Beyond the book report a list of 35 ways to respond to reading. In biography book reports, the aforementioned outline would work. In most cases, an alternative to book reports is viable in case a writer analyzes the main character of a book through the alembic of hisher own inner world. Writing a book report helps you practice giving your opinion about different aspects of a book, such as an authors use of description or dialogue. Make a scrapbook for one of the characters in the book. Pretend you are a talk show host and interview the main character. More than a few alternatives to the book report the following list of alternatives is intended as a series of basic ideas that can act as a starting point in developing creative ways of asking students to be accountable for their summer reading.
So, when the powersthatbe requested that our students write book reports, i just had to jump in or rather, i was volunteered. Creative activities for any book plus a powerpoint on how to craft a book report. And most importantly, they really dont measure the comprehension of a text or confirm that they have even read the text. An alternative to book reports featured, reading sunday, july 16, 2017 for many of us, just hearing the words book report gives us a flashback to tedious reports that we were tasked with completing when we were in school. The north american forest commission nafc is one of six regional forestry commissions of the food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao. Thats right, all the lists of alternatives are crowdsourced, and thats what makes the data. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write.
Students tire of responding to novels in the same ways. Such practice encourages young people to think critically and develop analytical skills. Creative alternatives to book reports teachercreated lesson. Creating reading excitement with book trailers in this alternative to the traditional book report, students create book trailers using microsoft photo story 3, a free downloadable software program for digital storytelling. So, with that in mind, i have created some visual writing ideas that are alternatives to the standard book report. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for studentsand. Fifty alternatives to the book report diana mitchell ncte journal. Have students create a portrait of a character from the book they read. Well, guess what, your students dont want to write them either. Fifty alternatives to the book report readwritethink.
I have never been a fan of the book report, the traditional listing of characters, settings, and plots. Write a series of questions and answers from the protagonist or antagonist. In this alternative book report, students identify the elements of fiction in books they have read by creating glogs, interactive multimedia posters, and then share. With a traditional book report, students describe the major plot points or the main characters. Teachers alternatives to book reports 10 ideas for the. Take the information presented into consideration, and you are sure to make the right alternative to your book report. How to enhance book reports using technology huffpost. It could be because they barely have enough time to read the book, much less write a report on it.
Though the design of their app isnt quite as fun as, say, ynabs app, the. Alternativeto is a free service that helps you find better alternatives to the products you love and hate. A quick web search will reveal that there are many ideas out there for creative book reports, but they are not all good ideas. One of the topics that i talked about was alternatives to traditional book report assignments. In this alternative book report, students identify the elements of fiction in books they have read by creating glogs, interactive multimedia posters, and then share their glogs. Write a narrative poem based on the plot of the novel.
These might include a summary of the plot or main points or themes, comparisons or references to the writers earlier works, discussion of the writers. Alternative book reports for the 21st century whooos. Moneyspires features make it one of the best quicken alternatives for business users if youre willing to pay for the privilege of using the app, but we found the desktop appavailable on windows and mac to be simple enough for nonprosumer users as well. E book subscriptions are gaining popularity, but consumer reports explains why the fees may be too high for many readers.
In this case, the article you are reading will help you with book reports alternatives. Many people look for help with writing a book report. Well, in case he does not know how to compile an effective middle. Ten great creative book report ideas minds in bloom. This is a perfect alternative to normal book reports. As the school years approaches the last days and spring fever claims the limited attention span of students a fun creative alternative to the standard book report may provide a little sanity. This article offers several suggestions for teachers to use right away. These will work for almost any book and are especially good when students are reading independent book selections. Draw a map of the events that happened in the book.
An ideal book report should contain an introduction, a body, and a conclusion or evaluation. Then she photocopied the drawings onto appropriately colored sheets of paper ham on pink, tomato on red, swiss cheese on yellow, etc. The secret garden is one of the most popular childrens novels written by frances hodgson burnett. If students read a book has already been made into a movie. Take a look at these nine ideas ways to light your creative spark and burn through that project in no time. Alternatives to the book report linkedin slideshare. Free book reports feel free to copy and paste these book reports. Mention the words book report, and chances are, youll see eyes roll. Female prisoner says biological male who identifies as a woman raped her. See patricia frys complete story maps and boxes lesson. When it comes to reading comprehension, written book reports are often the most common evaluation method. The end result of book report alternatives, such as the one explored in this lesson plan, is that the activities whet the interest of students in exploring new directions and in responding with greater depth to the books they read mitchell 92. Students of high school and college level usually face this type of task. Most book reports allow the students to write down what they saw, but these let then draw them out as well.
