Project Ideas

1. CHART, GRAPH, SCALE, DRAWING, BLUEPRINT, DETAILED DIAGRAM, OR ILLUSTRATION: Depending on the nature of your project, you may use one of these as an assignment. A floor plan might be appropriate for a mystery novel; a labeled diagram for a project on bees; a bar graph for a survey on most popular student cars.
2. GLOSSARY OR DICTIONARY: This would be useful if your project uses any technical language or jargon from a particular career field. Make sure that you include the same information found in a general dictionary—pronunciation, meanings which apply to word use, and a sentence in which the word is used correctly.
3. JOB APPLICATION OR RESUME: This is ideal for a biography or for fiction. Obviously, you will need to make up some details, but keep your creations appropriate to the subject or literary work.
4. LETTERS AND TELEGRAMS: Write letters for lengthy messages or telegrams for shorter ones. You might consider the following exchanges (with an accompanying response from the recipient):
• letter from one character to another
• letter from author to publisher
• letter from character to author or vice versa
• letter from a publicist to a movie producer about making this book into a movie or television series
• letter from you to the author, asking specific questions
• letter from you to a character, asking specific questions
• letter to a teacher explaining how this book might be used in another class
• letter to an outside source which is appropriate to your project—lawyer, manufacturer, curator of a hall of fame, etc.
• letter to another student, telling about your project
5. PERSONALIZED STATIONERY: For a real person or a literary character or even an author’s narrator, you can create appropriate stationery. Make photocopies or create stationery on your computer. Write several letters as if you are the person who has been “personalized.” Include name and a visual design appropriate to your subject. You can also adapt this by developing stationery for an imaginary business, agency, country, etc.
6. CROSSWORD, SEEK-AND-FIND, JIGSAW PUZZLES: Be sure to include any necessary directions and an answer key. A jigsaw puzzle should be boxed and the box should be illustrated with the finished picture of the puzzle
7. SKIT, PLAY, VIDEO: Prepare a script before you start. Include camera directions and/or stage directions appropriate to the media you have selected. Other students may be included in your production. Be sure to include costumes appropriate to the time period being portrayed.
8. ROLE-PLAYING: Come to class as a character, person, or object in your project. Other students may participate in your role-playing activity, but they should be thoroughly rehearsed beforehand.
9. OBITUARY, ELEGY, EULOGY, FUNERAL CARD: This approach can be taken with biographical forms or with characters in a literary work. Follow appropriate form for any of the products above and make up necessary details appropriately.
10. LAPEL BUTTON, BUMPER STICKER, MEDAL, MONEY, STAMP, T-SHIRT: Design one or more of these products to commemorate a character or event in your project. Items may be actual size or larger. Include appropriate information for whatever form you choose. For example, a stamp might have a symbolic image or scene, a price, or perhaps a title.
11. MOCK NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE: While you may limit yourself to one or two “news-style” stories, your products would be better if you did a mock-up of a full newspaper or magazine. This would include front page, comics page, editorial page, classified ads and regular ads for a newspaper OR front cover, table of contents, selected articles and ads for a magazine. Each might include photographs, headlines, etc. The point is to write as if the things in your reports really happened and were really reported. This is especially important for history and fiction.
12. INTERVIEWS: You will need the cooperation of at least one friend and a tape recorder. A script should be planned, but exact word-for-word responses should not be written or your interview will sound phony. Try to retain the impression of spontaneity. Give your friend the questions and role-play the interviewee yourself. Some suggestions include:
• interview an author about your book
• interview a character about your book
• interview a historical person
• interview a contemporary – President Bush or an eye witness to the September 11, 2001, attack on World Trade Center
13. POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
14. COMIC STRIP, COMIC BOOK, EDITORIAL CARTOON: Comic strips can be used to present short scenes in four to six panels and are especially good for stories or reports which are character based. A comic strip product should include several strips and be bound in a booklet. You may wish to use the full comic book format in “Classics Illustrated” style for an action-based story. Editorial cartoons are appropriate for political or historical reports.
15. MEETING OF THE MINDS, PANEL DISCUSSION, INTERVIEW SHOW: This requires the participation of other students. You will need a moderator and an introduction for each participant. Participants should come in character and stay in character. Additionally, a topic for discussion should be agreed upon in advance so that the session is structured. Costumes may be used.
16. GAMES: You can create a board game based on the locations or events in your project. You can also modify almost any kind of factual report or project to suit a board game. Card games usually require that you make books of two or more matched cards. You can use 3”x5” index cards for your card games. Whichever format you choose, you should box your game and include clear instructions for how to play. If an answer key is necessary, be sure to include one.
17. CAN A PROJECT: Decorate a coffee or potato chip can with information appropriate to your project. Inside you might include words from your project, facts to be matched, dates or events to be placed in order, descriptions of characters to be matched to names, plot steps to be sequenced, etc. Include an answer key if necessary. These can be written on strips of cardboard, tongue depressors, ice cream sticks, etc.
18. POSTCARD: Use cardboard or an old file folder to make a stiff postcard. Design an appropriate stamp, postmark, and illustration. Make up an appropriate address, message, and description of the illustration. This is especially good for geography, history, or fiction projects.
19. ALBUM OR SCRAPBOOK: Prepare an album or scrapbook of pictures, drawings, and captions about your project. Bind with yarn and design an informative and attractive cover. This works well for fiction, biography, history, travel, geography, or current events.
