Thursday, October 11, 2007

Grade Six Frindle Project for Language Arts

Frindle Final Projects - Choose ONE task for presentation. Due October 30/2007

The following assignments were selected after a thorough examination of all the students’ learning styles. For our classroom's Frindle Final Project, I chose projects that were voted the most popular amongst the students. The students' main interests were with projects that contained an artistic or 3-D/ involving assembly) component. Our next novel, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh will provide a more in-depth, student-directed final project.

BACKGROUND

Here are the assignments for the students’ Frindle Novel Study Project: All projects are due on October 30 2007.

Please have your child do most of the work. I know some eager and creative parents are dying to offer some advice... And YES, your child is more than welcome to accept your ideas - parents generally come up with great ideas and/or creative solutions.

However, when marking, I am keenly aware of students who received EXTRA PARENTAL HELP (A good thing) as opposed to students who received NO EXTRA HELP from their family. Students who received NO assistance will be graded using a separate set of criteria. Not all of us are blessed with amazing parents who offer great ideas and assistance.

(For example, I know a teacher who gets home around 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. each evening, briefly acknowledges her darling son (whose mouth is forming some words about needing 'help with his math homework') only to receive a blank stare from his mom, which translates to: “What? Huh? Who? Me?!" This poor boy does all of his assignments on his own as his Mom - who is also a teacher - named Mrs. A. - Whoops! Now how did my son's homework predicament get in here?

ASSIGNMENTS OFFERED

1. A photo album summary

You will submit a photo album with photographs detailing the events that occurred in Frindle. You may have to ask other friends to assist you with your scene set ups.

• Photo 1 may have Nick and Janet outside discovering a pen (with the caption - “Nick thinks of the word Frindle” mod podged onto the picture.)

• Your could have a picture of the outside of a store with some children lined up getting ready to ask for a ‘frindle’ Make sure to add some context.

2. Story Quilt:

Using 22 cm by 22 cm (9" X 9" or 10" X 10") square pieces of paper - illustrate, paint, or draw 9 important events from the book, Frindle. Later, the squares will be mounted on a piece of construction paper to look like a quilt. Be sure to design and colour each piece differently.

3. Create a diorama

Take a shoe box and create a miniature scene of Nick’s adventures with his ‘frindle’. Ideas could be:

• diorama of Nick sitting n Granger's classroom (with her dictionary) signing the note

• Nick on the Conan O'Brien Set showing his frindle and the dictionary it has been published in

• Show Nick and friends lined up in the store to purchase a frindle.

• If you can think of another time (that centers around the pen - then feel free to create the scene.)

4. Draw a poster

Your full sized poster must give a summary about the story without giving the ending away! It must make the reader want to go and buy the book because they read your poster.

• Throw in some rave book reviews from other newspapers ie: Two thumbs up from the New York Times Have the poster brightly drawn with a couple of scenes from the book illustrated (Flet Pens stand out). Above all, Make the pictures relevant to Frindle.

5. Design a boardgame that is relevant to the book.

• Your game pieces should be mini pens, books, glasses, etc. and you need to provide dice and cards (if needed)

• The boards should not be too big (try not to exceed a half metre in length (if rectangular).

• Boards should have rewards for Nick winning the word war, ie: Move forward three spaces)

• Or go back two spaces for whenever Granger makes a good counterpoint.

Have a great, imaginative name for your Game Board.

6. Comic Series

Design a cartoon detailing nine important events from the book.

• You may exceed 9 but not 12 squares for each cartoon event.

• Each square will be approximately 7cm X12 cm.

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