Focus: post-reading activity
Name: Cover Artist
Rationale: This activity will help students really think about the important themes and characters in the novel. This activity will also help students critically analyze the importance of a book cover and dust jacket. Students will get to showcase what they think is important to understand about the novel.
Procedure: After completing a unit with a novel you can end the novel with a fun reflective activity. The teacher should have the students discuss what they liked and didn't like about the novel's cover. It would also be beneficial to show other book covers of the novel if available so students can compare. After the discussion students should reflect on what they want the audience to see and know about the novel before reading. The teacher should have the students work on reconstructing a new cover for the novel with what elements they found important. It would also be a nice piece to have students create a dust jacket for their novel cover and discuss how the students would summarize the novel to appeal to a wide audience. There could also be a technology component to this activity. On NCTE website they have a online book cover creator.
Citation: Fink, Lisa. Read. Write. Think. http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/book-report-alternative-creating-b-972.html. 13 October 2010.
Rational for use: I really appreciate that this activity gives the students agency over their opinion and how they think the novel should be represented. It also leaves an opportunity to discuss the origin and indication of the phrase, "You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover." The students could be introduced to marketing concepts and a lesson plan could be designed around what books are marketed to what people as a way of getting students to think critically about what they read and why. Lastly, it allows students to reflect over a novel in a tactile, creative way.
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