Fun Classroom Activities for Teaching LiteratureUsing Publisher or Adobe, create a newspaper for the setting of the novel (town, city, state, or general area), and write brief news and feature stories about the different characters and events. Also include appropriate advertisements and, of course, photos and/or other images.Write a movie script, concentrating on one or two key scenes in the novel, and then create costumes for the characters, act out the scenes, and videotape the “movie” for presentation to the class.Write a movie script, but change the novel’s setting to a different time (past or future) and place; for example, set Charles Dickens Great Expectations in 2030, on Mars or even aboard a spaceship.Develop a pilot for a TV sitcom based upon the characters. Write the script, concentrating on one or perhaps two key events, which may be modified for creative purposes, assign roles, and then film the pilot for presentation to the class. (Students could also present the show in a live performance.)Create an advertising campaign to promote sale of the novel, including a poster for a bookstore, commercials for radio and television, and ads for a magazine and a newspaper advertisement. Design a board game based upon characters and key events in the novel. Include not only the board for playing but also rules and clear directions. Create a comic book based upon the novel, depicting major characters as superheroes and including key events from the storyline, albeit with a little creative license.Develop a website that provides an overview of the novel, its characters, and key events.Create a talk show with the novel’s main characters as guests. Interview the guests, asking them questions about their behavior and key events in the novel. Film the talk show for presentation to the class.Design a book jacket for the novel. Include the title, author, publisher, date of publication, etc; a synopsis of the novel on the inside flap; and a photograph along with the author’s bio on the back of the jacket.
