Character Journals and the Novel Indigo
The use of character journals encourages the active participation of the reader in a novel. Instead of just passively consuming the words on the page, character journals require students to reflect upon the character's motives and feelings, and then judge and evaluate whether or not they are similar to his own. I have chosen this activity because in trying to acquire a deeper understanding of the literature, it might also provide a greater understanding of themselves.
In this assignment, students will take on the persona of a main character as they create a record of their thoughts, feelings, and reflections through the character's voice. They will choose at least one episode from each chapter to write about. Encourage students to go beyond the words on the page about the character, and to really imagine that they are living through the events as their character— truly putting themselves into the mind and heart of another. Though the majority of this assignment is written, students may also choose to illustrate their entries. Since I have access to a computer lab, students will be free to use software such as Microsoft Word, Inspiration and clipart as well.
An extension of this activity might involve writing back and forth between students in the roles of their characters, providing further practice in writing in the first person. Some students might like to act out passages from the story.
I chose this novel because it is brief but also because it contains many elements that are attractive to young readers. It deals with loss, the search for identity, the struggles of family, and decision making. There are many coming of age novels that could easily be substituted (see Teacher Resources Section for a link to a comprehensive and searchable list of literature).
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