Ideas for Shakespeare.
Try creating your own cartoon versions of the plays.
This task offers you a chance to learn more about character and setting by looking at
Ophelia’s scenes in Act Four of Hamlet. You should look at the scene as a script. You
will examine stage directions, from the Sothern/Marlowe promptbook (the circa 1911
record of a famous production of the play), and modern film versions of the scene,
focusing throughout on the way actors and directors use space to create meaning. You
will acquire a greater understanding of the scene in the text and in production.
1. Have a look at the Ophelia scene from the Sothern/Marlowe promptbook.
Then compare this with the modern version of Hamlet 4.5 looking where lines
have been cut or transposed.
2. You should also look closely at the stage directions and think about the
interpretation of character that these directions imply. For example, what does
it mean that Ophelia is dressed in white? How does having her stand centre
stage change the scene?
3. Now decide how you direct the scene. You should use the text and create your
own set of stage directions, costume props and scenery. You can present your
ideas as you wish. You could even make a scale model!
1. Locate at least three different film versions of Hamlet. The Olivier 1948 black and
white film, Branagh’s 1996 version and also the Ethan Hawke production. (2000) are
excellent choices. Watch the Ophelia mad scene in each film. Begin with the Olivier
film and proceed to the most recent version.
2. As you watch each clip, you should take careful notes, paying particular attention
to the staging elements that they focused on with the promptbook and their own
performances. Examine textual cuts and visual elements such as costumes, scenery,
and lighting. In particular, you should be aware of how space is used. What blocking
choices are made? What kind of physical movement do the actors have? How do the
camera angles frame the actors in performance space? At the conclusion of each clip,
report these findings as you wish. For example, you could compare and contrast as a
report or an essay style.
4. After you’ve watched all the clips, think about the impact of the films on the
viewer’s understanding of the scene. Do you have new ideas about Ophelia’s
character?
5. Also examine the historical perspectives of the film. What part does the period
in which the film was made play in the interpretation of Ophelia’s character?
How does it affect what the viewer sees? Are different versions of Ophelia
dependent on different time periods' views of women and madness?
Again, you are free to report your findings as you wish.
Stage Directions:
A. THREE DIRECTIONS FOR OPHELIA’S ENTRANCE, HAMLET 4.5
“Enter Ofelia playing on a Lute, and her haire downe singing.”
Hamlet Quarto 1, 1603
“Enter Ophelia, distracted.”
First Folio, 1623
“The lowered mirrored door to OPHELIA’S ‘cell’ is opened and she now lies on the
floor. She pushes her squashed face along the floor, unable to get up, still in the
straitjacket”
Screenplay—Kenneth Branagh Hamlet, 1996
B. STAGE DIRECTIONS:
A stage is divided into two major playing areas or directions—upstage and
downstage. Away from the audience is considered upstage (U); towards the
audience is downstage (D).
The stage is further divided up into Left (L), Center (C), and Right (R), with the
directions corresponding to the actor standing on stage’s point of view. The stage
can therefore be divided up into fifteen playing areas:
Up Left (UL) Up Left Center (ULC)
Up Center (UC) Up Right Center (URC)
Up Right (UR)
Left (L) Left Center (LC) Center (C) Right Center (RC)
Right (R) Down Left (DL) Down Left Center (DLC)
Down Center (DC)
Down Right Center (DRC)
Down Right (DR)
* * * * * AUDIENCE * * * * *
Directors use the shorthand listed on the chart to indicate where actors move on
stage; deciding and recording where an actor moves on stage is called blocking. For
example, if a director wanted an actor to enter up right and walk or cross down left
centre, the shorthand symbols for the stage directions would look like: Enter UR X
DL.
Translate the following stage directions:
Enter L X URC X DL
X C X ULC X UR X DC
Enter DR X UL Exit L
Enter UL X DLC X UC X DR Exit
Promptbooks
The seven pages that appear here come from a memorial promptbook. It celebrates
and records a production after it is over and includes blocking, detailed
notes, drawings of costumes or scenery, and/or photographs of the production.
This memorial promptbook was made by the actor Lark Taylor, circa 1911, and
records the Southern/Marlowe production of Hamlet that was directed by Charles
Frohman and toured the United States and England during 1901 to 1911. Taylor
played Polonius, Guildenstern, and Claudius at different times during the ten years of
the tour. The promptbook, stamped “King Claudius Prompt Book” on the spine,
includes, in Taylor’s words, “Sevral [sic] amusing anecdotes of an intimate nature not
possible to obtain from any other source.” The famous Shakespearean actor E. H.
Sothern played Hamlet; another famous actor Julia Marlowe played Ophelia for much
of the tour. Ophelia’s mad scenes occur in the first scene of Act Four in E.
H.Sothern’s acting edition, which was the text for the Sothern/Marlowe tour of
Hamlet. Lark Taylor’s handwriting is often difficult to read, particularly when you try to
read the image on a computer screen rather than in the original promptbook.
Transcriptions of some of the longer notes and their location in the text
are offered below. These notes are transcribed with the spelling and punctuation that
appeared in the original. Question marks indicate an educated guess as to the word
and spelling when the handwriting proves too difficult to decipher.
Ophelia is dressed in long white robe—Marlowe wore a stone raw [?] crepe-dechine.—which took off the glare of white. with some weeds—wild-flowers and leaves
in her hair.—which hung in disarry [sic] about her shoulders.—
(opposite page 97)
Ophelia gives piercing scream off R.—Rushes on to Center. as tho [sic] terrified—
stands looking at Laertes—vacantly—smiling.—she has her dress gathered up—and
filled with flowers—and weeds—
(opposite page 101)
Oph. walks slowly down C. as she sings.—
(top, page 102)
She takes any flower from dress—and offers them to imaginary persons.—letting
them fall to floor— (bottom, page 102)
When she gets to C. arch—she looks wildly about.—gives wild shriek—which goes in
to insane laughter—she rushes out L. upper. laughing wildly.—
+—King motions Queen to follow after Ophelia—Laertes has buried face in hands in
grief.—
King approaches him after Queen’s exit.
(opposite page 103)
One final note—although this doesn’t indicate much about blocking in the scene, Lark
Taylor includes an amusing anecdote about the scene in production:
During this scene one night in Brooklyn—when playing King Claudius—I was taken
violently ill with nausea - - I had to leave the stage twice while the scene was in
progress—and come back—I faked it—as tho [sic] I was going out to look for an
expected attendant—and I am quite certain the audience never knew the
difference.—E.H. was quite alarmed—and had me come into his room and dosed me
with medicine. He has remedies for all ills.— Virginia Hammond [?] was playing
Ophelia—and it happened that Julia Marlowe was in the audience at this
performance—and she didn’t notice anything wrong with me—or the
scene—and said she thot [sic] I gave a very good performance of Claudius.
(opposite page 99)
Further activities:
1. Investigate the careers and influence of both E. H. Sothern (1859-1933) and Julia
Marlowe
(1866-1950).
2. Ask your school drama teacher, or local community or professional theater
company if you can look at some of their promptbooks and note the difference
between a working promptbook and a memorial one.
3. After you have spent some time with promptbooks, look at screenplays to discover
how a whole different vocabulary of terms describing film production and actors’
movements needs to be recorded in a film script.
4. Direct a scene and create your own promptbook.
References:
Branagh, Kenneth. Screenplay. Hamlet: By William Shakespeare. New York: Norton,
1996.
The First Folio of Shakespeare, 1623.
Hamlet: A Tragedy. The E. H. Sothern acting version. New York: McClure, Phillips,
1903. A
Memorial Promptbook with notes by Lark Taylor, ca. 1911.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, 1603.
Films:
Branagh, Kenneth, dir. Hamlet. Columbia Tristar, 1996.
