"A book is a piece of technology. It is an engine of telepathy. It allows a mind that existed three hundred years ago to completely inhabit yours for an afternoon, projecting images, ideas, and worlds straight into your consciousness."
William GibsonNow that you’ve chosen your novel, it is time to share your journey! A great Bookstagrammer doesn’t just say if a book is "good" or "bad"; they dive deep into the writing, the characters, and the themes to help their audience understand the story's soul.
In this assignment, you will keep a video diary of your reading progress. This is the perfect time to show off your growing "academic" vocabulary and your ability to spot the clever ways authors build their worlds.
Before you begin reading, revisit your Shakespeare Survival Guide. Even though you aren't reading a play, those pre-reading strategies still apply!
While reading, you will capture your journey by planning five separate video diary "episodes." Try to space these out evenly (e.g., every 50–60 pages) at "sensible" stopping points, like the end of a major chapter or a big plot twist.
In each "episode" plan, make sure you outline:
Pacing Your Reading: Don't try to read the whole book and film all five videos in one day. Spacing them out allows your brain to process the characters' development over time, making your observations in each diary episode much more natural and insightful.
As you read, pay close attention to the author's word choice. Alongside drafting your video outlines, you will build a personal vocabulary bank to level up your writing and speaking toolkit.
Deliverable:
Submit a Markdown file containing the 10–15 new or sophisticated words you identified in your reading along with their definitions and a brief analysis of the author's choice.
Now, bring your diaries to life! Since you are taking on the role of a "Bookstagrammer," your videos should look polished and engaging.
Deliverable:
Upload your 5 video diaries (combined as a single edited file) capturing your progress through the novel.
Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.
5 Video Diaries (as a single file)
A Markdown file listing the 10–15 new words you identified and their meanings
We are learning to:
Apply reading and pre-reading strategies to make deep inferences and understand complex themes in a contemporary novel
Expand academic vocabulary and fluency by identifying and analyzing sophisticated diction within a text
Evaluate specific writing techniques used by authors to determine their effectiveness and potential for use in personal writing tasks
I can:
I can use a variety of reading strategies to help me understand and interpret a range of texts, including making inferences about characters and themes
I can communicate in a clear, coherent manner, using grade-appropriate words, phrases, and terminology to effectively share my analysis
I can identify and explain the conventions and techniques used in media and written texts to influence an audience
I can produce engaging media texts for a specific purpose and audience, using appropriate forms and non-verbal cues
| Category | Level 4 | Level 3 | Level 2 | Level 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge/Understanding | Video diaries demonstrate a thorough and subtle understanding of the novel's content, including complex plot points and character motivations | Video diaries demonstrate a clear understanding of the novel's content and major plot points | Video diaries demonstrate some understanding of the novel's content, though some gaps may be present | Video diaries demonstrate limited understanding of the novel's content |
| Thinking/Inquiring | Student makes exceptionally insightful inferences and demonstrates a deep, sophisticated understanding of how themes are developed | Student makes clear inferences and demonstrates a solid understanding of how themes are developed | Student makes some simple inferences and demonstrates a basic understanding of themes | Student makes limited inferences and struggles to connect plot points to broader themes |
| Application | Student identifies exceptionally effective writing techniques and draws highly relevant connections to their own creative growth | Student identifies effective writing techniques and draws clear connections to their own creative growth | Student identifies some writing techniques and draws basic connections to their own work | Student identifies a few writing techniques with limited connection to their own progress |
| Communication | Student uses an exceptionally wide range of academic vocabulary and demonstrates expert presentation skills for the "Bookstagram" medium | Student uses grade-appropriate vocabulary and demonstrates clear, engaging presentation skills | Student uses some grade-appropriate vocabulary and demonstrates generally clear presentation skills | Student uses limited vocabulary and sometimes struggles with clarity or engagement in their presentation |
Video diaries demonstrate a thorough and subtle understanding of the novel's content, including complex plot points and character motivations
Video diaries demonstrate a clear understanding of the novel's content and major plot points
Video diaries demonstrate some understanding of the novel's content, though some gaps may be present
Video diaries demonstrate limited understanding of the novel's content
Student makes exceptionally insightful inferences and demonstrates a deep, sophisticated understanding of how themes are developed
Student makes clear inferences and demonstrates a solid understanding of how themes are developed
Student makes some simple inferences and demonstrates a basic understanding of themes
Student makes limited inferences and struggles to connect plot points to broader themes
Student identifies exceptionally effective writing techniques and draws highly relevant connections to their own creative growth
Student identifies effective writing techniques and draws clear connections to their own creative growth
Student identifies some writing techniques and draws basic connections to their own work
Student identifies a few writing techniques with limited connection to their own progress
Student uses an exceptionally wide range of academic vocabulary and demonstrates expert presentation skills for the "Bookstagram" medium
Student uses grade-appropriate vocabulary and demonstrates clear, engaging presentation skills
Student uses some grade-appropriate vocabulary and demonstrates generally clear presentation skills
Student uses limited vocabulary and sometimes struggles with clarity or engagement in their presentation