic strip that retells the major events in my book using images and dialogue.

Soundtracks are group of songs that fit with a particular movie. In this case you are going to create soundtrack for the book you read.

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How can you complete this activity?
1. Identify the theme of your book and discuss it briefly with your teacher.
2. Choose songs that portray the theme of your book. Before you write the title of the song and songwriter, listen to it to make sure it fits your theme.
3. Create a list of at least 8 songs on a sheet of paper, Google Doc, or create a presentation.
4. Use correct punctuation when writing song titles.
5. You need the group or person who wrote the song.

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Common Core Alignment
RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details.
~I can formulate a music playlist to portray theme or central idea of my book.

Picture books are a great way to tell stories. Rewrite the major events of your book as a picture book using Storybird.

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How can you complete this activity?
1. You will be given a class code by your teacher to create an account in Storybird.
2. Scroll through the images on Storybird and choose one that represents the characters in your book.
3. Click Use this art
4. Choose picture book
5. Create a picture book that retells your story.

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Common Core Alignment
RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes.
~I can create a picture book to show how the plot unfolds in my book.

Why is the book you just read is so different from you movie you watched about the book? Create a movie trailer about your book to advertise it. After creating your movie trailer, create a Venn Diagram contrasting how prose is different from movies.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. Determine the best way to record your video. Using a smartphone, tablet, or iPod is a good way but you'll need an app to edit the video.
2. Upload the video to your Google Drive so you can share it with your teacher.
3. Use Google Drawing to create your Venn Diagram about how prose is different from a movie.
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Common Core Alignment

R.L.7.7
Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
~I can create an original movie trailer advertising an upcoming movie based on my book.
~I can analyze how prose is different from movies using a Venn Diagram.

Facebook is a way to keep up with friends and family. Fakebook is cool way to design how a Facebook book page would look if a main character had his/her own profile. We can't use Facebook but we can use Fakebook to create what a Facebook profile might look like for a character.
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How can you complete this activity?
Create a Fakebook page for a character in your book. Go to http://www.classtools.net/FB/home-page to edit the page and save. No log in needed!

Another option is to go to http://bit.ly/msfakebook. This is a Google Presentation template. When you open it you'll have to make a copy of it. Once you make a copy of it, change the Fakebook page to a character in your book and complete the profile.
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Common Core Alignment
RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
~ I can design a Fakebook page about a speaker in the text to analyze how the author develops this character.

Maybe some of you are Lego fans and have built countless structures. This is your chance to use a variety of different materials to build a 3D scene of your book.
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How can you complete this activity?
1. Pick what scene from your book you want to create.
2. You might start by drawing what your 3D scene would look like.
3. Choose the materials you want to use to build your 3D model.
4. Build it so it's awesome!



Common Core Alignment
RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, or scene fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
~I can design a 3D model that depicts a specific chapter or scene in my book.
~I can explain how my interpretation of setting influences the plot.