All the Light We Cannot See Creative Project Group Project Characterization

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This is a fun and engaging group project to complete with your students after having read through about half of Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. I created this lesson to break up the reading and get students working together to practice analyzing characterization in a fun and creative way. During this group project, students analyze how characters develop over the course of the novel and students are given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of their assigned character in a digital, real-world applicable way: by creating a job resume for their character.

Students are assigned one slideshow per group and within that slideshow, each student must create one resume for one of the characters in the novel. Students have 12 characters to choose from and should work in groups of 4-5 students. The slideshow assignment provided was created on Google Slides and can be assigned to Google Classroom or assigned as a digital link. Within each slideshow are 12 resume templates to choose from. Within each resume assignment, students are provided with detailed instruction to guide their process. Rubrics are included for quick and easy grading. This project should take 1-2 class periods to complete.

This assignment is in the form of a group slideshow but you can always have students complete one resume page individually if a group setting does not work for your classroom. I find value in having students work on this assignment in groups, because even though they are doing most of the work on their own; the project allows students to practice communicating and collaborating effectively as they have to delegate who will be responsible for each slide. I also enjoy mixing up the groups and having students move to different areas of the room to get them up and moving. As well, you can make the assignment more collaborative and interactive by telling students to choose one of their groupmate’s resumes to review and proofread once they have finished. What you will enjoy about this project is that while it is a group activity, students are responsible for their designated slide which allows for a more fair and equitable grading experience. Thus, one student is not left to do all the work on their own.

Please let me know how this project works out in your ELA classroom!