• a biography of your author; do not copy and paste from your sources. Read several other sources and write your own. Summarize (bullet) the key points/ideas in your presentation. Be sure to be "an expert" on your author.

• a book review of the work you read (about 750-800 words); this part is typed and handed in (FSSH). Put a summary on your PP or Web. Using the Leo source as a guide, a suggested structure follows:

  • Paragraph 1: Introduce your work (title) and author, tell what genre it is (fiction, drama, etc.), and mention the work's main theme (coming of age, story of racism, etc.). You could give a little background information about the book also (especially if there is something particularly interesting or significant).

  • Paragraph 2: Summarize the content: What is the main story (plot) if fiction or drama? (but don't give away the ending); if you've read nonfiction, what is the main thesis and what are some of the key points?

  • Paragraphs 3-5 (or more): Explore your reactions (choose three of the following):

    • Describe the book: say how it is interesting, memorable, or entertaining. Did you learn something from it? What?

    • Respond the the author's opinions: (in fiction, the author's opinions are often expressed through the protagonist). What do you agree with? And why? What do you disagree with? And why?

    • Explore issues the book raises: What possibilities does the book suggest? Explain. What ideas or matters does the book not discuss? Explain. What are your views on these matters? Support with facts (see below).

    • Relate your argument to other books or authors: Support your argument for or against the author's opinions by making reference to other authors you agree with.

    • Relate the book to larger issues: How did the book affect you (your thinking, your feelings, your knowledge). How have your opinions changed? How is the book related to your own life's course or your personal agenda (what you plan to do, study, explore in the future)?

    Important note about the section above: The excerpt you are to read from your work may fit in well with a point you're trying to make in your book review. Tying them together seems to be an effective strategy. So in other words, you could insert your excerpt midway in your summary of your book review if you like.

  • Paragraph 6: Write a conclusion that:

    • restates why this book is important or interesting.

    • says who else should read this book and why; choose a specific person and give at least three reasons that are connected to the content of the book.

• a reading of an excerpt (one page or no less than 300 words) from the book/play you read, including an introduction that gives your audience the title and background/context for the piece you are reading. If you have read a play, engage the talents of your peers to do a dramatic reading.

  • You also need a follow up to the reading (put these points in your slides):
    • an analysis of the excerpt
    • why you chose it
    • what was important or significant about the passage you chose
• an annotated list of 3-5 of this author's other significant works  Give the title, year of publication and publisher for each one. You need to tell a little about each one (annotation); in other words, give a little summary, tell what it's about. (Three is minimal effort).
• images of your author as appropriate
• extras: images, quotations, facsimiles, artifacts, or anything that helps us understand your author and his/her work.  You have to explain anything you use in your presentation. Top presentations will have some extras.

What else is important?

• Sources not allowed: encyclopedias, including Wikipedia, or student-made web sites. Also avoid .com sites. Sites with a lot of advertising or pop ups are generally not good sites to use.
• Each student must research his or her own author.