Encourage students to respond to literature as they learn to talk and write about books. In her article fifty alternatives to the book report, diana mitchell writes. Be a tv or radio reporter, and give a report of a scene from the book as if it is happening live. Write a diary or journal from the main characters point of view. Proofreading sets any writing 50 alternatives to the book report apart from acceptable and makes it exceptional. Students tire of responding to novels in the same ways. But for those educators thatd like to see a kind of index all gathered in one place, with certain links to more indepth analyses elsewhere, this post might help scratch that itch. Never run out of ideas for book reports and literary. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write well. Some will change the traditional classroom, and some will take education completely out of the classroom. Work to get fifty such words, phrases, or sentences so the whole sheet of paper will be covered. In that way, our site at large could be seen as a compilation of alternatives to lecturing. Creative activities for any bookplus a powerpoint on how to craft a book report. Some require very little actual writing but require the same thinking and rehearsal as a more formal piece of written text.
The visual impact of the collage should tell a potential reader a lot about the. For example, if a social worker went to the mcnabs house in maniac mageeby jerry spinelli 1990, little, brown how would she describe the home and. These projects are creative and fun, with realworld applications. I dont think they are an effective way for a student to demonstrate understanding of a book and i dont think they help students enjoy or appreciate reading. Help your students make the books they read come alive with these 22 creative book report ideas and. This allows students to explore their favorite trends in books. Put together a visual book report collage using magazine photoscutouts. The premium pro 50 gb plan gives you the option to download a copy of your binder to your local machine. This can be done in a physical format or through blog. Students explore book covers of a variety of books then create a new cover for a book they have read. Write a one sentence summary of each chapter and illustrate the sentence.
What makes this fun is that kids get to rethink the role of the setting in the book. Our experts proofread and edit your project with a detailed eye and with complete knowledge of all writing and style conventions. Take a look at these fun and effective alternatives to book reports and get your students and. 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. Write a news article about an important event from the book. Oct 20, 2017 kids are not automatically bookreport ready at specific ages. We 50 alternatives to the book report will not breach university or college academic integrity policies.
Creative alternatives to book reports lexia learning. Five alternatives to traditional book reports on tuesday evening i gave a presentation in second life for school librarians and media specialists. In this case, the article you are reading will help you with book reports alternatives. After reading an informational book, make a scrapbook about the topics. Ban the book report promoting frequent enthusiastic reading. Trade book teaching ideas from the olrc reading group. Write a series of questions and answers from the protagonist or antagonist. Fifty alternatives to the book report readwritethink. Resources for finding alternatives to book reports. So much information can be covered on the 12 panels and it allows students to take a deep dive in a creative way.
This clever book report is made from ordinary paper bags. If the events in the novel merit it, write up a report as a social worker would on the conditions in the home and whether or not its a good environment for a child. Creative activities for any book plus a powerpoint on how to craft a book report. What you actually need is alternatives to book reports. Eric ej560738 fifty alternatives to the book report. Summarize the book into a comic or story aimed for younger students or your classmates. Draw a classroom mural depicting a major scenes from the book. Jump into his or her head and tell me what they would think or feel about.
In the mean time i signed up for nctes weekly newsletter via email. Book report ideas 20 ways of looking at the book these activities address multiple intelligences and a range of student ability levels. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for studentsand. If students read a book has already been made into a movie, they can write a comparison between. Making movies based on popular books is a hollywood staple. Writing a summary of a book isnt necessarily the most effective way to demonstrate learning in the digital age. It is hoped that this diverse group of suggestions will whet. Design a poster or new book cover depicting the climax of the story. Every year in september when i survey my students, more than 50 percent consider themselves nonreaders. Fifty alternatives to the book report teaching ideas. Take the information presented into consideration, and you are sure to make the right alternative to your book report. 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.
See more ideas about teaching reading, reading workshop and 4th grade reading. In my last post i described 10 ways to cultivate a love of reading in kids. Fortunately, there are a plethora of alternative methods to accomplish the same goal. 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. So 50 alternatives to a book report as simplified by mesome of the ideas have been combined and listed as alternatives where appropiate. Fifty alternatives to the book report by literature resources. The words book report can elicit groans from students at any age. Here are 25 alternatives to the traditional book report for students to demonstrate their comprehension and deeper. The new classroom 50 alternatives to the book report. Traditional book reports should be a thing of the past. It is hoped that this diverse group of suggestions will whet the interest of students in exploring new directions and in responding with greater.
This ncte publication by diana mitchell lists fifty creative alternatives to the dreaded book report. Aug 02, 2007 50 alternatives to a book report i just read a great article from nctes english journal it is a pricey subscription but well worth every penny when i can cough up the money for it again. Nip that collective groan in the bud by offering your students fun alternativeschoices that allow them to connect to a book in ways that are me. They want new ways to think about a piece of literature and new ways to dig into it. There are authentic alternatives texts created by professional writers and thinkers that do more than a mere book report but stop shorts of serious literary analysis. This book would serve very well as a coffee table book for any gardeners front room, as the pictures are plentiful, clear and vivid and colorful and well captioned and beautiful. Write about the decisions you would make if you were the main character in the book. One of the topics that i talked about was alternatives to traditional book report assignments. The variety of new ideas is coming at a breakneck pace.
Blogger elena aguilar shares some creative ideas to make book reports more fun and meaningful for all types of learners and teachers. Offers 50 diverse suggestions intended to offer students new ways to think about a piece of literature, new directions to explore, and ways to respond with. I want to expand on that theme by suggesting 10 alternatives to the book report. Fifty alternatives to the book report diana mitchell ncte journal. However, you do not have any idea of what book to choose to consider in your report. With summary book websites online, the traditional book report is no longer an enriching task. 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. Its okay to do just a piece of a book report and practice that for a while. College essays are even more 50 book report alternatives challenging to write than high school ones, and students often get assigned a lot 50 book report alternatives of them.
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. So, with that in mind, i have created some visual writing ideas that are alternatives to the standard book report. After reading the book, they use an interactive tool to create a new cover for it. Mention the words book report, and chances are, youll see eyes roll. Fifty alternatives to the book report diana mitchell students tire of responding to novels in the same ways.
Fifty alternatives to the book report teaching ideas fifty quick ideas to improve your user stories teacher to teacher. You need to see where your child is and help him or her move step by step. Write an acrostic poem about the book using the letters in the title of the book or the name of a character or author. Mar 30, 2015 a book report is a book report, and thus will need to be graded by certain standards plot, analysis, etc. Mark a bookmark for the book, drawing a character on the front, giving a brief summary of the book on back after listing the title and author.
Alternative book reports for the 21st century whooos. Students select a book to read based only on its cover art. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for students and. Offers 50 diverse suggestions intended to offer students new ways to think about a piece of literature.
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