2.  Make sure you complete a slide for all five areas. When you leave out a section, it costs you many points. (ex. Leaving out the character description costs you 25 points; for each part of “plot development” that you leave out costs you 4 points.) These points add up!

3.  Be cautious when you read a book that have been made into a movie! They are usually not the same. (Oftentimes, we find that students are reporting on the movie instead of the book.)  Make sure you write your information in your own words!  Make sure you actually read your book!  Write in complete sentences! (Only slide that is an exception is the Plot development slide)

4.  When choosing a font size: make sure it is big enough to read when you print slides as 6 slides on one page. We do not want to print each individual slide. Save the Trees!!! Save the trees!!! Save the Trees!!! Save the Trees!!!  When choosing a background: make sure it will not distort or distract from your information. Sometimes the background makes if hard, if not impossible, to read your information.  Plot Development: It may be easier to map out the parts of plot development if you do the conflict and the climax first. However, if you get these wrong it will effect the rest of the parts.

5. Common Problems:

6.  Don’t forget to list the main characters  You describe the characters on the Character Description slide, here you just need to list them  Usually every book has a protagonist Protagonist = main character in the story  Every book doesn’t have to have an antagonist Antagonist = character who is against protagonist

7.  Don’t forget to include “important background information” in the exposition This includes information you need to know to understand the story before you begin discussing the conflict. (any main events that come before the conflict that we really need to know)

8. Common Problems:

9.  Four common types of conflict: Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society Man vs. Self  You need to make sure that you choose the main conflict of your novel.  Remember, a novel is long and in order to keep the reader interested, the author will have numerous conflicts.

10. Common Problems:

11.  Include main events that lead from the conflict to the climax.  This is where you will probably give information about other storylines that the author included within the main storyline of the novel.  Don’t generalize—give specific events.

12. Common Problems:

13.  The climax is the turning point in the story.  This is the part of the story that you are on the edge of your seat, you want to see what happens next, and you just can’t stop reading until you find out.

14.  Ex. The killer is behind the door and the main character opens the door and begins to enter slowly in the pitch black darkness with only the quick flashes of lightning from the night’s storm giving her light to see inside the room. Will the killer get her? Will she turn around and decide not to enter even though she knows she heard a noise come from this room? Will the boyfriend, who was badly beaten, get to her in time?

15.  Although not always that dramatic, it should still have enough of your interest that you’ll read to you satisfy your need to know.

16. Common Problems:

17.  Include main events that lead from the climax to the resolution.  This section may have several events to list to lead the story to the end or it may only have one or two (each story is different).  Do not include the actual ending of the story in this part.

18. Common Problems:

19.  This is the end of the story.  If your story doesn’t have an ending, then you need to say that.

20. Common Problems:

21.  Only include characters that were significant to the storyline of the story.  You may have more than just the main characters listed.  Give a good description – not just adjectives. Tell us who the character is, their personality, and enough information so we know why she is important to the story.

22. Common Problems:

23.  Don’t be vague; do not generalize.  This is where you prove to us that you read the book.  You should have more details about the storyline than you have in plot development slides.  The plot development is just blunt, to the point information about each part of the plot.  The summary is the “book report” where you explain the story.

24. Common Problems:

25.  Picture of author (if found)  Biographical information  Awards?  Other books he/she has written?  A good resource to use: Something About the Author (found in Reference Section)

26. Common Problems:

27.  Simple: Did you like this book?  It is okay if you didn’t, just give enough information to support your opinion of the book.  Give specific examples: ex. Your favorite part? Your least favorite part?  What would you tell your friend if they asked you about this book?

28.  Works Cited Page You will use “Citation Maker” at www.ncwiseowl.org.www.ncwiseowl.org You will do a bibliography for every source you used to complete your PowerPoint, this includes: - the book you read - any website/source where you used pictures - any website/source where you used information from on your author, etc.

29.  Resource Page You will look for other books written by your author & note if they are available in our Media Center. You will look in OPAC for books on the topic that your book was about and with call number. Ex. If your book was about Child Abuse, you would list the books we have on that topic for further information including Title, Author’s Name, Copyright Year, and Call Number.

30. Sample: Media Center Resources: A Child Called It: One Child’s Courage to Survive by: David J. Pelzer; 1995; 921 Pel Child Abuse by: Bryan J. Grapes, ed.; 2001; 362.76 Chi Child Abuse by: Tom Ito; 1995; 362.7 Ito Online Resources: “Prevent Child Abuse America” www.prevent childabuse.org; 3/4/10 Additional Books by Author: The Lost Boy: A Foster Child’s Search for the Love of a Family by: David J. Pelzer; 1997

31. Plagiarize – To present the ideas or words of another as one’s own.  If you copy three or more words from a source, you must enclose those words with quotation marks. Without quotation marks, its plagiarism.  Easily detected !!!  A quick way to earn a zero for a grade.