Short Story Paper Bag Project

After reading the short story “Miles” by Jerry Spinelli, you will need to complete the following short story paper bag project.

1. The cover page of the booklet must contain the title of the short story written in quotation marks, the author’s first and last name, and an illustration that relates to the story.

2. On the back of the front cover (page 2), identify the setting for the story. The setting must be written in complete sentences.

3. On page 3 of the booklet, write a summary of the plot using the “Somebody Wanted But So” (S/W/B/S) method.

4. On pages 4-5, select two characters from the story to characterize (one character per page)

For each character, identify the following character traits using text evidence: physical characteristics (how they look), action, thought, speech, and other’s thought.

*Character quotes from the story need to be written in quotation marks and cited with the author’s name and page number: (Speech bubble) “Well,” Annemarie said slowly, “now I think that all of Denmark must be bodyguards for the Jews, as well (Lowry, 25).”

**In a complete sentence at the bottom of each character page, identify the character as being either the protagonist or the antagonist in the story.

5. On page 6, identify a symbol in the story. In a complete sentence, explain why you think this symbol is so important to the story and the main character. Include a colorful illustration for the symbol.

6. On page 7, select three of the five examples of figurative language (five for full credit). Write each example exactly as it is written. Identify each type of figurative language. Metaphor – “The boy looked right at the soldier, and he said, “´All of Denmark is his bodyguard.`”

7. On the back of the booklet, label it “What Happens Next?” If you were to write a sequel to this short story, how would you begin it? Write your response in paragraph form; 3-5 sentences in length.

This project will be taken as a major grade and will be worked on in class.

Due Date: ______