As you get caught up deep inside an exciting book, you often find that the star of the story could really use some help. Design an element that gets your hero through a tough patch.

• 1.

  The first step to creating something to help a character within a book is to understand the style of the book. Is it a realistic story or an imaginary one? Does it take place in the past or the future? Your assistance needs to be designed in an appropriate form, no flying machines for Nancy Drew.

• 2.

  There are unlimited ideas available to you. Here is one example for a character found in a futuristic story. Use this to get your creative juices flowing.

• 3.

  Often the characters of a story feel scared and alone. You want to reach out and give them encouragement, to let them know that they are not alone. Yet they are in the middle of the action. What if they had a special attachment that they could activate and be comforted, be reassured that they will persevere. What if the smells of home or a special safe place were contained in small air pockets that could be popped and released?

• 4.

  For a wrist gauntlet, shape a large piece of craft foam around your wrist and note where on the shape the decorations need to be drawn. Lay the foam flat and create the artwork with Crayola® Twistables® Slick Stix™. When you are happy with your design, glue the foam into the gauntlet shape with Crayola® No-Run School Glue. Clip in place with clothespins while it dries.

• 5.

  Color the smooth side of bubble wrap using Slick Stix™. The colors and the design speak of the magic quality of the bubble wrap. Attach the colored bubble wrap to the foam armature.

• 6.

  Stain Advisement: Slick Stix contain pigments that may stain clothing, fabrics and other household surfaces. Wear a smock to protect clothing and cover your work surface with newspaper.

Standards

• LA: Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
• LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band independently and proficiently.
• LA: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
• LA: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

Adaptations

• Working individually, students select an incident from a book of fiction, assist the book's hero in resolving a dilemma, and describe how their invention worked to assist the hero in the challenge. Students write a description of their super power invention and how it assist with the dilemma. Students are prepared to present their intervention to classmates.
• A small group of students all read the same fiction book and select a single scene to intervene in favor of the story's hero. As a team, students collaborate to develop a superpower and make a list of possible scenarios where the power would be helpful. Market your superpower for sale. Create an advertisement that would entice people to purchase this power. Prepare a sales pitch for classmates. Students in the class evaluate the superpower's usefulness and the effectiveness of the sales pitch.
• Interview a local author of young adult literature. Investigate where he gets his ideas from for story writing. Prior to the interview, students compose questions for the author. After the meeting, students post learning to a class blog.