Catcher Collaborative Scrapbook

Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s Scrapbook
As a culminating activity for our reading of Catcher in the Rye, you will create a
section of a scrapbook from Holden’s perspective. I will assign you a chapter, and
you will create five (5) scrapbook pages relating to that chapter. Your project
should demonstrate what people, memories, objects, places, ideas, etc. are
important to Holden, and it should demonstrate your understanding of him and
the novel as a whole. It should also be fun to make.
A scrapbook generally consists of blank pages, bound together, upon which are
mounted photographs, brochures, postcards, ticket stubs, newspaper articles,
and any other memorabilia of a particular place or event. I am not asking you to
collect “real” ticket stubs, postcards, etc. (although I’m not prohibiting it either).
You will:
• Take five sheets of blank paper to use as the background of your
scrapbook pages.
• The pages should be formatted “portrait” set up (long side is vertical).
• You will leave them unbound (we’ll bind all the pages together at the end).
• Inside, you will mount (with glue, tape, etc.) the “artifacts” you have
created of Holden’s life.
• Next to each artifact, you will include a brief caption, or comment, in
Holden’s voice (so you are pretending to be him) explaining why that item
is important to him.
• If you do not have nice handwriting, please type the captions and any other
titles and text, pasting them carefully on the page.
• One of the pages will include two poems (see attached handout for the
forms you can use)
• Each scrapbook page should have at least three items on it.
• See my pages for Chapter One as an example.
You should use the text to guide the construction of your scrapbook. Notice little
things and big things that Holden mentions. Your artifacts don’t need to have
actually existed in the book, but they should relate to what happens in your
chapter.
You might choose to make a program for Phoebe’s play, or a map of Central Park,
or a photograph of Holden smiling with the two nuns, even though those items
don’t actually exist in the book. You can make them with your own drawings,
images from the Internet, pictures clipped from magazines, or drawings made on
a computer program—or any combination of these things.
Use your imagination! Be as creative as you can be, while making sure to show
me how much you know about Holden and the book.
It will be graded for attention to detail, understanding of the major themes of the
book, care and effort, and creativity.
Catcher in the Rye – Poetry Types
Use two of these types of poems to create the poetry page of your scrapbook. The poems should
be in Holden’s voice. Some of these examples are written to Holden, but I include them here as
examples of the forms.
LIMERICK POETRY
A limerick has a particular form and rhyme. It is usually humorous and contains 5 lines. The last
words of the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other (A), and the last words of the
third and fourth lines rhyme with each other (B). Ideas for this poem can come from any place in
the book. Here is an example:
Everyone you meet, you think is a phony (A)

Not one of them would you call a crony (A)
You meet life with fear (B)
Only Phoebe and Allie stay dear (B)
When will you learn that your philosophy is baloney? (A)
ODE TO ALLIE/JANE/someone/something he LIKED in the chapter

An ode is a poem of praise to a person, place, or thing. An ode does not have to rhyme. Your
poem will honor someone or something he liked from the chapter.
Some questions to help you write your poem:
What was _____ like? Why does Holden feel this way?
Why is _______ so important to Holden? What might __________ represent or symbolize?
Here is an example for Allie:

Smiling, red hair bobbing,
reading poems in the outfield.
Racing so fast --
fast, faster,
Leaving life behind, while
I stumble, fall.
Catch me in your mitt,
Dear brother.
POEM FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

Pretend that you are one of the other characters in the book: Phoebe, D.B., Jane, Sally, Stradlater,
Mr. Spencer, Mrs. Morrow, Sunny, Maurice, the nuns, Carl Luce, etc., and write a poem about
Holden, describing your feelings and thoughts about him.
Here is an example as if written by Mr. Spencer:

Mr. Spencer
Why do you struggle so,

in a world where you could do anything, go anywhere?
You fight ghosts, facing the wrong direction
With all the light, you only see darkness.
Oh, Holden – youth is elusive
Enjoy your time.
Age creeps up and then, like me,
you come full circle.
Don't be empty --
Look inside.
Be someone – something – anything.
FOUND POEM Found poems are created by selecting words, phrases, or quotes from the novel.
Then you will rearrange them in poetic form. Your aim is to create a poem that captures the
mood or essence of the novel. You may want to provide new insight for the reader. End your
poem by using arranged by and your name since the words are not your own.
I won't Dance – don't ask me
I didn't feel like it.
You want to know the truth?
I NEVER DANCE!
It wasn't anything physical
I can't understand
How the hell should I know why?
It was very phony
I'm too big to dance.

Catcher Collaborative Scrapbook

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Catcher Collaborative Scrapbook

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Catcher Collaborative Scrapbook

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Catcher in the Rye

Everyone you meet, you think is a phony (A)

ODE TO ALLIE/JANE/someone/something he LIKED in the chapter

Some questions to help you write your poem:

Here is an example for Allie:

POEM FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

Here is an example as if written by Mr. Spencer:

Why do you struggle so,

You might also like