15 TEACHER’S GUIDE
LIT. CIRCLE GENERAL
PROJECT IDEAS
Characterization: This activity is perfect for introducing
or assessing characterization! Have each group identify
the main or major character(s) in their books. Have them
determine all they can about the characters based on the
following criteria:
1. How they look
2. What they do
3. Their environment
4. What they say
5. What others say about them
Then you can have them complete a handout with
specific assumptions they make about the character(s)
and compare them to the other groups. Look for
similarities and differences. Is there a style that Raina
seems to employ across all the books? How does the
Raina character change from Smile to Sisters for example.
Is Catrina somehow like Raina?
Hero's Journey: Have students look at the "hero's
journey" across their specific novel.
Themes: Have the teams mix up and put a one
representative from each book into three person teams.
Have them explain the nature of their novel including
plot, character, and motifs. Do the novels share any
thematic elements? Each smaller group should create a
posterboard or digital presentation that explains their
findings.
Dream Cast Project: Have each team cast the movie
version of their book (I wonder why they aren't already
movies) and create a movie poster for the book including
the stars they have chosen. Alternately, students could
actually film a small section of the book and post it on
Youtube. I think that the low tech special effects could
be cool!
Silent Socratic Seminar: Silent Socratic Seminar: after
the students read the three books, select 3-6 of the
“Big Picture Questions,” depending how many kids are
in the class and the size of the groups that you would
like. Write one question on the center of a large sheet
of poster paper/board and place it in the middle of a
table or group of desks. Have the first group of students
write an answer to each question on the paper. After
5-8 minutes, have the students rotate stations and at
each station they have to respond to the question on the
paper and also to one of the comments that a student has
made on the paper.
To differentiate the groups, have each group use a
different color marker. When you are done, put the
posters up around the room, have the students read all of
the posters, and have them help you select a group that
did the best job responding! Reward that group with
treats.
Essay Writing: Smile is how we fit into our current world
at large, while Sisters is about how we fit into our smaller
world, and Ghosts is about fitting into a bigger world as
we grow up. Have the students write an essay in which
they discuss the ideas of interconnectedness. How do
our worlds collide and inter-mingle? What does it mean
to be a part of multiple worlds?
Mini-Comic Project: Select a moment in your life that is
thematically similar to one that is experienced in one of
the three books. With help from the teacher, create a 3-4
page comic book script, planning out exactly how you
would want your comic to look.
Mapmaking: What trip would you like to take? Plot out
your journey and anticipate the trials and tribulations
you would experience with your crazy family in a 2-3
page story.
Fan Fiction: Select a unique character from each of the
three books and write a short story in which they interact
with each other. What would they do? What would they
say? Would they get along?