How to Write a Book Report for Elementary School

Help your elementary school student write an A-plus book report.

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. Whichever is the case, the student will need to know the basics about report structure as well as literary concepts.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

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

2. Compose the 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 the child chose this book. (Maybe the cover looked cool, she has read other books by the same author or she enjoys mystery books.)

3. Write the 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 that introduces the main characters. Note the setting and the overall theme of the book. Children should avoid a rambling, point-by-point retelling of the book. Highlight the most important parts.

4. Review literary concepts with the child. The teacher has most likely reviewed different literary concepts with the students, such as characters, theme and plot. In case your child is struggling, provide definitions:

   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 actions happen in the book.
   Climax: The plot's resolution, or the ending that the story has been building toward.

5. Give a brief review of the book. Your child should include sentences about how he liked the book, which characters he liked and disliked and how the ending made him feel. Describe the best part of the story and any lessons the child learned. Remind your child that it's OK to write negative comments in a book report if that is how she really feels.

6. Compose a short 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 he 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.

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. Keep these instructions in mind when writing the report.

• 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.

References

• My Writing Expert: How to Write a Book Report Elementary School