While many students dread these assignments, book reports can help students learn how to interpret texts and gain a broader understanding of the world around them. In this case, the article you are reading will help you with book reports alternatives. What you actually need is alternatives to book reports. Written assignments can be more original and exciting than the usual term papers, book reports, and homework assignments. Creative alternatives to book reports lexia learning. Well, guess what, your students dont want to write them either. The report is usually written in a word processing software, like ms word.
The latter should provide a deeper insight into the books themes and motives, while the former is more of a critical paraphrasing. Here are 40 alternative assessment ideas to get you started. The newspaper page might include weather reports, an editorial or editorial cartoon, ads, etc. Alternative assessment methods such as writing assignments, collaborative assignments, case studies, and debates can avoid the problems often associated with tests and quizzes. Some books have a section in the back with questions for facilitating discussion at a book club. These longer reports are written out in paragraph form. And, for whatever reason, parents in my community are rumored to be enamored with book reports they are somehow a mark of a rigorous writing curriculum. Spice up those old book reports with some new, creative ideas. In that case use font times new roman, font size 12 pt. There is a spot to write the date, next meeting date, assignment how many pages to read, and a section for notes. The instructor has given you five articles on a single topic. That reading project can be a real drag on your timebut dont despair. Mar 30, 2015 instead, english teachers need to approach book reports in a way that will engage and teach students just as much as the material the report is on. Here are some alternative assignments to book reports that share the same benefits and instructional results but are infused with fun.
This book posits a more realistic plan than many i have heard in futurist and survivalist literature of the last ten years. An alternative to book reports featured, reading sunday, july 16, 2017. Fifty alternatives to the book report teaching ideas ncte. Create a travel brochure for the setting of the story or scrapbook pages about key characters. Examples of alternative assignments or statements for. Such an assignment reveals a students understanding of the character and the. This activity obviously works best with books that have not already been made into movies. They usually take different forms and require a clear and logical presentation of thoughts. Examining story elements using story map comic strips comic frames are traditionally used to illustrate a story in a short, concise format. Take a look at these nine ideas ways to light your creative spark and burn through that project in no time. The book is presented in part as a series of reports and secret interactions. Make your reading project sizzle with these hot ideas. Youll find a variety of ideas ranging from essaybased projects to artistic projects to technology. Moodle networking mnet moodle office tool integrations.
Oct 20, 2017 when it does come time to start actually writing book reports, make sure to provide templates to help guide the process. For example, a student might become christopher columbus, one of his sailors, or a mouse on the. Create prompts for each paragraph, find templates online, or create specific questions for your child to answer. Fresh ideas for creative book reports education world. Analyze a subject using opinion polls and compare findings. Characters are developed through many techniques, such as description, dialogue and action. Lets consider some activities that allow a student to show understanding. Oct 26, 2010 video tape oral book reports and then have the children take turns taking the video home for all to share. And most importantly, they really dont measure the comprehension of a text or confirm that they have even read the text.
Be book report pen pals and share book reports with children in another school. There is also an example of statement in which an alternative assignment is not an option. Alternative teaching strategies teaching at unl nebraska. Many of us have kids who dont like to write or cant write. Bring your traditional book report assignments into the 21st century, and make the format as much of a teaching moment as the content with these four ideas. Because the traditional book report ranked third in the students list of negative reading practices, cope suggests that alternative assignments are needed. Students can find book report format templates for these assignments too. All told, the book includes 20 different possible assignments.
Students select a book to read based only on its cover art. Write a diary or journal from the main characters point of view. Students can make a stuffed animal that matches the theme of the story read. As an alternative the report may also be prepared using word. These book report alternatives focus on characterization. Pretend you are a talk show host and interview the main character. In this lesson, students use a sixpaneled comic strip frame to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that theyve read. Twominute oral reports to flesh out the context of the assigned readings for a class session put on a conference complete with poster sessions, panels, papers, etc. The 1978 cult scifi classic republished with new material kindle edition by watkins, leslie. Practical ideas on alternative assessment for esl students. Free blogging sites like blogger and wordpress also support podcasting.
Write an obituary for one of the characters in the book. The visual impact of the collage should tell a potential reader a lot about the book. This type of alternative book report also helps develop 21stcentury digital skills. Each student can turn a book, or part of it, into a comic book, complete with comicstyle illustrations and dialogue bubbles. However, you do not have any idea of what book to choose to consider in your report. The title of the newspaper should be something appropriate to the book. Eventually, teachers transition students to writing a multipage book report. Traditional book reports should be a thing of the past.
Describe a minor characterperson in the book who had major importance. For example, you might require students to observe. Engage your students in reading response activities with this fun cereal box book reports activity. Help your students make the books they read come alive with these 22 creative book report ideas and. Education world presents 25 ideas for you to use or adapt. A nice result is obtained if in the page setup a gutter of 1 cm is inserted, where this value is alternating set to. In the books final chapter, foster reveals that ban the book report grew out of a yearlong pd project in two middle schools and writes. When you have a child who hates to write, short book reports can be just as daunting as a fullfledged research paper. Oct 11, 2019 one assignment has lasted the test of time, uniting generations of students in a common learning exercise. Replace boring book reports with projects kids love teachhub.
