Chapter Book Reading Activities
6th Grade Language Arts
You will need to read at least one chapter book per 9 weeks. This may be a chapter book of your choice, as long as it is on your level and at least 200 pages long. Once you have thoroughly read the book, you will need to choose one of these activities to turn in or present by Monday of the 8th week in the quarter. If you read more a chapter book more than 500 pages long, you may read half of the book one 9 weeks, and do a book report on what you’ve read thus far, and then read the last half the next 9 weeks, and do a final book project of your choice. If you choose this option, your final book project will be due halfway through the 9 weeks in which you’re finishing the book.
1. Book Report
Give our class a 4-5 minute book report about the book of your choice. Utilize important characters, themes, and events, but do not give away the ending. In this way you will respect the readers’ right to experience the story for the first time.
2. Movie Poster
Make a movie poster on a piece of poster board about the book of your choice. Utilize important characters, themes, and events, but do not give away the ending. In this way you will respect the readers’ right to experience the story for the first time.
3. Movie Commercial
Make a movie commercial about the book of your choice. Utilize important characters, themes, and events, but do not give away the ending. In this way you will respect the readers’ right to experience the story for the first time.
4. Summary Essay
Produce a short summary of the story. Utilize important characters, themes, and events, but do not give away the ending. In this way you will respect the readers’ right to experience the story for the first time.
5. Comic Strip
Pick an important scene from the book and create a comic strip. Student will be based on the illustration’s relationship with the story, and not their artistic ability. The illustration should represent the student’s best effort and must be original.
6. Where in the World?
Draw or design a map that indicates the place of origin for the story.
7. Expository Evaluation
Evaluate the story in terms of its literary devices. Particular attention will be paid to those elements of literature covered in class, for example symbolism and foreshadowing.
They may, if they choose, relate the use of such literary devices to other works of literature they have encountered in the past.
8. Drama Club
Write and act out a short, dramatic interpretation of the story. This will be assessed on its merits of an interpretation of literature, not on the students’ acting skills.
9. Mini Museum
Set up a mini-museum in the classroom by creating/bringing a number of objects discussed in the book. Create a card describing each object and its significance in relation to the book. As an alternative, do the same on a sheet of paper or construction paper using drawn pictures of objects. For either, be sure to include enough objects to convey a sense of understanding of the book.
10. My Book Bouquet
Create a colorful bouquet for the book your re reading. Draw a vase or cut a picture of one out from a magazine a paste it on a sheet of paper. Record the vital information for the book on one flower (A petal each for the title, author, date of publication, etc.) and key literary information on the others. You should have enough information to fill your vase with beautiful, informative flowers.
11. Mobile Movement
Make a list important quotes, words, figures of speech, characters, character traits, and themes, and display them on index cards of different shapes and/or colors. You may design shapes of characters’ figures or a face profile, important symbols, etc. Attach a wire hanger for display.
12. Gossip Girl
Pretend you are a journalist for a gossip magazine assigned to covering a character form the book. Write a full page article, picture included, about the character.
13. Buy It
Pretend you are an agent, editor, or publisher for the author of the novel. Write a letter to a school library explaining why they should purchase the book for students. Be sure your letter is persuasive and give at least three valid reasons to support your point.
14. Let’s Play Dress-Up
Use a plain white T-shirt to create an abstract representation of one of the characters, settings, or events from the story. Your T-Shirt should not state the character, setting, or event it represents. Instead, we should be left to our own deductive devices and understanding of the story to figure it out.
15. Cover to Cover
Great literature deserves a great cover. Design a book jacket for the story. Include cover art, important information, and a brief summary.
16. Hat’s Off To You
Decorate a hat with all the major characters and events of your novel. Include a written description of each event and character. Hat must have at least seven characters/events.
17. KWL Chart
Create a KWL chart. This starts with you writing what you already know, and what you want to know about the book before you read it. Then, after you’ve read it, you’ll complete your chart by explaining what you learned in the book.
18. Etymology Experience
Etymology is the study of word origins. Start by creating word list of difficult vocabulary from the story. Then research the words’ meanings, components, and origins.
19. Next?
Ever wonder what comes next? Write the first chapter of a sequel to the story. Then, read the chapter to the class.