20. SCROLL, CERTIFICATE, AWARD: Design a scroll or certificate for an author, character, or real person. Use appropriate “high brow” language. You may wish to modify the words of various declarations or manifestos to make an adapted proclamation or declaration. You could install someone in a hall of fame, give awards for bravery, etc. Use calligraphy and fancy borders, appropriate signatures, etc. You may even wish to antique your product by staining with brewed tea and burning the edges.
21. STORY OR FACT WHEEL: Use two stiff pieces of poster board to make a story or fact wheel. You can cut out a window or two or merely line up facts on two wheels. Use brads to connect the two wheels. Terms can be matched to definitions, names to pictures, beginnings of quotes to the ends, etc.
22. BOOK JACKET: A book jacket should include illustrations, summary of contents, author and title, reviewers’ comments, etc. This could do for a book project or a mock-up.
23. ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT: Use real objects for a historical dig if possible. You can refer to important objects in a fiction story. Your field report would include a description of the location where objects were found, sketch and description of each object, and conclusions reached by the field archaeologist. Obviously, you could add a bit of humor by having your archaeologist draw logical but incorrect conclusions from his findings.
24. JOURNAL, DIARY, TRAVELOGUE: You can keep a diary or journal from the point of view of a character or historical person. Even contemporary characters or persons can be used. You might, for example, keep Newton’s journal or Macbeth’s.
25. MAP: You can make a map of a fictional location or a historical one. For example, you might make a map for a journey to the center of the earth, a deserted island, or Marco Polo’s journeys. Include an appropriate legend. Mark any journeys with a colored marker.
26. PUPPET SHOW: You can make puppets from socks, paper plates covered with cloth, fabric, papier mache, paper cups, costumed dolls, etc. Then act out a scene or merely allow your puppet to deliver your report. You may want to design a stage with backdrop.
27. MOBILE, DIORAMA, MODEL: Any of these visual forms can be used to report factually or fictionally. You can use shoe boxes, poster backdrops, etc. for the diorama. A mobile can be hung from wire or a hanger. A model can be built of sticks, sugar cubes, papier mache on styrofoam, etc.
28. BOOKLETS OR MINI-BOOKS: You can rewrite your report or your story as an illustrated children’s story. A pamphlet can also be designed which gives basic facts, how-to information, travel tips, etc. Sometimes a shape booklet may be appropriate. A flip-book could be prepared using bound index cards.
29. ADVERTISEMENT: Ads can be suited to any subject or book. You might make an ad for your book or project, a new invention, a speech given by a character or real person, a movie about your book, a documentary on your subject, etc. Be sure to include a headline, illustrations and explanatory copy. Quotes may also be appropriate to your subject or book.
30. BANNER, WALL HANGING, SANDWICH BOARD, CHARACTER FRAMES: Use any of these unusual forms to report minimum facts. Materials, of course, would vary with the form chosen. Character frames should include a cut-out for your face much like the photo frames at the state fair. A sandwich board should fit so that someone can actually wear it.
31. PAPER DOLLS: These are especially good for fictional or historical characters, stage costumes, etc. Include a change of costume if appropriate. Give your paper dolls a base so that they will stand up on their own. You could modify this by making pipe cleaner dolls.
32. FAMILY TREE: Make a genealogical tree for a historical novel or factual report. Include pictures or sketches of the people concerned and a short description of each person.
33. SCULPTURE, MUSIC, COSTUME, STAGE SETTING, DANCE, PAINTING: Those of you with leanings toward the fine arts can find a way to incorporate those talents into your report. Be sure that your creation reflects the content of your project in some way.
34. POEM: You can write a free-verse poem, a recipe poem, or any formula poem as well as using the traditional forms of ballad, dramatic monologue, etc. Illustrate your poem.
35. DEMONSTRATION: Recreate a famous scientific experiment; demonstrate how to paint in oil, etc. If your project involves something you can demonstrate, this is an excellent way to share your knowledge. Plan ahead, however, or your demonstration may become a mess.
36. LESSON OR TEST: Prepare a vocabulary assignment, writing lesson, quiz or such about your project material. Type it neatly, and make copies for your classmates. Include and answer key. Place everything in a file folder which is labeled and illustrated.
37. COLLAGE: Always include words and pictures in your collage. The subject of your collage should be absolutely clear. Make sure that all pictures are trimmed neatly and overlap, leaving very little white space showing through.
38. TRANSPARENCY FOR OVERHEAD PROJECTOR: Sketch illustrations, etc. on plain paper first. Then trace or make a copy on a copier. Be sure to write large enough for your transparency to be read. Use different colored inks. A series of transparencies and/or overlays may be best, depending on your subject.
39. PHOTO ESSAY: You can take pictures and mount them on poster board. Include captions. Be sure that your photos are sequential if you are telling a story. Allow time for film developing. Include a title, etc.
40. CHORAL READING, READER’S THEATER, DRAMATIC READING FROM MEMORY: While these are best suited to book or play reports, you can write an original script about a factual subject or find a suitable poem from which to read. For example, a history project might include a reading of “Paul Revere’s Ride.”
41. PARODY: You can parody something you have read or write a parody using your subject. For example, you could write a TV guide to the Revolutionary War, Snoopy in ancient Greece, “Cassius at Bat,” etc.
42. DOCUMENTARY: This requires access to videotape, movie film or cassette tape. You could report a historical or literary event as if it were real, interview characters, etc.
43. BULLETIN BOARD: Cut out all necessary letters, pictures, etc. Include borders, yarn, labels and so on. Then sketch out on paper how the bulletin board display should look when mounted. Include a card with your name as designer. Put everything in a large manila envelope. Then your teacher can use the bulletin board whenever the subject is appropriate.