Configurable reports block plugin courses and course formats. 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. As an alternative to a debate consider role playing. Ed hannibal, north america leader for mercers mobility consulting practice, reports that alternative expatriate assignments enable hr professionals to provide highpotential employees with. Book club activity want to get students engaged with. On the back of the book cover, explain why you are giving the award to the book. The latter should provide a deeper insight into the book s themes and motives, while the former is more of a critical paraphrasing. As a result, giving a student the opportunity to make a movie book report can be a huge motivator, allowing them to get creative while displaying their understanding of the book s source material. Like podcasting, this type of book report provides an alternative to the traditional writing assignment.
Draw and color the book cover, and place the book award ribbon on the cover. See more ideas about teaching reading, 4th grade reading and reading workshop. Theres something for everyone, including the crafty kid, the letterwriter, the map. Many of the suggestions integrate technology into student presentations. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write. On one side of the cover, come up with 10 song titles that represent characters, events, or settings in the book. Nov 06, 2017 i have inherited a legacy of book reports. There are ways to finish your project that will show your enthusiasm and make your teacher sit up and take notice. 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. In addition, role plays can serve as an alternative to traditional book reports. Students are capable of producing fairly sophisticated work if the assignment is clearly explained and carefully structured. The book is a great mix of science, maybe fiction, geopolitcs, and worldlevel executive planning. Hence, one or two pages in a typical a4 layout paper.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Alternative assessment methods for the online classroom. Video tape oral book reports and then have the children take turns taking the video home for all to share. Write to the author of the book telling himher what you liked about the book.
Put together a group of 5 things from the story of the week. Do your students grumble every time you mention the words book reports. Twominute oral reports to flesh out the context of the assigned readings for a class session put on a conference. In this vein, have students write a section of discussion questions for the book they read. Take a look at these fun and effective alternatives to book reports and get your students and. After reading the book, they use an interactive tool to create a new cover for it. I mean, do you really want to read 30125 recaps of the same book. Describe one major external conflict and one major internal conflict found in this book.
This book club assignment tracker can be used to help a group of students stay on track with their book club or guided reading assignments. Do your kids roll their eyes at the thought of having to write another boring book report. Locate each article in the librarys databases and describe your search strategies. Examples of alternative assignments or statements for service learning courses the following are examples of alternative assignments that current ttu faculty have their students complete in place of the servicelearning component.
Students could choose to use audio only or take it a step further through the use of video, props, and costumes. For example, a student might become christopher columbus, one of his sailors, or a mouse on the ship, and tell the story from that characters point of view. Create a bookmark to match the theme of the last book read. Create an oldfashioned wanted poster for a character from a story or a historical figure. Good homework assignment for extended time out of school. Take the information presented into consideration, and you are sure to make the right alternative to your book report.
The fun, lowcost, hightech tool glogster allows students to combine images, graphics, audio, video, and text on one digital. Written assignments and outofclass exercises written assignments can be more original and exciting than the usual term papers, book reports, and homework assignments. Although this list is designed for middle school, many of the suggestions. I want to expand on that theme by suggesting 10 alternatives to the book report. Beyond the book report a list of 35 ways to respond to reading. 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. Teachertested ideas to help kids respond to their reading with enthusiasm. The teacher asks the students to address different elements of. While many students dread these assignments, book reports can help students learn how to interpret texts and gain a broader understanding of. The 1978 cult scifi classic republished with new material.
Hooking a reader with a book cover students select a book to read based only on its cover art. What alternatives to book reports have you offered students. Alternative book reports for the 21st century whooos. If so, theyll jump for joy at the chance to try these ideas for creative book reports. Have students describe the character using facts, figures, and a description. Writing assignments can be more original and exciting than the usual term papers, book reports, and homework assignments. Write a series of questions and answers from the protagonist or antagonist. This assignment handout gives students several choices for different projects to complete instead of a standard book report. Fifty alternatives to the book report readwritethink. College and high school students often get book reports as homework assignments. The deadline for turning in alternative assignments to get credit toward spring 2020 classes is 11. 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.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alternative 3. One assignment has lasted the test of time, uniting generations of students in a common learning exercise. Every quarter for eons, students in my school have written book reports. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write well. Students can transform themselves into a character or object from the book kelner, 1993. The requirements of the assignment included the title and an image that represents the book on the front of the tee shirt. However, you may have difficulties with writing decent reports. This presentation by karen harris of rutgers teaching and learning with technology presents an excellent list of 10 suggested alternatives to exams that can be aligned with many different subjects and goals below is a quick list of her suggestions. See more ideas about book report alternatives, teaching reading, teaching. The alternative assignments are listed on the bottom of this web page.