Student’s name: ____________________ Mr. Cleon M.

McLean
Period: ______________ Department of English
Date: ______________ Ontario High School

Outside Reading Portfolio (book report)

Each month you will be responsible for reading no less than 250 pages of Outside Reading. At
the end of each month, you must create an Outside Reading Portfolio, which will be worth
20% of your grade. Your portfolio should consist of a Literature Report Form (similar to a
book report) and TWO creative responses. Your work should be organized in a folder or binder.
Please include a cover page and a table of contents.

PART ONE: Literature Report Form

This must be typed and well-organized. (Feel free to use charts, diagrams, or other graphic
organizers that are visually useful to you.)

Please include ALL of the following:

1. Author, title, and date of publishing

2. Setting: This is the place, time, weather, political and economics conditions
in which a story’s action takes place. Also, in a broader sense, setting can be
the culture and the ways of life of the characters, and the shared beliefs and
assumptions that guide their lives. Make sure to comment on how the setting is
important to the story!

3. Major characters: List protagonist(s) first, then antagonist(s). Include a brief

description and the relationships the protagonist or antagonist shares with other
characters.

4. Key events: These are events that you think make the story universal. List more than
just the obvious events. Instead of giving a plot summary, think about the issues that are
affecting the society in the story. Briefly explain the significance of each event.

5. Themes: What are the subjects/topics (no less than three) with which the author is
dealing in this novel? What are specific characters struggling with or learning
about? Describe in a few sentences how each theme appears in the novel. Attempt
to cover two to three themes.

6. Conflicts: These are types of struggles in the story. Every story has at least
one type of conflict. The basic types of conflicts include man against himself
(internal conflict), man against man, man against society, man against fate,
man against nature (these last four are all external conflicts). In no-less-than
four sentences, identify at least one type of struggle in your story, and briefly
describe how it comes about and how it is resolved—if it is resolved.

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Student’s name: ____________________ Mr. Cleon M. McLean
Period: ______________ Department of English
Date: ______________ Ontario High School

PART TWO: Creative Responses

The second part of this response will stretch your creativity. Each of your response should be
an original and intellectual response to the novel, showing that you have understood the main
themes and characters of the novel. Listed below are a number of creative possibilities. You
must choose TWO of the following to complete. Please include an introduction to each of
your creative responses. The introduction should be a one-paragraph, typed (Times New
Roman DS 12 pt font size).

Options:

1. Talk show response: Have your characters explain the story's conflict with a talk show
as the back drop. (OR create the transcript of a talk show where your book is being
discussed).

2. Modern day remake: Rewrite a scene of the story in a different era (time period) or from
a modern perspective.

3. New "surprise" ending: Did you hate the ending? Write a new one! Be sure that the
new ending and the writing style is consistent with the rest of the story.

4. Soundtrack: If you were to turn your novel into a movie, what songs would you use?
Write a paragraph explanation of each song explaining why you chose that song and at
what point in the story the song would be playing. You need to choose at least 5 songs.

5. Diary: Create a diary written from the perspective of a character in your novel. This
diary should have several entries that explain the most of the plot of the story.

6. Email: Write an email correspondence between two characters throughout the

course of the entire novel.

7. Create a newspaper that reports the events of the book. Use different columns (news,
sports, weather, advice, current events, upcoming events, etc.)

8. Create a childhood story for a character. If your main character is an adult, try to figure
out what he or she would have been like as a child. Write the story of his or her
childhood in a way that shows why he or she is the way he or she is in the novel.

9. File a complaint. Consider a character who you feel was portrayed in a sexist or racist
manner. Write a police complaint explaining what you feel was unjust in your portrayal
and explain the actions you would like the author to take to remedy the biased portrayal.

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Student’s name: ____________________ Mr. Cleon M. McLean
Period: ______________ Department of English
Date: ______________ Ontario High School

10. Choose or create a picture for the cover of the book. Then explain in detail why you
chose that picture. (May not be accompanied with #4 )

11. Research the background of the author and write a biographical summary. (Include
works cited page). Then, comment on any ties or similarities between the author's life
and your novel. How did the author's life influence his/her work?

12. Choose your ten favorite concrete details---those that you feel are most important.
Explain the context and the significance of each of these quotes.

13. Awards: Create an award for each of the main characters based on their actions in the
novel. One might be awarded "most courageous" for fighting peer pressure, or another
might be awarded "wisest" for the guidance he or she gave other characters. For each
award, write a paragraph that explains why this character deserves this award.

14. Book Choices: Select a character and then choose three novels for him or her, thinking
about what he or she might like or need to know more about. Include a bibliography
and why you chose each of those novels. What do you hope your character will like or
get out of the novels?

15. Create a collage that creates a visual picture for the main themes. Then write an
explanation of why you chose those images. (May not be accompanied with #4 or #10.)

At the end of your portfolio, please include a paragraph or two retrospective—that is, a
look back, at what you have done in your portfolio. Describe what you have learned from the
activities you have completed. Indicate which creative response you consider to be your best
work and explain why.

Hypocrite lecteur! –mon semblable, -mon frère!1

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Hypocrite reader!,-my likeness, -my brother