While this post is a followup to that presentation, the post on its own should give you some ideas for. When you have a child who hates to write, short book reports can be just as daunting as a fullfledged research paper. This part of the technical report usually specifies the books title, author, publisher and publication date, and a brief introduction to the book and your report. My book report worksheets living life and learning. As a book report template, the center image could be a copy of the book cover, and each section expands on key information such as character names, themes, conflict, resolution, etc. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write well. Students could design a tattoo for a character and then write an essay explaining or justifying their choices. There are ways to finish your project that will show your enthusiasm and make your teacher sit up and take notice. Students draw scenes from a selected part of the bookperhaps a scene. Make the process of writing a book report easy as abc. Although i do not assign the traditional book reports i was required to produce in own reading past, i am always looking for more reading response options. The teacher commissioned a friend to draw slices of ham, tomato, and swiss cheese. Students explore book covers of a variety of books then create a new cover for a book they have read.
Alternativeto crowdsourced software recommendations. There are many, many great ways for students to respond to literature. The liberty daily the conservative alternative to the. Alternatives to book reportsfinal projects for novels tpt. For many of us, just hearing the words book report gives us a flashback to tedious reports that we were tasked with completing when we were in school. Alverata, alverata informal and alverata irregular, that variate in form and width, but maintain the same spirit. Students will choose from 3 alternative final projects after reading novels either as a class or independently. Book report ideas 20 ways of looking at the book these activities address multiple intelligences and a range of student ability levels. He was clueless that a witch put a curse on his family to see the future, but nadia told him and he isnt clueless anymore.
What you actually need is alternatives to book reports. Book in a boxin this book responseactivity, studentsdecorate a box torepresent the book and fillit with objects thatsymbolize differentaspects of the story. Tutors assign them as a tool to examine the reading comprehension skill among the students. Work to get fifty such words, phrases, or sentences so the whole sheet of paper will be covered. When creating their book trailers students should be trying to sell viewers on a book.
Show where it was in the world, or if it was an imaginary place, draw a suitable map. To harness some of students communication energy and interest, provide book report alternatives that involve talking or the idea of talking. Many of us have kids who dont like to write or cant write. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for studentsand reading them can be equally tedious for educators. As you look, think in terms of the theme, setting, plot line, as well as characters. They share their story boxes as an alternative to book reports. Once they find a book that they love to read, have them explore more and record what they read with these simple book reports. Make a picture book or childrens version of your novel. Like most of his further books this one is intended for a wide range of readers. Book reports are an essential curriculum for middle school students.
Heres the gist our new favorite word of the project. If you notice big eye rolls or hear lots of groaning when you mention the words book reports, any of these 25 alternative bookrelated activities are the perfect. Creative alternatives to book reports lexia learning. Write a letter from one character to another character.
In the mean time i signed up for nctes weekly newsletter via email. It is hoped that this diverse group of suggestions will whet the interest. As an academic assignment, it is supposed to ensure that students keep up with the reading required from them and that they can perceive those critically, understanding the subject matter profoundly. Come up with 5 areas of his or her personality to grade based on how the character behaved in the story. We have used these in the classroom many times and always had great success. Write a letter to the main character and the characters reply. Write a letter to the author of the book explaining to him or her why you think he or she wrote the book and what he or she was trying to show through the book. A book report is an essay discussing the contents of a book, written as part of a class assignment issued to students in schools, particularly at the elementary school level. Surely theres a better way to have students relate to the books they read. Three types of effective book reports are plot summaries, character analyses, and theme analyses.
Fresh ideas for creative book reports education world. This is a way to show how well you understand a book and what you think about it. The site is made by ola and markus in sweden, with a lot of help from our friends and colleagues in italy, finland, usa, colombia, philippines, france and contributors from all over the world. Infant sleeper bassinets recalled over suffocation risk. Be book report pen pals and share book reports with children in another school. It reminds the reading public about all horrors of nazi catastrophe. Depending on your childs learning style, book reports can be one of the most dreaded assignments and one of the reasons many kids hate to read. If the author is still alive, send the letter to the author via the publisher of the book. Read a book, write a summary, decorate a bag with a scene from the book, place five items in the bag that represent something from the book, bring it to school, and present it to the rest of us. Promoting frequent and enthusiastic reading, offers creative alternatives to my letters and journals.
Nip that collective groan in the bud by offering your students fun alternatives choices that allow them to connect to a book in ways that are me. A book report at a sixthgrade level should successfully. You should try to write a strong introductory paragraph that grabs your readers attention. See more ideas about book report alternatives, teaching reading, teaching. Students respond to a book they have read by thinking symbolically to create a business card for one of the characters. Those are technological platforms through which learners can display the books that they have read. Great for new teachers, student teachers, homeschooling and teachers who like creative ways to teach. Five alternatives to traditional book reports on tuesday evening i gave a presentation in second life for school librarians and media specialists. Fortunately, there are a plethora of alternative methods to accomplish the same goal. Oct 20, 2017 when it does come time to start actually writing book reports, make sure to provide templates to help guide the process. The format of a book report may vary, depending on what is asked from you. Choose one of the themes lessons of the book and write about how it relates to current events.
