Different Ways to Write Book Reports
When you assign a book report to your students, don't be surprised if you hear a collective groan from the classroom. Step out of your rut and give your students an alternative to the basic book report. They will still have to demonstrate their understanding of the book, but they will be able to do it in a way that shows off their individual talents. As a bonus, it will be less repetitive for you, too.
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Get Into Character
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Have your students show their understanding of a book by stepping into the life of one of the characters. Assign a book report where students have to compose a project based on the perspective of one or several characters in the book. Have them write a journal with several entries describing the events of the book in a new way. Ask them to put together a scrapbook containing hand-drawn "photographs," memorabilia and notes from a character. Invite them to conduct a fictional interview with one of the characters and write out the transcript of that interview for their report.
Auditory Elements
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Let students use their talents to put together a presentation that will be music to your ears. Have them compose a playlist of songs that go along with the themes of the novel; for each song they must write a paragraph explaining how the song ties in to the novel in some way. Then they can burn a CD of those song to play for you as part of the report and even design a cover for their album that showcases the novel in some way. Another auditory option is to have students create their own podcast for the book. They might discuss the book, have a make-believe guest appearance from the book's author and even read a few excerpts from the book out loud. Writing the script for the podcast and then actually putting it together for you to hear would be the main elements of their grade.
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Visual Components
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Students with cinematography skills might want to make a video book report. They can stage scenes from the book and put them on like a movie, adding their own twist to the plot or setting in some way. Others might choose to put on a pretend news program where they discuss the major events in the book and interview the characters or the author. This type of project also works well as a group project since some videos may require multiple students to play various roles.
Historical Perspective
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For a novel with historical significance, an interesting book report might center on the actual history that inspired the book or that the book reflects. For instance, if the students read Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," they could use their book report assignment to research the Great Depression, the Jim Crow laws and famous cases involving racial issues from the 1930s such as the trial of the Scottsboro Boys. Then they can relate these actual events and facts to the events and characters in the novel.
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References
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