Olivier, Laurence, dir. Hamlet. Samuel Goldwyn, 1948.
Zefirelli, Franco, dir. Hamlet. Warner, 1990.
Why not have a go at transforming a text?
Have a read of the following extract from "There's No Plays Like Home". This is a
dramatic retelling of the Wizard of Oz story told entirely with lines from Shakespeare.
It was written by Heather Bouley, an American student in 2000–01. She used online
resources to identify Shakespearean lines relating to the Oz story. Why not have a go
yourself with a well-known fairy tale or modern story?
THERE’S NO PLAYS LIKE HOME
BY HEATHER BOULEY
Human
Tornado,
Dorothy,
Toto,
and
trees
enter.
Tornado: Here’s neither bush nor shrub, to bear off any weather at all, and
another storm brewing; I hear it sing i’the wind: yond same black cloud, yond
huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor. If it should
thunder as it did before…
Dorothy: I know not where to hide my head: yond same cloud cannot choose
but fall by pailfulls. Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to creep
under his gaberdine; there is no other shelter hereabouts: I will here shroud till
the dregs of the storm be past.
(The
Tempest)
Tornado
exits.
Fairy
enters
from
stage
right,
unnoticed
by
Dorothy.
Elves
enter
and
hide
behind
the
trees.
What country, friends is this? (Twelfth
Night) How silent is this town! Dorothy
notices
fairy.
What may you be? Are you of good or evil?
Fairy: Good. (Othello)
Dorothy: For this relief much thanks. (Hamlet) Gentle girl, assist me; and
even in kind love I do conjure thee, to lesson me and tell me some good
mean, how, with my honor, I may undertake a journey.
Fairy: Alas, the way is wearisome and long!
Dorothy: A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary to measure kingdoms with his
feeble steps. (The
Two
Gentlemen
of
Verona)
Fairy: I pray you, tarry: pause a day or two before you hazard; for, in choosing
wrong, I lose your company: therefore forebear awhile. There’s something that
tells me, but it is not love, I would not lose you; and you know yourself, hate
counsels not in such a quality. But lest you should not understand me well and
yet a maiden hath no tongue but thought, I would detain you here some month
or two before you venture. I could teach you how to choose right. (The
Merchant
of
Venice)
Dorothy: My fairy lord, this must be done with haste. (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream)
Fairy: Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, should, without eyes, see
pathways to his will! (Romeo
and
Juliet)
Elves, come here anon. All elves for fear creep in to acorncups and hide them
there.
Elves
come
out
from
behind
trees.
Elf
1:
You spotted snakes with double tongue, thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
newts and blind-worms, do no wrong, come not near our fairy queen.
All Elves: Philomel, with melody sing in our sweet lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby,
lulla, lulla, lullaby.
Elf 2: Never harm, nor spell nor charm, come our lovely lady nigh; so, good
night, with lullaby. (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream)
Fairy: All is well! Do not fear our person: There's such divinity doth hedge a
king, that treason can but peep to what it would, acts little of his will. (Hamlet)
Dorothy: I must perforce. (King
Richard
III)
Elf 3: Go tread the path that thou shalt ne’er return. (Titus
Andronicus) A
speedier course than lingering languishment must we pursue.
Yellow
Brick
Road
Enters.
Dorothy: And I have found the path.
Road: The forest walks are wide and spacious; and many unfrequented plots
there are. I’ll lead you about around, through bog, through bush, through
brake, through brier.
Fairy: You have shoes with nimble soles. Those be rubies, fairy favors, in
those freckles live their savors: I must go seek some dewdrops here and hang
a pearl in every cowslip’s ear. Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I’ll be gone. (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream)
Well, go thy way.
Dorothy: Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again!
Scarecrow
enters
stage
left
and
posses.
Fairy
and
Elves
exit.
Road
leads
Dorothy
and
Toto
to
Scarecrow,
then
steps
to
the
back
of
the
scene.
Scarecrow: A word I pray you. A word I pray you! (Macbeth)
Dorothy
helps
the
scarecrow
“down.”
Dorothy
now
recalls
the
story
from
the
past.
Dorothy: A fool, a fool! I met a fool i’ the forest, a motley fool; a miserable
world! As I do live by food, I met a fool who laid him down and basked him in
the sun, and rail’d on Lady Fortune in good terms, in good set terms and yet a
motley fool. ‘Good morrow, fool’ quoth I.
Scarecrow: No, sir,
Dorothy: Quoth he,
Scarecrow: Call me not fool till heaven hath sent me fortune.
Dorothy: And then he drew a dial from his poke, and looking on it with lacklustre eye, says very wisely,
Scarecrow: It is ten o’clock: thus we may see
Dorothy: Quoth he
Scarecrow: How the world wags: tis but an hour ago since it was nine, and
after one hour more ‘twill be eleven; and so, from hour to hour, we ripe and
ripe, and then from hour to hour, we rot and rot; and thereby hangs a tale.
Dorothy: When I did hear the motley fool thus moral on the time, my lungs
began to crow like chanticleer, that fools should be so deep-contemplative,
and I did laugh sans intermission an hour by his dial. O noble fool! O worthy
fool! Motley’s the only wear.
(As You
Like
It
)
Back
in
the
present.
Scarecrow: Give me your favor—my dull brain was wrought with things
forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains are register’d where every day I turn the
leaf to read them. Let us toward the king. (Macbeth)
Tinman
enters
stage
right.
The
Road
leads
them
stage
right
and
goes
around
the
Tinman
to
be
in
back
of
the
scene
again.
Scarecrow
runs
into
the
Tinman.
Tinman: Although I hate her, I’ll not harm her so.
Dorothy: What! Can you do me greater harm than hate? Hate me!
Wherefore? O me!
What news, my love!
Tinman: Ay, by my life; therefore be out of hope, of question, doubt, be
certain, nothing truer, ‘tis no jest that I do hate thee.
Dorothy: O me! You juggler! You cankerblossom! You thief of love! (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream) change
of
attitude
Or are you like the painting of a
sorrow, a face
without a heart? (Hamlet)
Tinman: I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity of the
whole body. Bring me where they are. (Macbeth)
Dorothy: The course of true love never did run smooth. Away! (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream)
To
scarecrow
or
audience
I shall observe him with all care and love. (2
Henry
IV)
Lion
enters
stage
left.The
Road
leads
them
around
until
the
Lion
is
noticed.
Many lives stand between me and home; and I,--like one lost in a thorny
wood, that rends the thorns and is rent with the thorns, seeking a way and
straying from the way; not knowing how to find the open air, but toiling
desperately to find it out,--torment myself and from that torment I will free
myself……(3
Henry
VI) They
see
the
lion
up
ahead.
Scarecrow: Ho, ho, ho, ho! Coward, why com’st thou not? Here come noble
beasts in, a lion!
Lion: You, ladies, you whose gentle hearts do fear the smallest monstrous
mouse that creeps on floor, may now perchance both quake and tremble
here, when lion rough in wildest rage doth roar. Then know that I, one Snug
the joiner, am a lion-fell, nor else no lion’s dam; for if I should as lion come in
strife into this place, ‘twere pity on my life.
Scarecrow: A very gentle beast, of good conscience.
Tinman: The very best at a beast my lord, that e’er I saw.
Dorothy: This lion is very fox for his valor.
Scarecrow: True; and a goose for his discretion.
Tinman: Not so, my lord; for his valor cannot carry his discretion; and the fox
carries the goose.
