Resources: Ten Oscar Competition Activities (Plus Five)

This List of Ten is a bit different. In my thinking of the hoopla over the Oscars, I began wondering what would happen if instead of movies, we were talking about works of literature. So I've come up with an Oscar-type competition for the readings that a class has completed over the course of a school term. Some of the items in the competition can be separated by gender, as the Oscars are separated. I've listed them as different categories below, but you could collapse the categories. You could consider, for example, all characters rather than best male and best female. Likewise, while there are questions below for different genre, all the questions could be collapsed into a single question on the most outstanding piece of literature (rather than the best poem, the best play, and so on). There are two different ways to use these suggestions. Either way, it probably works best as an end-of-the-term activity.

Option One: You might have an actual contest. Students could assemble in small groups to go through their readings for the semester or the year, searching for nominations. You might ask students to write objective support for their nominations and to include the equivalent of "film clips"--passages that show the strength of their nominations. The questions in the assignments below could guide groups of students gathering the nominations for a particular category. Once all the nominations are in place, you might have some time for campaigning, and eventually your students could vote. This assignment could work across classes if different sections have done the same readings.

Option Two: Choose one of the questions below and use it as an exam prompt or a final paper. To help students, you might name five candidates for them to choose among. By listing choices, you can help students avoid freezing and wasting time trying to think of appropriate candidates, letting them focusing on making a choice and providing supporting details. Note: since the items are a bit redundant, I've rounded this list up to 15 items. The extra five give me the chance to explain related options (such as best play, poem, novel and short story) while still including everything that I wanted to have on the list.

Outstanding Male Character. Who was the most outstanding male character in the literature that we've read this term? Your choice should be a main character in any work that we've read. Think carefully about how the character you choose is explained, described, and developed. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a male character "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the male character you've chosen really does stand out.
Outstanding Female Character. Who was the most outstanding female character in the literature that we've read this term? Your choice should be a main character in any work that we've read. Think carefully about how the character you choose is explained, described, and developed. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a female character "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the male character you've chosen really does stand out.
Supporting Male Character. Who was the most outstanding male supporting character in the literature that we've read this term? Your choice should be a supporting character in any work that we've read. A supporting character is one who is important to the events of the work, but who is not the main character. Think carefully about how the character you choose is explained, described, and developed. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a male character "outstanding," and be sure that you have a clear understanding of the difference between a main character and a supporting character. Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the male character you've chosen really does stand out.
Supporting Female Character. Who was the most outstanding female supporting character in the literature that we've read this term? Your choice should be a supporting character in any work that we've read. A supporting character is one who is important to the events of the work, but who is not the main character. Think carefully about how the character you choose is explained, described, and developed. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a female character "outstanding," and be sure that you have a clear understanding of the difference between a main character and a supporting character. Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the female character you've chosen really does stand out.
Setting. What was the most outstanding setting in the literature that we've read this term? A work can include more than one setting--for instance, in there may be several inside rooms that are treated as different settings, or an entire house may work as a setting juxtaposed to an outside setting, an out-building like a barn, or a location such as a specific street in a city. Think carefully about how the setting you choose is explained, described, and developed--and in particular, think about what makes this setting important to the work as a whole. An outstanding setting is more than a well-described place--Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a setting "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the setting you've chosen really does stand out.
Animal Character. What was the most outstanding animal character in the literature that we've read this term? The animal may have had a major role in the work or have been something of a supporting or symbolic character. Think carefully about how the animal character you choose is explained, described, and developed. Give attention to the ways that this animal character is important to the work--is it symbolically important? does it drive the plot? what would be lost if it were not there? Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes this character "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the animal character you've chosen really does stand out.
Short Story. What was the most outstanding short story that we've read this term? Think carefully about the short story that you choose--all the aspects of the story should unite in an exemplary piece of literature. You should account for such aspects as character, setting, plot, structure, tone, point of view, and style. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a short story "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the short story you've chosen really does stand out.
Poem. What was the most outstanding poem that we've read this term? Think carefully about the poem that you choose--all the aspects of the poem should unite in an exemplary piece of literature. You should account for such aspects as symbolism, structure, tone, point of view, rhyme, rhythm and style. Additionally, account for conventions that apply to the kind of poem you've selected (for example, a dramatic monologue or a haiku). Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a poem "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the poem you've chosen really does stand out.
Play. What was the most outstanding play that we've read this term? Think carefully about the play that you choose--all the aspects of the play should unite in an exemplary piece of literature. You should account for such aspects as character, setting, plot, structure, stage direction, and style. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a play "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the play you've chosen really does stand out.
Novel. What was the most outstanding novel that we've read this term? Think carefully about the novel that you choose--all the aspects of the novel should unite in an exemplary piece of literature. You should account for such aspects as character, setting, plot, structure, tone, point of view, and style. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a novel "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the novel you've chosen really does stand out.
Adaptation of Myth or Folk Tale. What was the most outstanding adaptation of a myth or folk tale that you found in a piece of literature that we've read this term? Think about the relationship between the original myth or folk tale and its representation in a more recent work. How has the original been adapted in the new version, and why has it been included? How does the adapted myth or folk tale add to the work in which the appears? Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes an adaptation "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the adaptation you've chosen really does stand out.
Descriptive Passage (50 words or less). What was the most outstanding descriptive passage in the literature that we've read this term? The passage can describe anything: a character, a setting, an event, and so forth. Think carefully about how the descriptive setting that you choose works. What kind of detail does it use? What literary techniques does it rely on? And, in particular, think about what makes this description important to the work as a whole. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a descriptive passage "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the passage that you've chosen really does stand out.
Sentence. What was the most outstanding sentence in the literature that we've read this term? The sentence can serve any purpose in the text--exposition, description, and so forth. Think carefully about how the sentence that you choose works. What kind of detail does it use? What literary techniques does it rely on? And, in particular, think about what makes this sentence important to the work as a whole. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a sentence "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the sentence that you've chosen really does stand out.
Plot. What was the most outstanding plot in the literature that we've read this term? Think carefully about the plot you choose--how is it structured, what are the key turning points or events, and how do the components combine in an overall structure that is unique or exemplary. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a plot "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the plot you've chosen really does stand out.
Use of Symbolism. What was the most outstanding use of symbolism in the literature that we've read this term? Think carefully about the symbol that you choose--how is it symbolic? what does it symbolize? how is the symbol important to the work as a whole? why does it stand out? Be sure that you have clear criteria for what makes a symbol "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection, supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you considered. Your paper should show readers why the use of symbolism that you've chosen really does stand out.