Name: _____________________________

READING WHEEL PROJECT

In order to encourage you to read and respond to a wide variety of literature, we will be
working on a project called Reading Wheels. Approximately every three to four weeks, you
will be required to complete a ‘slice’ of your wheel, completing a total of six ‘slices’ by the
end of the year. Each slice will include a title, summary, illustration and rating. You will
need to complete a total of six “slices” and have a minimum of four different genres. Please
choose 4-6 different genres from the list below:
 non-fiction  autobiography
 horror  mythology
 comedy  legend
 adventure  folk tale
 fantasy  historical fiction
 realistic fiction  Canadian author
 science fiction  fairy tale
 mystery  Indigenous
 biography  historical
 sports & hobbies  animal story
 classics  survival
 contemporary  romance
 true stories  other choices, approved by your teacher

You will be given a short amount of class time each day (~20 minutes) for silent reading, but
the remaining reading must be completed at home. We recommend reading at home for an
additional 20 minutes a day.

Each slice of your reading wheel must contain:

 the genre of the book
 the title and author of the book
 a summary of the plot
 a rating of the book out of ten
 a picture illustrating a main theme found in the book

Due dates for each slice are as follows:

1. __________________ 2. __________________ 3. __________________

4. __________________ 5. __________________ 6. __________________

 HOW TO EARN TOP MARKS ON YOUR SUMMARY

1) Topic Sentence, which includes the title of the book, the author, the main character(s) and
the basic plot.
Example: Hatchet, by the Canadian author Gary Paulsen, is about a boy named Brian
who gets stranded by himself in northern Canada.

2) Describe the beginning of the book in a couple of sentences.

Example: In the beginning of the novel, Brian is travelling to northern Canada to
visit his father when the pilot dies and the plane crashes. He is
stranded in the forest and must learn to survive on his own.

3) Describe the most exciting/sad/funny/touching events in a couple of sentences.

Example: As the novel progresses, Brian is attacked by a moose, survives a
tornado and learns how to make and maintain a fire. Every day is an
ordeal, as he battles constant hunger and loneliness.

4) Describe the ending. However, if you don’t want to “give away” the ending, write a
couple of sentences describing what the main character learned.
Example: Brian learns many lessons about himself as he identifies the skills
required to survive life in the wild.

5) Provide an opinion of the book. What you liked or didn’t like and why.
Example: I very much enjoyed reading this popular novel. I’ve always been
intrigued by survival stories. They make me wonder whether or not I
would have the strength of character to survive in similar
circumstances.

COMPLETION CHECKLIST

Summary: Did you follow the required format?

Did you include descriptive vocabulary and complex sentences?
Is your spelling, punctuation and grammar correct?
Is your summary neatly copied onto your wheel “slice”?
Is your writing legible – not just to you, but to me, too?
Did you use descriptive details and banish boring words?

Pie Slice: Did you include the genre, title of the book, and author?
Did you provide a rating?
Did you provide an appropriate illustration?
Is your work neat and easy to read?
Did you take your time to do your very best work?