Character Scrapbook

Students will create a digital scrapbook that showcases the viewpoint of the main character of a novel they are reading.

Engage

Scrapbooking is becoming a popular pastime. Asking students to demonstrate knowledge in this format provides them with an opportunity to express individuality and creativity in an authentic, popular format.

Have students select a recent novel they have read and focus on the main character. They should reread the story and use a double-entry journal to describe the character and main events. Students can also complete a character trait organizer to help them get a deeper understanding of the main character.

Character Trait Organizer

Create

Ask students to share their preliminary ideas for the scrapbook. The more students understand the actions, behavior, and events the main character is involved in, the easier it will be for them to create a scrapbook from the main character's point of view.

Then, share your expectations for what their scrapbook will include. You can customize the Character Scrapbook template or simply assign it to your students for them to get started.

Character Scrapbook Template

Students can add media elements to each page of the scrapbook and create navigation between the pages.

Share

Have students present their finished scrapbooks to their classmates, working with a partner to explore and evaluate the media included. Consider sharing the scrapbooks with the school librarian or media specialist or invite them in to help evaluate the final products. They may also be interested in posting student work to a station in your school's media center or library as a way to get other students interested in reading the book.

Assessment

If you require the journal entry, letters, and diary entry to be written before the structure of the project is designed, you can assess the writing even before the scrapbook is complete. The double– entry journal and character trait organizer will give insight into the direction students are heading with their project.

Assessing these items prior to any other written work can help ensure the successful completion of the project. The final scrapbook will help you assess their understanding of being able to analyze and depict the main character through multimedia elements.

Resources

Davis, Lori J. Picture Yourself Creating Digital Scrapbooks. ISBN-10: 1598634887

Kress, Nancy. Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints. ISBN-10: 1582973164

Lewis Carroll Scrapbook Collection

Standards

Common Core Anchor Standards for English Language Arts - Grade 4-12

Reading Standards

Key Ideas and Details

1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.