Scarecrow: His discretion, I am sure, cannot carry his valor; for the goose
carries not
the fox. It is well: leave it to his discretion. (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream)
Lion: But I have none: the King-becoming graces as justice, verity,
temperance, stableness, bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, devotion,
patience, COURAGE, fortitude, I have no relish of them! (Macbeth)
Lion: I’ll follow thee and make a heaven of hell. (A
Midsummer
Night’s
Dream)
Dorothy
takes
his
arm
and
they
all
skip
off
stage
left
with
the
Road
leading.
Dorothy: How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world that has such
people in it!
(The
Tempest)
Imagery
The Statue of Liberty is an image. Not pictures of the statue. The actual figure on its
pedestal on an island. It shows up in every movie about European immigrants to the
US who come on ships.
Why do I say it's an image? It's mimetic. That is, an artificial imitation of reality. The
statue represents a woman in flowing robes holding up a torch. You've got the folds
and billows in her dress. You've got the crown with the little tourist windows. You've
got the shiny surface on the flame to reflect light as if it were flame.
Of course, we don't confuse the statue with a real woman. Because women are only
sometimes that tall, usually in 1950s black-and-white sci-fi B movies obsessed with
radiation mutation.
An image in a poem is much the same thing. A linguistic imitation of reality. Here's a
famous poem by Ezra Pound, called "In a Station of the Metro":
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
The second line of this brief poem is all image. We can imagine, we can see in our
mind's eye the flower's stark contrast with the branch. Perhaps it has grown there.
Perhaps it was blown there by the storm. All of these add to the ambience (and
meaning) of the poem.
Images are always sensory. They ground the poem's themes and ideas in real things.
Wallace Stevens said, "Not ideas about the thing but the thing itself." William Carlos
Williams said, "No ideas but in things."
Williams, here's his famous poem "The Red Wheelbarrow":
so much depends
upon
the red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
Except for the first stanza, that's nothing but image. Nothing but image. Williams and
Pound and other influential poets of their time joined together in a movement called
Imagism.
Images draw the reader into your poem. By sharing your own perception and
articulation of the sensory and sensual, you invite the reader to perceive too. The
reader connects with you because of course she is also an image maker. All of us are,
in our heads.
Remember, images may involve smells, tastes, tactile sensations, sounds heard, and
not only things seen.
Another thing to remember about imagery is that the image needs to be particular and
specific. Don't just say tree; say aspen or oak or banyan. Don't just say bird, say
toucan. When you say toucan, you actually help to set the scene because toucans live
only in jungle (or zoos, unfortunately). Be clear, be specific, be detailed.
If you describe something fully and memorably, the reader will imagine your image
but she will also remember something similar from her own experience, and that will
enliven her mind's version of your image.
If you describe something vaguely and forgettably, with the intent that the reader be
given the freedom to imagine as she will, that memory spark won't fire and instead
you'll have mush, both on the page and in the reader's mind.
The reader will turn from your poem.
Now something else, a related topic: simile, metaphor, and symbol.
Here's a sentence: "Her umbrella was like a zebra." What does that make you think
of? Well, maybe the canopy of this umbrella is striped black and white in that
swooshing zebra way. Of course, that's a simile. Note the word like. That word ties
together the two ideas (umbrella and zebra) and demands that we see them as
somehow interlinked.
Here's another sentence: "Her umbrella was a zebra." Better yet, "In the downpour,
her umbrella was a zebra leaping among its black and tan sisters in the town square."
I've tweaked the sentence to dramatize how this metaphor (note: no like) makes us see
the umbrella as a zebra. And the kicker is the image: "leaping among ... black and
tan."
Before we go further, let me give you some terms: the vehicle is the word or phrase
which carries the "secret" meaning (in this case, "umbrella"); the tenor is the meaning
(hence, "zebra leaping").
Pound's "In a Station of the Metro" is metaphoric. The qualities of the faces and the
petals are transferred back and forth to each other.
Now on to symbol. Let's go back to the Statue of Liberty. Yes, it's an image. If you
write about the statue in a poem, that would be an image too. But the Statue is also a
symbol -- in other words a metaphor whose tenor is something large and collective.
The statue is the vehicle and it signals to Americans this tenor: our pride in the U.S.
affording shelter and freedom to the oppressed and unwanted. That's a public symbol.
In poetry, we find public symbols too (the flag, the cross, the Star of David), but there
are also private symbols -- those which mean worlds to the poet and which are
intended to mean worlds (though maybe other ones) to the reader.
But no matter whether public or private symbol, whether metaphor or simile, the basic
element -- the image -- won't work unless you invest it with electricity, with lightning.
The image has got to crackle and it does that only if you use vivid, specific, and
appropriate detail.
One poetic form which relies on this dictum is the haiku. "In a Station of the Metro"
is, in Pound's own words, "haiku-like."
The haiku is a Japanese form which, in English, has three lines composed of five
syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables. It is always based on a single image. The
haiku poet typically evokes a single season, say "spring" or "winter," and the details
often focus on nature, at least in traditional examples.
The punchline is this: the reader is supposed to experience a kind of epiphany from
the haiku. As Emily Dickinson said, "I know it is poetry if I feel as if the top of my
head has come off." To use 60's slang, the haiku blows your mind! Through its
intense compression and compactness, the haiku liberates the mind into larger
meaning.
Here's an example of a Japanese haiku from the 1700s, by Taniguchi Buson:
The piercing chill I feel:
my dead wife's comb, in our bedroom,
under my heel . . .
I'll let you work out your own response to this, but let me say that it seems to me the
haiku alludes to winter, pain, death, and fear of ghosts, but more importantly to love,
sorrow, and transcendence over death. What do you think? Pretty cool stuff. And it all
depends on image: "piercing" and "under my heel." That last phrase is sensory,
connecting with the tactile. Ouch.
There's a TV ad which says, "Image is nothing. Thirst is everything." Poetry is
completely opposite: image is everything.
kay, so let me begin again by first defining form. In poetry, this refers to shape or
structure without regard (necessarily) to content.
It's important to understand that all poems have form. Even a free-verse poem has
form -- it's just that it invents its own form as it goes. This is why contemporary
scholars of poetry have begun to use "open form" instead of "free verse," to
acknowledge that free verse also has form.
By extension, then, poems in inherited forms and meters have come to be called
"closed forms" -- a term I don't particularly like. Just as "free verse" implies
formlessness too much, "closed forms" suggests that inherited forms and meters are
somehow hermetic, unchanging and unchangeable. Nothing could be less true.
During the 1980s, a group of poets -- including Molly Peacock, Brad Leithauser,
Dana Gioia, Marilyn Hacker, among others -- were banding together (or being
branded together) as so-called New Formalists. What they were (and are) up to is
redefining formal verse, updating it for our times.
The odd thing that happened was that free-verse poets, who were of course in the
majority at that time, began to label the New Formalists as Reaganites, as
ultraconservatives, as if somehow the choice to use forms indicated political party
affiliation. At the same time, the New Formalists felt themselves to be avant garde,
and that writing in forms was the hip new thing.
Thankfully, this controversy has pretty much faded, and poets now have carte blanche
to choose free verse or formal verse, open form or closed forms.
Here's an example of a free-verse poem, "Eating Poetry" by Mark Strand:
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.
The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.
Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.
I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.
Notice that this is in tercets but there is no preset meter; also external rhymes occur
only rarely. But notice how endstopped the lines are; in fact, there is a comma or a
period after each line except one. So we can see that it is mainly syntax (sentence
structure, if you don't know that term) which governs Strand's lineation. Even the
single line without ending punctuation is not enjambed since it's also a full sentence
by itself.
What we might notice though is that the lines come in widely varying lengths. One
might say that Strand balances variant line lengths against the predictability of tercets
to advance the central opposition between the speaker's spontaneous effervescence
and the librarian's repressive fussiness. So the form invented for this poem aids us in
the understanding of content, conflict, and narrative.
