Facebook Fiction (This Project is Under Construction)

Introduction

In order to get the most out of a piece of literature, students must empathize with the characters, try to understand what motivates the main characters, and how those characters perceive of and interact with their world.  The way that our students perceive of and interact with their world is changing all the time.  At this point in history, however, digital communication the key.  Therefore, as teachers, if we can bring social media into the realm of literature, we have a better chance of engaging the students and getting them to see what lies within the protagonists on the page.

Objective

Students will show an understanding of character motivations and tone, including how each changes throughout the plot line of a book, by embodying this character through the use of a social media project.

Anticipatory Set

Discuss social media with the students.  What are the different types of social media?  Why do people use social media?

Procedure

Step 1

Step 2

After reading the first section of the book, the students will begin to develop their character's profile.  This will include all typical profile information from Facebook, including "Likes," "Groups," "Interests," and, of course, "Relationship Status."

Step 3

After reading the second section of the book, the students will begin making their first posts.  These posts will generally reflect on things happening in the life of the character.  They should be encouraged to make a few post for each section as they read, preferably as they read the section.  Perhaps they could keep a small  notebook with to write down potential posts as they're reading.

Step 4

Now that the students have set up their pages and made a few posts, they can begin interacting with each other.  This can be done a couple of different ways:  

1. Students could be put into small groups, each group containing each of the main characters from the story.
2. Two people who have the same a character could also be allowed to communicate as a sort of inner dialogue.  This could take some extra discussion and practice.
3. The students, if in small reading groups with different books, could be allowed to communicate from one book to another. 

Step 5

Students should also occasionally reflect on the progress of their social media project in class.  This could allow the teacher to pinpoint any problem areas and make sure that all of the students are benefitting from the experience.

Assessment