Reading menu Activities E n g l i s h R e a d i n g W o r k s h o p

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1 Reading menu Activities E n g l i s h R e a d i n g W o r k s h o p This handout is intended to be a resource you look at regularly in order to complete weekly reading assignments. There are multiple options available for each reading strategy, which should enable you to avoid getting board of one type of activity. Review the options for each strategy carefully before you start a reading assignment. Visualizing 5 senses chart Complete a visualization chart and provide a sketch of what imagined experience with each of your senses as you read, a quote with page number that inspired each sketch and a brief explanation (2-3 sentences MAX) of each of your 5 sketches. Scanning/digitizing your visualization chart and creating a pdf Using software like Word or Publisher to create a PDF of your chart EXTRA bonus points: Digital collage Create a PowerPoint slideshow using 5 total slides. Each slide should feature an image that visually represents what you imagined experiencing with your senses as you read it (ex: a slide about smell could use a photo of a Christmas tree to communicate what you imagined smelling as you read). In the notes section for each slide, provide a quote (with a page number) that inspired you to imagine what you did, and explain in a few sentences at most exactly what it was you experienced in your imagination as you read. creating a Windows Movie Maker or a Photo Story 3 movie that uses titles to showcase the quotes you use and explain the images you select Uploading your video to TeacherTube and creating a link to your video in your LifeWork portfolio. Predicting Crystal Ball In this activity, pretend you are a fortune teller looking into the future of one of the characters in your text. Use at least three details from the text you have read so far to create a prediction about what their future holds later on in the text. You can include a sketch of a possible outcome in the shape of a crystal ball to add some spice to this activity. Typing your crystal ball activity and creating a pdf Scanning your handwritten crystal ball and creating a pdf.

2 On the next episode of One of the key ways TV shows get people to follow a story line is to provide viewers with snippets of what might happen on the next show. Create a three frame comic strip hinting at what you think will happen next time that you read your text based on what you ve read so far. Using ComicLife to create your three frame comic strip and create a pdf Scanning your hand-drawn three frame comic strip and create a pdf. Summarizing Strategies for summarizing part of a text: Last time on Similar to On the next episode of, Last time on is a strategy we borrow from popular TV series. Typically you will see a short recap of what has happened in the main storylines of a show before a new episode begins to give the viewers an idea of context- what is going on. Your job is to create a three frame comic strip that sums up the key story points you read about today as a way to help remember what you have learned so far. Using ComicLife to create your three frame comic strip and create a pdf Scanning your hand-drawn three frame comic strip and create a pdf. Top 10 list (important ideas/events/people) This activity gets you to pick out important bits for future recall. Think of this like the way sports news shows don t show entire sports games, but pick out a few exciting or important moments from each game to help give a picture of what s happening overall in a league. Your list can be any combination of things you ve learned, things that happened and characters you met or learned something new about. Typing and formatting your top 10 list in Microsoft Word and create a pdf Scanning your handwritten top 10 list and create a pdf.

3 Strategies for summarizing a whole text: One Word Title Table of Contents Create a table of contents for your text based on the number of sections/chapters. For each chapter, select one word you feel captures the most important idea or event in the chapter. You should include a brief explanation of why you selected this word to represent the chapter. digitizing your table of contents in Microsoft Word and creating a PDF Extra bonus points for: Visual Table of Contents Like the one word table of contents, the goal of this use of summarizing is to boil a whole chapter down to a single idea. In this case, you want to boil each chapter down to ONE image. Your final product should be a series of images labeled with the chapter they represent. You should include a brief explanation of why you selected each image to represent each chapter. digitizing your table of contents in Microsoft Word and creating a PDF creating your visual table of contents as a PowerPoint show in PowerPoint creating a visual table of contents using PhotoStory 3, Animoto or Windows Movie Maker and developing a video clip Extra bonus points for: Uploading your electronic product (or a link to it) to your LifeWork portfolio. Timeline Using an 11 x 17 sheet of paper (ask me, I have some ), create a timeline of key events in your text. Your timeline should include at least 1 event from each chapter in your text. Consider creating a line graph timeline, where events can be placed somewhere above or below the line depending on how high or low the moment is in the text. digitizing your timeline with a digital camera or scanner and creating a PDF Creating your timeline using software like Inspiration or Writer s Companion and creating a PDF Extra bonus points for: Connecting text to self text to text text to world For connecting, you should select one kind of connection and dig into it instead of making a surface level connection for each type. Remember that it s critical to reference the part of the text you read that triggered your thought or idea. It s also important to ensure that you supply enough specific details about what you link to (personal experience? Another text? Something you saw on the news?) that a reader can understand what you re connecting to and HOW you came to make that connection.

