FANS of Lord of the Flies

Purpose:  This easy technology project allows our students to create study guides for reviewing for almost anything, literature, science, history, etc. This idea was inspired by FANDEX: Family Field Guides.  

Materials: Basic Cover weight paper scissors  crayons (if you don't have a color printer) fasteners for the fans Materials: hardware/software color printer (optional) The Internet  Scanner (optional) any program like Word, Publisher, or PageMaker

Time:  

• 1 day--Research can be done at home or in your school library
• 1 day--Graphics from the Internet can be done at home, lab, in classroom is Internet connection is available 
• 1-5 days--to have students put picture and text on a word processing program. Time depends on how many computers are available.  If not in a lab, 5 days seems about right for about 20-25 students.  That is NOT 5 days for the whole class.  I always have my other students writing, reading, or working on other projects while the day's individuals are creating on the computer.

Procedures:

This project can be as high-tech or as low-tech as you would like.  You can use a sophisticated desktop publishing program like PageMaker or just copy and paste your information into word.

1. After reading your novel, in this case Lord of the Flies,  assign each student in your class a section to research and write about.  The ones illustrated above are character fans.  You can assign: characters, plot, symbols, themes, other works, etc.  
2. Once assigned, each student is responsible for researching and writing about his/her topic. I have my students complete them in class to "reduce" copying and pasting from books and the Internet.  These are then graded for grammar, style and accuracy.  Corrections are suggested and rewrites are handed in typed and ideally on disk or on the file server.
3. Either at home or in the classroom, have student search the Internet for an appropriate graphic for their information.  The example above, uses characters from the 1963 movie.  If going into theme or symbolism, clipart or photos of a sea shell, a devil, a pig, glasses, etc. would be good images to use.
4. When all (or most) of the students have their information and graphic, I sit them down at the computer and give them a template of the height and width of the fan. With access to only one computer  I would start the students on the computer as soon as they are completed.  
5. For the first student or two, I show them how to cut, paste, and place text and graphics on the template.  For the rest of the project, I designate the last student (who has just completed the assignment) to show the next student how to cut, paste, and place.
6. When a student complete the assigned fan, I have them save it under his/her name. It is best to make the template read only, or at least have a few copies of the template saved incase a student saves over it.

Here's what the project looks like as we worked in PageMaker. It would print well on a color printer. Students are allowed to pick their own colors, fonts, and sizes.  The only requirement was it MUST be readable.

 When completed print out.  No color printer?  Have students color the fans.  When completed, print out fans and then let the students cut out around them and fasten them together with a clip.

If you can, print out a set of FANs for each students or if limited in supplies, create one FAN as a classroom.

Variations:

• Have a student create a FAN for a visual book report.
• Donate your FAN to the library as a resource material.
• Need more information on the FANs, use the back.  Easiest thing to do is run off the additional information on paper and then "literally" cut and paste onto the back of the FAN.