Then look through magazines for words, phrases, and sentences that illustrate or tell something about your book. However, you do not have any idea of what book to choose to consider in your report. Book in a bag project a great alternative to a book report. The irregular version is particularly inspired by the insular letterforms, the uncials, and their constantly changing positioning. In short, a book trailer is a short video created by students to highlight the key points of a book. Teachers alternatives to book reports for the talkers. Book in a bag, advertisement, letter to the author. Book report alternatives for middle school education. Create prompts for each paragraph, find templates online, or create specific questions for your child to answer. Ban the book report promoting frequent enthusiastic reading. Students select a book to read based only on its cover art. An alternative to book reports featured, reading sunday, july 16, 2017. Thumbnail outline students explore the value of the outline format book report and practice picking out the important details and characteristics of a book that might belong in an outline.
Some students would rather talk than almost anything else. Shelfari is one such site that allows learners to interact with other learners and teachers. I mean, do you really want to read 30125 recaps of the same book. Teachers will find creative alternatives to the traditional book report that tap into student interests and creative writing in ban the book report. After reading the book, they use an interactive tool to create a new cover for it. Book reports are a common assignment for sixthgraders, and students should expect to complete several during their time in middle school. Not everyone loves book reports as much as i do, so i created this list of book report alternatives to help homeschooling moms and classroom teachers alike.
The book report activity is meant to polish up the analyzing and creative senses in students and hence a must done. Making movies based on popular books is a hollywood staple. Writing a book report book reports can take on many different forms. Another idea that works well for both nonfiction and fiction book reports.
Creative alternatives to book reports teachercreated. They might get you a c or better in an eighth grade english class, assuming that. Alternatives to traditional book reports richard byrne. Take a look at these fun and effective alternatives to book reports and get your students and. Established in 1958, nafc provides a policy and technical forum for canada, mexico and the united states to discuss and address forest issues on a north american basis. The idea is for you and the students to have a great time reading, thinking, and writing about books. So, if you have ever read a book about a boygirl who reminded you yourself, it may be the best alternative to your book report. Blogger elena aguilar shares some creative ideas to make book reports more fun and meaningful for all types of learners and teachers. For many, though, its simply that book reports are a daunting task.
Writing a book report may not seem fun at first, but it gives you a great chance to really understand a work and its author. See more ideas about teaching reading, reading workshop and 4th grade reading. As a result, many standard rubrics for book reports may still apply, helping give students an idea of what their project should include and how their work will be graded. Many of the suggestions integrate technology into student presentations. Explain why this book should or should not be read by students in your grade level. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for students and. Does your child too need to submit a middle school book report templates in his class soon. Virtual bookshelves are a great alternative to book reports and reading logs. Somewhere in your first paragraph, you should also state the book s title and the authors name. Teachertested ideas to help kids respond to their reading with enthusiasm. Create a travel brochure for the setting of the story or scrapbook pages about key characters. Plus, these book report worksheets bring so much fun to the world of reading.
Mar 30, 2015 a book report is a book report, and thus will need to be graded by certain standards plot, analysis, etc. I ran a post about book trailers during the summer which you can read here. If it was an adventure, draw where they went, who they met along the way and difficulties they faced. It was first published in 1911 and consists of 27 chapters, in its earliest release it was published in sequels and did not draw much attention initially.
Research has shown that book report is one of the most dreaded words in school. Make your reading project sizzle with these hot ideas. Lori vallow, mother of missing idaho kids, arrested in hawaii on several charges. While this format is important in assessing understanding of literary elements, offering alternate bookreport formats encourages students to use creativity and other writing skills in. How to write a book report in the 6th grade synonym. Traditional book reports should be a thing of the past. And i invite you to access the fullcolor version immediately downloadable of 80 alternatives to book reports as well as scores of free resources that you can use to build reading, writing, and learning in your classroom, including powerpoints, pdfs, and word documents, by going to. Have students create a portrait of a character from the book. Asking students to create an alternative ending to a book one. Custom book reports on any topic a book report is a common type of work for students in different disciplines and specializations. Dress either as the author or one of the characters. Book report writing helper for college students online.
1125 1237 1197 114 928 47 1329 712 853 150 613 119 1596 1257 1065 1271 35 113 178 966 1393 466 142 532 1484 996 688 333 1459 1079 1007 79 24 1187 134