For tests I think a good thing to do would be to have quotes from their story or novel that students are reading and have them identify the quote, who said it, why they said it, and why it is important. This will have the students pay more attention to their reading and it will benefit them greatly.
For projects, I really like the idea or doing a novel anthology. I did this project in my sophomore year of high school and it really made me excited. I would have my students pick three different books, one which we read in class and two of which they read for free time. The students would then pick from a list of assignments, rewrite the ending, do journal responses, turn a scene of the book into a movie script, make a collage, write a review on the book. This will help all of the students I believe because it will include a wide range of activities so that students will be able to find something that they enjoy doing. If some students enjoy graphic design then they can create an ad, this will help all of the students get involved and excited even the ones who do not enjoy English.
For papers it is important to remember that there are not only research papers. Too many teachers only have their students doing research paper and completely forget about poems, creative writing, and also shorter papers. By including multiple types of writing they will find something they enjoy doing. This can help the students prepare for the future and also not fall in the same habit of doing the same type of writing.
-Kylie Betlesky