Now here's an example of a poem in an inherited form, "Just Like a 6 Month Old
Child" by my former student Amy Kunst (she wrote it in a beginning poetry class):
Grandma is 91 today.
She has a toothless smile
That makes me look away.
She wears a pink gingham dress.
She has a toothless smile
Just like a 6 month old child.
She wears her pink gingham dress
Covered with a clear plastic bib.
Just like a 6 month old child
She sits in a special chair
Covered with a clear plastic bib
Waiting for someone to feed her.
She sits in a special chair.
I look at her and want to cry
As she waits for me to feed her.
I am the only volunteer.
I look at her and want to cry.
I listen to her grown children whisper,
"Thank God, Susan volunteered."
She holds her head up high.
As I listen to her grown children whisper,
I feel like screaming, "She's not deaf!"
She holds her head up high
As I begin to feed her.
I feel like whispering to her (she's not deaf),
"Remember when you fed them?"
As I begin to feed her
She squeezes my hand and smiles.
"Remember when you fed them?"
Now they look away.
She squeezes my hand and smiles.
My grandma is 91 today.
Repetition, however, is perhaps the most basic idea in poetics. There are all sorts of
repetition: the repetition of rhythmic elements (meter); the repetition of sounds
(rhyme, etc.); the repetition of syntactic elements (often a lineation device in open
form); the repetition of stanzas (terza rima, for example), and so on.
There is the repetition of specific forms to create tradition. As poets innovate the
tradition, the consistent element is the repetition of form, sometimes with small
changes in technique.
Here's what repetition does in poetry: it sets up expectations which are either fulfilled
for the reader or frustrated (and often both fulfilled and frustrated).
For example, when the first line of a poem is in iambic pentameter, we expect this
metric pattern to continue. As the poet introduces variations, replacing iambs with
other feet, we as readers experience a mixture of tension and pleasure in the variety.
Thus repetition (and the lack of it) gives a poem texture and interest.
Repetition also amplifies and intersects with sense. Remember, for example,
Gwendolyn's famous poem:
WE REAL COOL
The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
The repetition of the word "We" is originally planted at the start of both the title and
the first line. This repetition is intensified by the memorable enjambment in lines 1-7,
with "We" causing a breathy kind of suspense at each line break. Thus we have the
fulfillment of expectation, right?
And then the "We" repetition is suddenly and rudely cut off in line 8 -- hence the
frustration of expectation. The missing "We" at the end of the poem dramatizes
through sound (or, more precisely, the lack of sound) the bitter loss of these young
men who, the poem implies, have wasted their all-too-brief lives.
Simile and Metaphor
Figurative language is a tool that an author employs (or uses) to help the
reader visualize (or see) what is happening in a story or poem. Some
common types of figurative language are: simile, metaphor, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, idiom, puns, and sensory language. Below are some ways to
introduce these concepts to your class and some activities. There are also
links to other sites for more help.
Resources
The idea bank for thousands of similes
THE SIMILE
A simile is a comparison using like or as. It usually compares two dissimilar objects.
For example: His feet were as big as boats. We are comparing the size of feet to
boats.
Using the poem below underline all of the similes. Decide which items are being
compared.
(Simile)
Willow and Ginkgo
Eve Merriam
The willow is like an etching,
Fine-lined against the sky.
The ginkgo is like a crude sketch,
Hardly worthy to be signed.
The willow’s music is like a soprano,
Delicate and thin.
The ginkgo’s tune is like a chorus
With everyone joining in.
The willow is sleek as a velvet-nosed calf;
The ginkgo is leathery as an old bull.
The willow’s branches are like silken thread;
The ginkgo’s like stubby rough wool.
The willow is like a nymph with streaming hair;
Wherever it grows, there is green and gold and fair.
The willow dips to the water,
Protected and precious, like the king’s favorite daughter.
The ginkgo forces its way through gray concrete;
Like a city child, it grows up in the street.
Thrust against the metal sky,
Somehow it survives and even thrives.
My eyes feast upon the willow,
But my heart goes to the ginkgo.
THE METAPHOR
A metaphor states that one thing is something else. It is a comparison, but it does
NOT use like or as to make the comparison.
For example: Her hair is silk. The sentence is comparing (or stating) that hair is silk.
Take a piece of blank white paper and fold it into fourths. In one block,
write a simile and illustrate it. In the block immediately to the right, write
the same sentence as a metaphor. Do the same for the other two blocks.
NAME ____________________
Identifying Similes and Metaphors
Poetry Worksheet #1
Decide whether each sentence contains a simile or a metaphor. Write the word
SIMILE if the sentence contains a simile. Write the word METAPHOR if the
sentence contains a metaphor.
1. The baby was like an octopus, grabbing at all the cans on the grocery store shelves.
2. As the teacher entered the room she muttered under her breath, "This class is like a
three-ring circus!"
3. The giant’s steps were thunder as he ran toward Jack.
4. The pillow was a cloud when I put my head upon it after a long day.
5. I feel like a limp dishrag.
6. Those girls are like two peas in a pod.
7. The fluorescent light was the sun during our test.
8. No one invites Harold to parties because he’s a wet blanket.
9. The bar of soap was a slippery eel during the dog’s bath.
10. Ted was as nervous as a cat with a long tail in a room full of rocking chairs.
NAME ____________________
Identifying The Words and Meaning of Metaphors and
Simile
Poetry Worksheet #2
On your own paper or the computer's word processor, find the metaphor and write it
down, and write the words being compared on your paper. Write the meaning of the
simile or metaphor based on the context of the sentence.
1. The baby was like an octopus, grabbing at all the cans on the grocery store shelves.
2. As the teacher entered the room she muttered under her breath, "This class is like a
three-ring circus!"
3. The giant’s steps were thunder as he ran toward Jack.
4. The pillow was a cloud when I put my head upon it after a long day.
5. I feel like a limp dishrag.
6. Those girls are like two peas in a pod.
7. The fluorescent light was the sun during our test.
8. No one invites Harold to parties because he’s a wet blanket.
9. The bar of soap was a slippery eel during the dog’s bath.
10. Ted was as nervous as a cat with a long tail in a room full of rocking chairs.
Links to Chinua achebe- Further understanding read his Things fall aprt study Yeats
“Things Fall Apart” the inspiration for Achebe
1. Make a diorama. Take any old box you have around and build a scene from the
book. Use toys, clay, grass, dirt, whatever is handy to build the scenery, and of course,
draw or paint the background. Then write a short paragraph or two or three telling
about this scene.
2. Turn the book, or part of the book into a puppet show. Make the puppets yourself,
use ones you have, or use dolls. (See my article on raising kids who love to read for
inexpensive ideas on puppets and theaters.) Write a script and enlist helpers. Then put
on the show for family and friends. Don't forget the popcorn!
3. Act out a scene from the book. Write the script and put on a show using easy
costumes or signs around the neck to identify characters.
4. Do a monologue. Pretend to be a character from the book. Tell the story. You can
do this aloud or on paper. If you pick someone other than the main character, you may
find the story looks different from your eyes than it does to the main character. After
all, the bad guy might not see himself as being so bad!
5. Scan a chapter into your computer and then make illustrations for it. Remember
that the characters need to look the same in every scene and have to wear the same
clothes unless they have changed them. After you finish, write or tell what you
learned about being an illustrator. Read some books or articles on illustrators to learn
more about their jobs.
6. Write a new ending for the story, or add an extra chapter. This is especially good if
you hated the ending. Remember, you have to use a similar style and the ending has to
make sense with the rest of the story.
7. If the story involves travel, map out the journey with illustrations of what happened
there.
8. If the story takes place in another country, learn about that country. Prepare a meal
the characters might have eaten or demonstrate some traditions.
