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Can You Judge a Book by its Cover?. An Independent Reading Program by Kayla, Mary, Jimmy, and Jessy. Rationale.
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Can You Judge a Book by its Cover? An Independent Reading Program by Kayla, Mary, Jimmy, and Jessy
Rationale This program invites students to think about how they perceive things. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a well-known saying and this reading program asks students to do just that by engaging with the text and the book cover. The students will use the cover as a tool to evaluate and explore each novel. Students will decide how the cover does or does not relate to characters, themes, setting, etc. As a final project students will create their own book cover for one of the books they have read.
KeyIdeas… • Can you judge a book by its cover? • How does the cover influence your first impressions of a book? • Why do you think the cover of a particular book was chosen? How does it relate to the content? • How can the cover be used to explore the themes of a book? • If you could create a cover for a book you’ve read, what would it look like?
Suggested Books • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury • 1984 by George Orwell • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho • Beloved by Toni Morrison • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger • A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole • Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser • Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes • How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez • Interpreter of Maladies by JhumpaLahiri • Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer • Letters to a Young Poet by Rainier Maria Rilke • Life of Pi by Yann Martel • Messenger by Lois Lowry • Night by Elie Wiesel • Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger • Persepolis by MarjaneSatrapi • The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd • The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien • What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
What do studentsread? 350 pages a quarter • Quarter one: Choose at least one book with a cover that you like • Quarter two: Choose at least one book with a cover that you don’t like • Quarter three: Choose at least one covered book from a selection chosen by the teacher • Quarter four: Choose any books!
How does the classroom support the independent reading program? • In a 55 minute class that meets everyday, students are given 20 minutes to read silently twice a week. • Students keep an independent reading journal where they record pages read and include brief description of what they read (in class only) • Regular book talks • In class discussions about the books students are reading and the theme, “Can you judge a book by its cover?” • Posters of book covers can be used around the room to support the theme
What do studentsproduce? • Independent reading journals that students do in class during SSR time • Reports on every book where students respond to answer guided questions • Third quarter special project: Students create a cover for their covered book • A brief final reflection at the end of the year on the process of using the cover as a means to evaluate a book
Sample Evaluation Title: Date Started: Author: Number of Pages: Date Finished: What is the theme of your book? Identify and briefly describe the protagonist in the text. Identify and describe one central conflict in the plot. Name the character(s) involved and describe the conflict in your own words. Also identify the conflict in general literary terms (for example “man vs. society, internal”). Briefly explain how the conflict resolved. List and define three words from the text with which you were unfamiliar. Would you recommend this book to someone else? Why or why not? What made you choose this book? Was it the cover? If the cover played a part in your choosing this book, were you satisfied with your choice? Regardless as to whether the cover influenced your decision to select this book, evaluate and explain whether you think the cover provides any insights into what the book is about.