Book Report Alternative: Creating Careers for Characters

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Copies of the books that the students are reading
  
  
• Internet access to appropriate sites
  
  
• Word processor
  
  
• Dictionary and thesaurus

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   K – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Letter Generator

The Letter Generator is a useful tool for students to learn the parts of a business or friendly letter and then compose and print letters for both styles of correspondence.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Careers for Characters article and sample resumes
  
  
• Careers for Characters Rubric

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WEBSITES

• Writing Resumes for Fictional Characters
• The Owl at Purdue: Workplace Writers
• JobStar Central: Job Search Guide
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
• The Owl at Purdue: Resume Workshop
• The Owl at Purdue: Cover Letter Workshop

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PREPARATION

1. Before this lesson, students will read a book independently, in literature circles, or as a whole class.
   
   
2. Ask students to bring copies of the books that will be the focus of their project to class for reference.
   
   
3. Make copies or overheads of the sample character resumes and Careers for Characters Rubric.
   
   
4. If desired, make copies or an overhead of the Purdue OWL resource Action Verbs to Describe Skills, Jobs, and Accomplishments in Employment Documents.
   
   
5. Take some time to explore the Online Workshop: Resume, from Purdue OWL and Online Workshop: Cover Letter, from Purdue OWL sites so that you'll know how the site works and can demonstrate the parts of a resume and cover letter for students. Additional information on professional writing can be found at The Owl at Purdue: Workplace Writers.
   
   
6. Test the Letter Generator and Writing Resumes for Fictional Characters student interactives on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tools and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

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