9. Try doing a series of newspaper articles or television news stories on the book. This
is especially good for non-fiction books. You can even videotape the reports.
10. Make a mural showing scenes from the book with captions to show us what the
picture is about.
11. Do a report on the author.
12. Read several books by the same author and do a comparison and contrast. Are
their certain types of stories he likes to write? Are there lessons he likes to teach?
Does he prefer to write in first or third person?
13. Read several novels about the same characters. Did the author have the characters
grow or change throughout the books? What were they like in the first book? What
were they like in the last book? In what ways are they the same? In what ways are
they different? What events in the books caused the changes to happen?
14. Read a book about an inventor or scientist. Try doing some of their experiments or
using some of their inventions. Try creating your own experiments or making your
own inventions.
15. For older children: Try writing a child's version of a book you like. What elements
of the story will you leave out? How will you simplify the story? Be sure to decide in
advance what age you are writing for.
16. Try creating quizzes or games based on popular books. Warning: Games are really
hard. We did this a few years ago. It's hard to make a game that is not boring and that
lasts the right amount of time. We had to keep playing the games and making
changes. We also found it hard to write clear directions. It's extremely educational,
though, and interesting. You can put your quiz on flash cards. Would your library be
interested in having a copy of your game donated to them?
17. Create a web site with reviews of your favorite books. A book review is a little
different from a book report, but you can put either kind on your page.
18. Think of five things going on in your world-pollution, racism and so on, and
decide how the characters in your book would react to them. This is a way of doing a
character analysis. Remember that you have to really understand the character to be
sure this is how they would really react. Think about the way the main characters are
the same and different. They won't all have the same reaction.
19. In a variation on the last idea, read a book that takes place in the past. Pretend
your characters have found or built a time machine and come to visit you. Write a
journal of their reactions to your world. You can have several of them take turns
making entries.
20. Read a book about a place. Pretend you work for the tourism bureau of that place.
Create ads and commercials to get people to come to that place. Look at some web
sites put together by places to get ideas. How would you create a campaign for your
own city?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Summarize the book in poem form with rhyme (minimum 20 lines).
Discuss in depth the relevance of the title.
Write a letter to the author.
Use two other sources to research and write a report on an issue from the
book.
5. Write a one minute radio advertisement persuading the public why they should
buy and read this book.
6. Research and write a report on the author.
7. Q & A - Pretend you're interviewing a person from the book. Write your
interview in question and answer format.
8. Compare and contrast the book with another you have read.
9. Discuss cause and effect relationships you found in the book.
10. Write an editorial based on a controversial issue in the book.
11. Design a time-line for events in the book.
12. Write a letter to one of the characters in the book.
13. As a literary agent, write a letter to the publishing company designed to
persuade them to publish this book.
14. Create a glossary of unfamiliar words and phrases.
15. Choose your favorite passage from the book. Copy it down and discuss what
you found appealing about it.
16. Top 10 List - list ten things you learned from this book.
17. You're the reporter. Write a front page news story or a report live from the
scene.
18. Write your own test - a combination of matching, multiple choice, true/false,
short answer, and essay.
19. Journal as you go - As you're reading the book, keep a two-sided reading
journal. The left side should have quotes from the book and page numbers.
The right side should have your questions, thoughts, observations, revelations,
etc.
20. E-mail partner - Partner up with some who's reading the same book. Divide
the book into four parts. When you've read the first quarter, write a letter to
your partner about your questions, thoughts, observations, revelations, etc.
Your partner is to respond. Do the same for the next three sections of the
book. When you finish, print out your letters and responses (each partner is to
have four letters and four responses).
WRITE THE STORY IN THE BOOK FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW. Take
an entire story (or part of it) and write a version as someone else would tell it.
2.WRITE THE DIARY A MAIN CHARACTER MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN. Imagine you
are the person in your book. Write a diary for a few days or weeks as she or he
would have done.
3.WRITE A CHARACTER SKETCH OF SOMEONE IN THE BOOK. This might be
the central character or a minor supporting character in the story. Tell what he looked
like, but also include favorite color, horoscope sign, sports liked, and even a bumpersticker or a T-shirt.
4.REARRANGE A PASSAGE AS A "FOUND" POEM. Find a particularly effective
description or bit of action that is really poetry written as prose. Rewrite it. Leave out
words or skip a sentence or two, but arrange it to create a poem.
5.WRITE A PARODY OF THE BOOK. This kind of humorous imitation appeals to
many students. Parody the entire book or one scene.
6.WRITE A PROMOTION CAMPAIGN FOR A MOVIE ABOUT THE BOOK. This
could include newspaper ad layouts, radio and television commercials, and any
special events.
7.WRITE A LETTER TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK. While authors may not have
time to respond to each letter they receive, they do enjoy letters from their readers especially those that discuss the books in the reader's own terms. Send letters in
care of the book publishers if you cannot locate the author's address in Who's Who,
Current Biography, or other reference sources.
8.PUT TOGETHER A CAST FOR THE FILM VERSION OF A BOOK. Imagine the
director-producer wants a casting director to make recommendations. Decide who
would be the actors and actresses. Include photos and descriptions of the stars and
tell why each is "perfect" for the part. Write a report to convince the producer of the
selections.
9.WRITE A REPORT OF RELATED INFORMATION ABOUT ONE TOPIC OR
PERSON IN THE BOOK. For example, research information about the trial of
Benedict Arnold, how the covered wagons traveled, fishing off a particular island, and
so on.
91 Ways to Respond to a Book
10.MAKE A NEW BOOK JACKET. It should include an attractive picture or cover
design, an original summary of the book, information on the author and illustrator,
and information about other books by the author.
11.CONVERT A BOOK TO A RADIO DRAMA. Give a live or taped version about the
story - or a scene from it - as a radio play. Include an announcer and sound effects.
12.DO A DRAMATIC READING (READER'S THEATER) OF A SCENE. Select the
scene and ask friends to help read it dramatically.
13.CONVERT A BOOK INTO A PUPPET SHOW. Make simple puppets (stick
puppets, finger puppets, paper bag puppets, and so on) or complex puppets
(marionettes) and present the story or an exciting scene from it.
14.DO A "YOU ARE THERE" news program reporting on a particular scene,
character, or event in the book.
15.WRITE AND STAGE A TELEVISION SERIES EPISODE. Think of a popular
television series that a book or part of it would fit. Then convert it to that series and
give the segment before the class.
16.PREPARE A TELEVISION COMMERCIAL ABOUT A BOOK. Imagine a book is
the basis for a miniseries on television. Prepare and give the television commercials
that would make people want to watch it.
17.USE BODY MASKS AND PRESENT A SCENE FROM YOUR BOOK. Make fullsized cardboard figures with cutouts for the face and hands. Use them to dramatize
the scene.
18.DRAMATIZE A SCENE FROM A BOOK WITH OTHER STUDENTS TAKING
PARTS. If desired, use props and costumes. If the students know the story,
improvise the scripts.
19.PLAY CHARADES BASED ON VARIOUS BOOK MEMBERS OF THE CLASS
HAVE READ. Review standard charade signals. Divide into teams. Then have the
students draw titles of books or the names of characters in the books, concentrating
on those that have been most popular.
20.MAKE A SOAP OR PARAFFIN CARVING ABOUT AN EVENT OR PERSON IN A
BOOK. These are inexpensive materials and soft enough so there is little danger
from the tools used for carving.
91 Ways to Respond to a Book
21.MOLD PLASTER RELIEF DESIGNS. Pour plaster into a form over various
objects and then antique or shellac them to make interesting displays.