4 digitizing your connection using Word or PowerPoint and publishing a PDF digitizing your connection using PhotoStory 3 and using narration to create a.wmv uploading a copy of your digitized connection to your LifeWork portfolio Activating You use this strategy BEFORE you begin reading a new text. By previewing the cover and the synopsis (brief description on the back or inside of the front cover), you should be able to identify a major theme or idea in the book. Complete one of the following activities using the main idea you pick out: KWL Use a KWL chart (Know/Want to know/learned by reading this) and complete the first two columns before you start reading to document the knowledge you already have about the topic and the ideas you re hoping to pick up some information about by reading the text you ve picked. You need to come back to this chart once you re done reading the text so you can confirm what you ve learned in the last column. creating a digital KWL using Microsoft Word or Excel creating a PDF of your KWL chart Uploading your KWL PDF to your LifeWork portfolio. Mind-map/thought web Create a diagram of what you know about a topic before you start reading. Begin by drawing a small circle in the middle of a clean page and writing the main idea you identified through previewing your text inside. Create a web of ideas by writing them around the circle and connect them with lines. creating your mind map using Inspiration 8, Writer s Companion or Open Office Draw and publishing it as a graphic file or PDF Uploading a copy of your graphic file or PDF to your LifeWork portfolio. Internal Inventory Before reading a new text, write down an idea at the top of a clean page you identify by previewing your text (looking at both covers, art/illustrations inside, reading the description on the back cover or on one of the book s leaves, reviewing the table of contents, skimming the first few pages to check for difficulty). Next, create a list of all the things you know about the idea/topic using jot notes or bullets/point form. digitizing your list using Microsoft Word and creating a PDF Creating your inventory using an Inspiration 8 outline or Writer s companion organizer and making a PDF or graphic file of your work Uploading a copy of your Internal Inventory PDF or graphic file to your LifeWork portfolio.

5 Questioning What the? Write down a quote from your text that you just don t get (including a page number), and explain exactly what it is that you re not getting. You should make a suggestion about what you think it could mean, and you should also mention three ways you could work to figure out an answer to the puzzle you ve identified. digitizing your work using Microsoft Word and creating a PDF Uploading a copy of your PDF to your LifeWork portfolio. Personal response Rage against the Machine This is your opportunity to rant and rave- to complain about something in your text that is driving you insane. Give at least three examples from the text (including quotes and page numbers) of what is pushing you over the edge, and explain the reasons for your strong reaction to the text. digitizing your rant using Word or PowerPoint and creating a PDF creating an audio version of your rant using Audacity and publishing an.mp3 of your rant creating a video version of your rant using Windows Movie Maker and publishing a.wmv of your rant Uploading a copy of your digitized rant to your LifeWork portfolio. Reading is my boyfriend This is your opportunity to rave about how much you love what you re reading. Give at least three examples from the text (including quotes and page numbers) of why you re so in love with whatever it is you re reading, and explain what lit the eternal flame of love. digitizing your rave using Word or PowerPoint and creating a PDF creating an audio version of your rave using Audacity and publishing an.mp3 creating a video version of your rave using Windows Movie Maker and publishing a.wmv Uploading a copy of your digitized rave to your LifeWork portfolio. Inferring Snapshot Create a portrait of a character (sketch, paint, draw digitally, collage, etc) in a fiction text by selecting 5 quotes from the text that contain hints as to the physical appearance of the character you ve chosen. Your response should include all 5 quotes from the text with page numbers, your artistic representation of the character and a few comments from you justifying your interpretation of what they look like.

6 digitizing your hand-drawn snapshot a scanner and creating a PDF or graphic file creating a digital snapshot using Paint, Paint.Net or a photo editing tool of your choice and publishing a graphic file or PDF creating a model/sculpture and shooting a digital photo or a video clip with narration Uploading a copy of your digitized snapshot to your LifeWork portfolio. Born to be Select a character from your text (fiction or non-fiction) and pick a real life person you think they closely resemble physically or by way of personality. Create a list of at least 5 things they have in common (use quotes from the text, with page numbers, to support your ideas), as well as a list of things that set them apart. Including a picture of the character from your text AND a photo/image of the real life person you compare them to Digitizing your comparison using Word or PowerPoint and publishing a PDF Uploading a copy of your digitized comparison to your LifeWork portfolio Psychotherapist Select an action taken by someone in the text you are reading (you should write out the extended quote where it happens to begin this activity at the top of your page, along with the page number{s}), and take on the role of that person s psychotherapist. Provide a detailed explanation of why the person behaved they way they did- you should provide at least three unique reasons in support of your diagnosis. Digitizing your therapy notes using Word or PowerPoint and publishing a PDF Creating a video skit where you offer your patient advice and publishing a.wmv with Windows Movie Maker Uploading a copy of your digitized therapy session to your LifeWork portfolio Word solving Use a word solving block to document your work to learn a new word and integrate it into your personal vocabulary for future use. Creating a digital block using Word and publishing a PDF Digitizing your handwritten block using a scanner or camera and publishing a graphic file Uploading a copy of your digital block to your LifeWork portfolio