Independent Reading
Assignment #2
Show some deeper
thinking about a character in your book by looking at him or her in 3-D! You
will read a contemporary realistic
fiction novel and create a cube displaying representations of a main
character from the book on each side.
Selecting
Your Book
o
Your book
should be near your own reading level (SRI score), so it’s challenging, but not
enough to spoil the fun of reading.
o
It must be a
book you haven’t read before.
o
Select a book
you can finish reading within the
allotted time.
o
Book selection
must be approved by the teacher by September 27.
Cube
Requirements:
|
Points
|
Side 1
|
Book title, author, # pages; your name and class period
|
5
|
Side 2
|
Setting (place and time period)
|
10
|
Side 3
|
Main character’s name and picture
|
10
|
Side 4
|
What you learn about the character from what he or she says/thinks.
(Passage #1)
Label this side “#4.”
|
10
|
Side 5
|
What you learn about the character from what the character
does (Passage #2)
Label this side “#5.”
|
10
|
Side 6
|
What you learn about the character from what
narrator/other characters say about the character. (Passage #3) Label this side “#6.”
|
10
|
Other:
|
Overall neatness, accuracy, and effort
|
5
|
Completing Your Cube
c
Pencil in your ideas on the template draft
attached.
c
Complete a notes page with three passages from
the book about your character.
c
Get your draft and notes page checked off by a
teacher by October 9.
c
Complete the cube for your book in ink and color
on cardstock-weight paper template. Turn into the wire basket FLAT.
c
Write a one-paragraph description of your
assignment and what grade you should earn on it on a separate paper.
c
Cut out and tape or glue together neatly sooner or DURING
CLASS the day it is due, October 18.
Expectations
c
Your work should reflect thorough knowledge and
understanding of your book and your chosen character.
c
Your work should be neat and creative.
c
Correctly capitalize and spell words on your
project.
Character Cube Notes Page
Book Title: _________________________________________________________________
Author:
____________________________________________________
Cube Character:
__________________________________________
Short passages from the book about your character:
Passage #1: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
from page: ______.
|
Character says/thinks
|
Passage #2:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
from page: ______.
|
Character does
|
Passage #3:
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
from page: ______.
|
Others say
|
Be very specific! Do
not use these adjectives on any face of your cubes:
awesome
bad
cool
good
happy
nice
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you would like to print a hard copy of this assignment and worksheet, go to
Click on the Download tab and open it.
___________________________________________________
Example of collected passages:
Book: Goliath (part
of the Leviathan trilogy) by Scott
Westerfeld
Character: Alek, the Prince of Austria who is in exile to
save his life
|
Passage 1: the character says/thinks – page 3 Side 4
“It was maddening.
. . . here aboard the Leviathan he was deadweight – a waste of
hydrogen, and the crew called anything useless.”
This shows that Alek is feeling useless now.
|
Passage 2: the character does --page 3 Side 5
“Two weeks ago he’d helped lead a revolution against the
Ottoman sultan, ruler of an ancient empire. The rebels had welcomed Alek’s
counsel, his piloting skills, and his gold. And together they’d won.”
This proves that Alek could be a leader, and that he had
skills (and had used his riches)
to help other people.
|
Passage 3: another character or the narrator says -- page 121 Side 6
[Deryn is a main character in the book, a commoner, a
young soldier on the Leviathan, and Alek’s best friend.]
“Typical, Deryn thought, that it took a clever scheme and a
Clanker device to lift Alek’s spirits.
But it was good to see the boy happy at last, instead of moping about
as if the world had ended.”
This tells me that Alek is moody, and sad much of the
time. Being useful makes him feel better.
|
Here are other collected passages that reveal character in a novel:
The character’s name: Jason
|
Don’t forget to include the page numbers where you find the information.
|
how the character is described by the narrator
| p. 7 "jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a black windbreaker."
p. 39 there is a tattoo on his arm -- "a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over than an eagle with the letters SPQR."
|
how the character is described by other characters
|
Piper describe him: p. 33 "Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad."
p. 7 Leo: "We go to the 'Wilderness School" . . . Which means we're "bad kids".. . .
p. 15 Coach Hedge: "You've got a powerful way with the mist, kid.. . . You smell like a half-blood."
p. 21 Dylan: "I'm glad I waited, demigod. . . . my mistress said a third was coming -- someone special. . . "
p. 33 Annabeth: "You seem to know a lot, Jason."
p. 45 Annabeth, describing all of the demigods: ". . . we're hard-wired for battle. Restless, impulsive, we don't fit in with regular kids."
p. 49 Piper thinks of Jason (at least the way she thinks it was) : "He was so nice to her and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo. . . He's accepted her for herself and didn't judge her. . . "
|
what the character does
|
p. 23 He pulls out the coin and suddenly it becomes a sword.
p. 25 . . . his instincts won. . . He ran to the railing and jumped over the side. floating in midair a hundred feet above the river. . . .27 Jason thought Up, and instantly they shot skyward.
p. 33 "He just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her."
|
what the character says and how he or she says it
|
p. 7 "I don't know who I am."
p. 30 "I'm not going anywhere with her. . . . She looks like she wants to kill me." (referring to Annabeth)
|
what the character thinks
|
p. 3 [kids on the bus] "all looked around his age. . . fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. He didn't know his own age."
p. 4 "He was sure the coach knew he didn't belong there."
p. 9 about Dylan: "Jason hated him instantly."
p. 9 about Leo: "Jason figured that if this was his best friend, his life must be pretty messed up; . . . "
p. 10 "He may not remember. . . ., but he knew he hated mean kids."
p. 12 He thinks "crazy gods," and gets a piercing pain behind his eyes. "He felt like he'd gotten close to something important -- something he should know about. He also got the unmistakable feeling that he was in danger."
p. 12-13 he wonders how he came to have the gold coin and how he knew he was going to need it soon.
p. 14 Leo asks, "you think you just appeared here this morning, and we've all got fake memories of you? " "A little voice in Jason's head said, That's exactly what I think.
p. 15 When Coach Hedge affirms that Jason doesn't belong there, Jason "was so relieved he almost wanted to cry. At least he wasn't going insane."
|