22.MAKE LIFE-SIZED PAPER-STUFFED ANIMALS, PEOPLE, OR OBJECTS
FOUND IN A BOOK. Cut out two large sheets of wrapping paper in the shape
desired. Staple the edges almost all the way around. Stuff with crumpled newspaper,
finish stapling, and paint.
23.MAKE HAND LOOMS AND WEAVINGS THAT PORTRAY A DESIGN IN A
BOOK. Almost anything - from paper plates to forked sticks - will make a loom when
strung with yarn, rope, or cord. Check art and craft books for directions. Then use the
creations as wall hangings or mobiles.
24.CREATE BATIK DESIGNS WITH WAX AND OLD SHEETS OF TIE-DYE
MATERIAL. When dry and ironed, use them for wall hangings, curtains, and
costumes.
25.FASHION A MOBILE FROM ITEMS RELATED TO A STORY. The mobiles add
color and movement to a room. Display them in the library, the cafeteria, the
multipurpose room, or in the hallway.
26.MAKE A "ROLL-MOVIE" OF THE SCENES OR EVENTS OF A BOOK. Put a
series of pictures in sequence on a long strip of paper. Attach ends to rollers and
place in a cardboard box. Print simple dialogue to accompany the frames.
27.MAKE AN ANIMATION OF A SCENE ON AN ADDING MACHINE TAPE. To get
animation, draw a sequence of pictures with each one showing a bit more movement
than the preceding one. When this is rolled quickly, it gives the appearance of
motion.
28.CREATE FILM STRIPS OF A STORY. Commercially produced materials is
available with special color pens to make filmstrips.
29.PRINT A DESIGN FROM A STORY IN A BOOK USING A VARIETY OF
MATERIALS. Here, too, the process may be simple or complicated. Use potatoes or
other raw vegetables to carve and use. Or try plastic meat trays and silk-screen
prints.
30.IMPERSONATE A CHARACTER AND TELL AN EPISODE IN A BOOK. Dress up
as a character and retell the story.
31.DISCUSS THE BOOK INFORMALLY WITH ONE OR TWO OTHER STUDENTS.
The reader should choose two people he or she thinks might enjoy the book. Find a
quiet corner to talk about it.
91 Ways to Respond to a Book
32.INTERVIEW A CHARACTER FROM A BOOK. Prepare questions to give another
student. The reader assumes the role of the character in the book and answers the
questions as that character.
33.CONDUCT A SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION. Several students who have read a
particular book should get together and discuss it.
34.FOCUS A DISCUSSION ABOUT A PARTICULAR PERSON. Compare
biographies of characters in historical fiction.
35.COMPARE VERSIONS OF THE SAME STORY. Contrast different versions of
one story or several stories with similar themes.
36.HAVE A PANEL OR ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION ON THE SAME TOPIC. Use
one of the bibliographies of books on a particular topic (death, loneliness, handicaps,
heroes and heroines, and so on). Have the group present summaries of their books.
37.PITCH A SALES TALK FOR A BOOK. Give everyone in the class tokens, play
money, or straw votes. After the sales talk, take bids to get the most for the book.
38.INTERVIEW A BOOK'S AUTHOR. The reader becomes the author and comes to
visit the class who in turn interviews him or her.
39.PORTRAY A BOOK CHARACTER. Ask another reader of the same book to role
play a different character. The two characters can meet to talk about themselves and
what has happened to them. This is especially appropriate if they have something in
common: similar adventures, similar jobs, and so on.
40.MAKE A TALKING DISPLAY OF A BOOK. Tape a dialogue or description about
an event, scene, or character.
41.DRAW A SCALE MODEL OF AN ITEM IN A STORY. Making an object from the
story to scale presents many challenges. For example, try a go-cart, a match-lock
gun, or any other item.
42.COOK A FOOD MENTIONED IN YOUR BOOK. It is always fun to share
something to eat. Please cook your recipe at home.
43.BUILD A RELIEF MAP OF THE SETTING OF THE STORY. Use clay, sand, or
papier-mache. 91 Ways to Respond to a Book
Page 5
44.DESIGN AND MAKE YOUR OWN T-SHIRT OF AN ILLUSTRATION ABOUT A
BOOK. Create a design, using color-fast marking pens.
45.CONSTRUCT A BUILDING FROM A STORY. Work together with others to build
an item from the story that they have read also.
46.MAKE SOME COSTUME DOLLS FOR A DISPLAY OF CHARACTERS IN A
BOOK. Create costume dolls and display them.
47.COMPLETE SCALE DRAWINGS OF ROOMS IN A BOOK. Use graph paper with
a set scale and design places portrayed in a book.
48.LEARN TO PLAY A GAME MENTIONED IN A BOOK. Teach it to the rest of the
class. (This might be an old-fashioned game or one from another country.)
49.ASK OTHERS IN THE CLASS TO DESIGN AND CREATE SQUARES FOR A
QUILT. Depict favorite scenes or characters. Then stitch/draw/paint the quilt
together. The individual squares may be drawn with marking pens or done in
stitchery. The quilt may be a wall hanging, a curtain for a private reading area in the
room, or presented to the school as a class gift.
50.CONVERT THE EVENTS OF A STORY INTO A BALLAD OR SONG. Write the
lyrics and music or adapt words to a melody by someone else.
51.MAKE A LITERARY MAP OF THE AUTHOR'S WORKS AND LIFE. Use
references, biographical, and autobiographical materials (articles, books, interviews)
to create an informative and colorful map.
52.INVENT WORD GAMES FOR YOUR BOOK. Create crossword puzzles, word
games, and acrostics incorporating unfamiliar vocabulary words, characters, and
settings. Distribute to the class.
53.COMPARE LIFE STYLES. As a group project, have the students compare the
way of life in the book to present day living in their community. This can be presented
in panel format. For example, the methods of transportation, fashions, foods,
customs, religious practices, types of government can be compared to their modern
counterparts.
54.GROUP PERFORMANCE. Select a crucial scene from the novel and have the
members of the group act it out. Have one member interrupt it posing as a reporter.
Have him/her interview each character for an on-the-scene "minicam" report. 91
Ways to Respond to a Book
Page 6
55.THE WRITTEN WORD VERSUS THE VIDEO. Compare the book to the movie or
television version of it. What aspects of the book have been altered for the visual
performance and why? Do these alterations make the story "better"? Why or why
not?
56.THE NOVEL OUTSIDE THE ENGLISH CLASS. Show how a historical novel
could be used in a history class or how a science fiction novel could enliven a
science course.
57.RETURN TO THE FUTURE. Pretend that you are one of the characters who has
"come back" 25 years after the novel has ended. Describe your reactions.
58.WRITE OR ACT OUT A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO OF
THE CHARACTERS.
59.NOVEL COURT. Hold a "mock trial" to permit one of the characters to defend
what he has done in some controversial scene in the book. Let members of the class
deliberate as the jury and arrive at a verdict.
60.SILENT PLAYS. Have a group of students pantomime a scene from the book.
Give special attention to movement and facial expressions to convey the meaning of
the scene.
61.WRITE A SHORT PLAYLET BASED ON SOME CHARACTER OR EVENT IN
THE STORY. Be sure to provide accurate and interesting stage directions.
62.PERSONAL TASTE. Select one character from the book. If he/she were living
today, what kind of clothes, books, records, movies, etc. would he/she select? Why
would he/she do so?
63.DESIGN THE FRONT PAGE OF A NEWSPAPER. Write a short news story
describing the major event in your book. Include an attention grabbing headline and
teasers for the rest of the paper.
64.WRITE A HUMAN INTEREST STORY ON ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE
STORY.
65.WRITE AN EDITORIAL ON SOME CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE RAISED BY THE
BOOK.
