Alternative Ideas for Book Reports
Book reports are a way for students to examine and interpret the ideas behind a text. Standard book reports, however, can cause disinterest or even reluctance in students. Alternative book reports can revive a student's interest in books, and result in some surprising and insightful finished products. No one book report format should be used repetitively. Mingle different methods throughout a class and, not only will students be more engaged and interested, but students with different of all learning styles will be able to involve themselves in the lesson.
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Character and Setting Activities
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Sculptures of characters or settings can be made, using clay, soap, wire, paper mache', or any other available medium. Character or setting sketches can also be drawn. When creating sculptures or sketches, students should have to present their creation and explain about the character or setting. Creating character mottoes, a list of gift ideas for a character, a character diary entry, a social network profile for a character, or even an interview with a character are good ways to focus on the characters of a story. Maps, paper murals, and dioramas are all good ways to focus on the setting of a book.
Comparison Activities
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Comparisons can be made between the book and a movie, the book and other, similar, books, to historical events, or to current events. Students should explain each difference or similarity in detail. If it is a difference, ask them to explain what effects that difference has on the book, or movie, as a whole. You could even ask which version of the book they liked better, and for what reasons.
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Written Exercises
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Ask students to write a different ending, beginning, prologue, or epilogue to the book, or rewrite part of the book using modified characters. Interpretive ballads, poems, or song lyrics are also fun alternative book report ideas. Students can practice their letter writing skills by writing letters to characters in the book, to the author, or even to a movie director, promoting the book as a movie. Letters should refer to events or plots that appear in the book. These letters are academic only, and should not be mailed.
Dramatic Activities
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Have students script and perform a short play, create an interpretive video, perform a puppet show, act out a mock trial related to the book, or dramatically read a poem they wrote about the book. Dramatic activities usually work as individual or group projects. Broadcasting activities also involve drama. Students can write a newspaper article about an event in the book, or even design an entire newspaper, complete with headlines, news stories, weather, obituaries, cartoons, and all things sensational. Newscast style videos and radio talk show, or news show, style audio recordings are also a lot of fun for students to create and share.
Creative Art Projects
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Students can create a "movie poster" to represent the book, if it were a movie, create a book jacket for the book, build a collage out of newspaper or magazine clippings to represent the book, draw cartoon strips, or political cartoons, and even design their own board game based on the book. Creative art projects can be combined with other projects, as well, such as creating the puppets for a puppet show, building the figures for a diorama out of paper mache', creating costumes with props for a short play, and so on.
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References
Resources
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