How to Write a Book Report for Elementary School

With such an emphasis on literacy in elementary education, there's no doubt that your elementary school student will have to write a book report at some point. Some teachers have strict guidelines for how they want the book report to be created, while others leave it up to the student. Here are some basic guidelines of how to write a book report for elementary school.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Usually a book report has four parts: introduction, summary, opinion and conclusion. It is helpful to review these sections of a book report with your child before they even begin writing anything down. That way, they can mentally process the information about the book as they construct each section.

2. Introduction. The introduction should contain the book title, the author and a publication date if appropriate. Then, include a sentence that describes the book's genre (such as mystery, fantasy, comedy or adventure). Finish the intro by describing why they chose this book (the cover looked cool, they've read other books by the same author or they enjoy mystery books). That completes the introduction section.

3. Summary. Depending on the child's grade, this can be anywhere from one sentence to three paragraphs. Generally, the summary section of the book report should be a short retelling of the plot and introduce the main characters. Noting the setting and the overall theme of the book is also good to include. Children should avoid a rambling point-by-point retelling of the book. This is a good exercise in how to bring out the most important parts of the book. That completes the summary section.

4. Review of literary concepts. The teacher has most likely reviewed different literary concepts with the students, such as characters, theme and plot. However, in case your child is struggling, here is a basic review.
   
   Theme: The overall message of the book, such as "loyalty" or "never give up."
   Characters: The people or animals in the book.
   Setting: Where and when the story takes place.
   Plot: What happens in the book.
   Climax: The plot's resolution, or the ending that the story has been building towards.

5. Opinion. Now it's time to give a review of the book. Your child should include sentences about how they liked the book, which characters they liked and disliked and how the ending made them feel. Other good opinions to express are what they felt was the best part of the story and any lessons they learned. Remind your child that it's OK to write negative comments in a book report if that is how they really feel. That completes the summary section.

6. Conclusion. This should be the easiest portion of the report to write, as the major ideas have already been explored. Usually, a book report conclusion consists of the child's overall feelings and opinions on the story and whether or not they would encourage others to read it and why. It might be appropriate to rate the book to others written by the same author if the child has read them. That completes the conclusion section and the book report.

Tips & Warnings

• Often the teachers will send home a paper listing guidelines for the book report that might include length, topics of discussion or other required information. Of course, the teacher's instructions should be the first source of guidelines, but the information in this article can enhance that.
• If it's allowed, encourage an artistic child to illustrate one of the key scenes from the book to include with the book report. Even if the teacher doesn't require it, it can make a report look nice and give your child a chance to further internalize the story.

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