66.DESIGN A COMIC STRIP RETELLING SOME EVENT IN THE STORY. This may
be expanded to tell the whole story of the novel as a comic book. 91 Ways to
Respond to a Book
Page 7
67.DESIGN A CHILDREN'S STORY RETELLING SOME EVENT IN THE STORY.
This may be expanded to tell the whole story of the novel as a children's book.
68.DESIGN A TIME LINE FOR THE EVENTS IN THE STORY.
69.DESIGN A DETAILED MAP OR MAPS FOR THE SETTING(S) OF THE BOOK.
70.DESIGN A BULLETIN BOARD TO STIMULATE CLASS INTEREST IN THE
BOOK.
71.WRITE A LEGEND, FABLE, OR MYTH BASED ON SOME EVENT IN THE
STORY.
72.PEN SOME POETRY. Write a limerick or a short poem about one of the
characters or some event in the novel.
73.WRITE A BALLAD AND/OR MUSIC TELLING THE STORY. This can be
delivered/sung to the class.
74.CREATE AN EYE-CATCHING POSTER. Choose a scene from the book and cast
it in a poster which would attract potential readers or buyers to the book.
75.FICTION OR REALITY. Choose a character who seems to have realistic
experiences. Write about something similar that has happened to you.
76.FUNCTION AS AN EDITOR. Treat the book as a manuscript and rewrite the
pages (or chapter) you consider "weak". What needs to be redone to make the book
stronger?
77.TRADING PLACES. Write a short paper explaining why you would or would not
like to change places with one of the characters in the novel.
78.DESIGN THE ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE BOOK.
79.WRITE A PERSONAL LETTER TO ONE OF THE CHARACTERS YOU ADMIRE
OR DESPISE.
80.CORRESPOND WITH ANOTHER CHARACTER. Pretend that you are one
character in the book. Write a friendly letter to another character.
81.A CHARACTER IN SEARCH OF A JOB. As if you were a character in the book,
compose a resume and cover letter for your character, who is applying for a job
suitable for the character and the setting of the novel, Does your character have any
references?
91 Ways to Respond to a Book
82.ONCE UPON A TIME. Write a fairy tale about some event or character in the
book.
83.BE A MODERN ARTIST. Using various mediums, create a collage that comments
on a particular theme or issue in the book.
84.CREATE A DOSSIER ON A CHARACTER. Pretend that you are a foreign spy
sent to report on your chosen character. Compile into a secret file general and
specific information regarding your character. Don't forget the photo.
85.DESIGN AND PRODUCE A POSTCARD OR A SERIES OF POSTCARDS. On
one side draw/paint/reproduce an appropriate photo and on the other side compose
a message to me from one of the characters. There will be automatic A's for the best
design, most intriguing message, most distant postmark, and most appropriate
postmark (mail it to me from there!).
86.PUBLISH A YEARBOOK. Create a yearbook - alias annual, alias classbook, alias
memory book - based on the people and events in your book. Refer to a real
yearbook for ideas on layout and sections.
87.BE A LITERARY AGENT. Pretend you are a literary agent representing the author
of your book. Write to Harry Decision, editor of young adult fiction at Bantam Books,
explaining why you feel he should publish your author's book.
88.COMPILE A SCRAPBOOK OR A MEMORY BOX. Choose one of the major
characters in your book, and, as that person, put together a scrapbook or memory
box of special memories and mementoes. Be true to your character.
89.DESIGN A TRAVEL BROCHURE. Illustrate and advertise the "world" of your
novel.
90.THE FORTUNE COOKIE REVIEW. Explain why their messages, given to each of
the novel's characters, are amazingly appropriate.
91.THE EDIBLE (CHOCOLATE?) REVIEW. Sir Francis Bacon said, "Some books
are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested."
Musical Books. Chairs are placed back-to-back in a straight line, and the teacher
places a book under each chair. Every child then sits on a chair. The children march
around the chairs when the teacher starts the music. When the music stops the
children sit down and begin to read the book under their chair. After a few minutes,
the teacher starts the music again. After the game, the teacher puts the books in a
special box marked "Musical Books" so that the children may later read the rest of the
story.
Mary Vandeyander, Jefferson Elementary, Newell, West Virginia, Grade 2
Scavenger Hunt. Have a "scavenger hunt" by dividing the class into teams and
giving each team a copy of the same book. Have them find the page numbers of
particular objects, events, or people in the book. Give a reward to the winning team.
Lana Downing, Hanson Memorial School, Franklin, Louisiana, Grade 6
Name That Book! Explain to your students how important the cover and title are to a
story. Then read a book to your students without telling them the title or showing
them the cover. After reading the book, give the children a piece of paper to draw
what they think the cover and the title of this book should be. Finally, display the
storybook surrounded by the children's covers.
Christine Schmidt, Our Mother of Sorrows School, Cincinnati, Ohio, Grades 1-6
Readers for Tomorrow. We hope to make "Readers for Tomorrow" by creating
picture books, laminating them, and giving them as gifts to newborns at the local
hospital. We will include a letter to the parents telling them the importance of reading
to their young children in order to instill a love for books early. The books will be
stories written by the students with very colorful illustrations to catch babies'
attention.
Diane Cotton, Aiken School, Charlotte, North Carolina, Grades 1-8
Mystery Reader. Every year I choose two or three weeks for my "Mystery Reader"
project. I send home a secret flyer to the parents to see if they would like to come in
and read to us during story time. It can be parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles.
They pick out their own story (usually their child's favorite) and give me a first and
second choice of dates. I then make up a schedule after the slips are in. This usually
takes a week, and then I send back another secret note to those who responded
informing them of their date. The kiddos are surprised and love it. I take a picture of
each Mystery Reader reading and send it home with the child in a thank you note.
Carol Lee Restifo, Ridgefield School, Erie, Pennsylvania, Grade 1
Where in the World? Give each student a United States or a world map. (Let
students select the one they would prefer.) Each time a student reads a book that
relates in some way to a state or country, he/she may color that state or country on the
map. The relationship may be based on the following: (1) the author was born there;
(2) the setting for the book is there; (3) the story began there; (4) it is a book telling
about the state or country. The student who colors the most states or countries is the
winner and receives a reward, such as an inexpensive atlas or map.
Anndora Laflin, Indian Heights School, Kokomo, Indiana, Grade 4
Story Webs. All you need for this game is a ball of string and a story to share. Have
your students sit in a circle on the floor. One of the students gives the beginning
sentence of a familiar story. Then the student holds onto the end of a ball of string and
rolls the ball to another student, who will give the next part of the story in sentence
form. This is repeated until the story has been told. Soon you'll have a spider's web in
your students' circle. Any story can be used for variation, or new stories can be
created with each student adding a new idea!
Marilyn Weiland, Alta Elementary, Alta, IA, Grade 1
Two Characters Meet. Pick a favorite character from each of two books and write a
new story or play in which they meet. Have the members of your class act out the new
story.
Alice M. Cosgrove, St. Joseph School, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Grade 5
Readers' BINGO. Brainstorm 25 to 30 words that deal with books and write them on
the board. Give your students 9" x 12" newsprint and have them fold it into nine
squares. Then have the students write nine of the words from the board into each of
the squares on their sheet. Give them corn or candy for markers. Randomly call off
words from the board. When a student has filled in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal
row, he/she should call out "BOOKS!" I give the winner a paperback book. For
variety, the teacher can play Readers' BINGO by giving the definition of words rather
than the words themselves.
Jean Haegen, Mattawan Elementary, Mattawan, Michigan, Grade 4
Book-Word Search. Children love to do puzzles. To help generate an interest in
book reports, my students make a "word search" on graph paper using for the words a
book title, author's name, main characters, setting, and any key words for events in the
book. The puzzles are mounted on construction paper and illustrated with pencil
sketches or markers. They can be exchanged with class members. If the "word search"
puzzles are laminated, they can then be exchanged many times and kept from year to
year. These make excellent at-seat activities and motivators to check out a variety of
books.
