New Cereal on the Shelf

Students invent a cereal based on a fictional book and design a cereal box that presents information about the story in a fun, creative format.

Students write the name of their cereal and draw an illustration. Encourage students to think of a fun and enticing name---for example, for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, they might invent a cereal called Wizard's Wands, a toasted oat cereal in the shape of lightning bolts. Explain that the name and shape of the cereal should relate to their books. Point out the various characters, logos, and other elements on actual cereal boxes. Encourage students to make their cereal box look like a real product while relating it to the book. Discuss the colors and style of text and the use of "bursts" to include additional information. Explain that the purpose of these elements is to entice consumers to buy the product.

Students design a game that is based on the story. It can be a puzzle, a word game, or any other fun activity that might be found on the back of a cereal box. Discuss ways that students can incorporate information from their book into their game. They might include information about the characters, setting, plot, and so on.

Under the heading "Ingredients," will be be Main Characters and Setting: Students list the main characters and write a sentence about each one. They also write a sentence or two about the setting.

Students write a summary that describes the main conflict (problem) and the resolution (solution) of the book. Discuss ways to make the language sound appealing, as if they are advertising the book.

Students write 3 things: the title of the book, author of the book and their name.

Finally, students plan a two-minute commercial advertising their cereal and present it to the class. Presentations can be done orally with prepared index cards, power points, video via DVD, VHS, or Computer.

Criteria	Possible Points	Points Earned
1.) Was your book approved by the due date?	5
2.) Did you hand in your project on time?	10
3.) Is your cereal box neat, colorful, and attractive?	15
4.) Is the front of the box complete and thoughtfully done?	10
5.) Is the back of the box complete and thoughtfully done?	15
6.) Is the right side complete and accurate?(Ingredients: with Main Characters and Setting)	10
7.) Is the left side complete and accurate?(summary that describes the main conflict/problem) and the resolution/solution)	10
8.) Is the top complete and accurate?(Title of book, author of book and your name)	5
9.) Are the spelling, punctuation, and grammar correct?	10
10.) Was your commercial informative and interesting?	10