Nancy Parker, Jefferson School, Arkansas City, Kansas, Grade 4
Please Stand Up! A fun game our class came up with is "Will the Real BOOK IT!®
Reader Please Stand Up." We choose a judge, a lawyer, three jurors, and three
defendants for each round. Each defendant takes turns coming up to the witness stand,
while the other two defendants wait outside the classroom or where they cannot hear
the others' testimony. The lawyer asks questions from a questionnaire that one of the
defendants has filled out on a book he/she has read. After each defendant has been
questioned, the three jurors vote on whom they feel really read the book and give their
answer to the judge. The defendants are then asked to come back in and sit down. The
judge counts the jurors' votes and reads aloud the tally, and then asks, "Will the real
BOOK IT!® Reader Please Stand Up?" This has been a great incentive in my
classroom.
Lisa Lewis, Sacred Heart School, Terre Haute, Indiana, Grade 6
Kid Quiz. I let children take turns reading one of their BOOK IT!® book choices
orally to the rest of their classmates. Prior to this oral reading, I ask the reader to
prepare two or three comprehension questions about the book. After the oral reading,
the reader gives a "quiz" to the class. The reader then has the responsibility for
grading the papers. (Kids love to play teacher and check papers!) They could do the
grading in class in lieu of another assignment or at home.
Cheryl DeHaven, Wadsworth School, Griffith, Indiana, Grade 2
Read to the Principal. Recognize students' accomplishments in reading by selecting
one or two children daily to go to the principal's office to read to him/her. Before
starting the program, make a computer banner that says "I READ TO THE
PRINCIPAL." The children can color the letters. Hang the banner in the principal's
office and ask the children to sign the banner with different colored markers after
they've read their selections. The principal may want to give the child a bookmark that
is signed by him/her that says "I READ TO THE PRINCIPAL."
Norma Kreusch, Beulah Elementary and Jr. High, Beulah, Colorado, Grade 2
TV vs. Reading. Begin a TV/Reading Chart for each child. It would be a weekly
chart to keep a record of time spent reading and time spent watching TV at home. If
total reading time exceeds total TV watching time, the child earns a treat. The class
with the most winners could have a party.
Lindy Guy, Maclay School, Tallahassee, Florida, Librarian
Reading Timeline. Encouraging growth and a sense of accomplishment with
intermediate readers can be attained with a personal reading timeline. Students are
asked to produce a timeline of their lives by naming their favorite books through the
years. Students can include personal pictures, books, book covers, illustrations, etc., to
show the history of their reading preferences. The displayed timelines make excellent
book advertisements, create impromptu book reports and discussions with classmates,
help students understand timelines, and help each child to see how their reading has
matured throughout the years.
Janice Haake, Leland Elementary, Leland, Illinois, Grade 4
"You're Under Arrest!" My students in the 5th grade "kidnap" or "arrest" one of the
teachers whom they had when they were younger and sentence that teacher to so
many minutes of reading aloud before they return to their own class. I inform the
teachers that they will be "arrested," but the students are not aware of this. I then stay
in the room of the "arrested" teacher and read to his/her students.
Janice Hamman, Hook Elementary, Troy, Ohio, Grade 5
Reading -- It's a Piece of Cake! A good activity to do [during Children's Book
Week] is to make a "title cake." Have your recipe visible and let your students help
add the ingredients. Then, on small pieces of paper have each student write down the
title of his/her favorite book. Fold the title strips several times, add to the cake batter,
and bake. Each student will enjoy discovering a title in his/her piece of cake. The
students might enjoy trying to guess whose favorite book title they had in their piece
of cake. I call this activity "Reading -- It's a Piece of Cake."
Linda Carrier, Laurel Hills Elementary, College Park, Georgia, Grade 1
Carnival of Books. Our PTA sponsors a Carnival of Books. Food booths offer the
following goodies with an appropriate book theme: Popcorn -- Popping for Books,
Pickles -- Pickled Green Over Books, Cold Drinks -- A Toast for Books, and Candy
Bags -- I'm Sweet on Books. We also have a Jump-a-Thon booth named "We Jump
for Books." Students take up pledges and jump from 4:00 to 5:30. All profit from the
booths goes toward purchasing books needed in the school.
Eunice Lopez, Charles E. Nash Elementary, Fort Worth, Texas, Principal
Books Open Doors. Each classroom will agree on a favorite book. Then students will
decorate their doors as giant book covers. The giant book-cover door will open up to
find the room decorated as a scene or setting from the book. One day during
Children's Book Week, the students will come to school dressed as characters from
their chosen book. Judges can select grade-level winners or a hallway winner. A giant
"Book Cake" could be served at lunch to reward everyone's hard work.
Beth Barlow and Donna Lawson, Jane Macon Middle School, Brunswick, Georgia,
Grade 6
Read-a-Thon. The school could have a day-long Read-a-Thon, with the central office
tabulating the number of books or pages read in the whole school, principals and
custodian included. Hourly results could be posted on rungs of a ladder reaching to
the sky.
Miriam Leon, Crockett School, San Marcos, Texas, Grade 1
Books on Tape. Our children will be choosing five simple reading books to tape for
children in the hospital who are too young, too tired, or too sick to read on their own.
The books will come from the children's hospital library so that they may listen to the
tape and follow along with the book. We will deliver the tapes during Children's Book
Week.
Jamye G. Backus, New Middletown Elementary, New Middletown, Ohio, Grade 4
Buddy Books. Each sixth grader will be assigned a first grader to interview, finding
out about their family, birthday, friends, pets, and favorite things. Using this
information, the sixth graders will write a story, using their first grader as the main
character and the information from the interview as the basis for the story. The stories
will be published in book form by the sixth graders, complete with cover and a sewn
binding. During Children's Book Week, the sixth graders will present the books to
their first-grade partners and share some reading time with them.
Rhonda R. Mooney, Estherville Middle School, Estherville, Iowa, Grade 6
Bead Hangers. I give students a colored bead for each book report they turn in. I also
give them a ribbon on which to string these beads. When they have read ten books, I
give them a shiny bangle to place between the 10th and 11th book beads. I give them
another bangle to place between the 20th and 21st beads, the 30th and 31st beads, etc.
These are hung in our window, which adds a festive air to our room. The students take
their chains home at the end of the year.
Edith Burke, Gold Canyon Elementary, Apache Junction, Arizona, Grade 4
Green Light -- Go! Students will read books recommended by their peers. To foster
this, have available in the classroom red, yellow, and green index cards. These cards
correspond to the colors in a stop light. A student fills out a green card to tell others to
"go" for this book; yellow means caution, the book was so-so; and red means "stop,"
do not read this book. The front side of the card has the following information written
on it -- the title and author of the book and the student's name. The back side of the
card has the following information written on it and should be filled in according to
the color card chosen: A green card should read "I really liked this book because. ..."
A yellow card should read, "This book was so-so because…." A red card should read,
"I did not like this book because. ..." Have hanging in the classroom a burlap banner
covered with silly, comical buttons, such as "Who Needs Skool?" After a student fills
in an index card and staples it to the bulletin board, he/she can wear a button for the
day.
Kathleen Doherty, Christa McAulliffe School, Tinley Park, Illinois, Grade 4
"Picture" Books. Take a picture of each student holding his/her favorite book and
attach a short summary of the student telling in his/her own words why this book is so
special. Laminate and display. Students can read about classmates' selections and
expand their knowledge of exciting books to read.
Marcelle J. Smith, Gamewell Elementary, Lenoir, North Carolina, Grade 1
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