What are some Book Report Ideas that will Make Reading Assignments more Enjoyable for Students?

Book reports are often dreaded and considered boring by students. It is, therefore, important that we make such assignments interesting, interactive and fun for our students. Students are able to work and perform better when they know exactly what is required of them. Teachers may help them understand the purpose of the report and the overall goals of the reading project. You may want to ensure that each student has a clear understanding of the various components that contribute to a good book report. Formulate questions that are thought provoking and of optimal challenge to stimulate students’ performance.

It is also important to think of creative book report ideas that would make such assignments fun.

Oral Book Reports

Oral reports, if done right, are more stimulating than written assignments. Students should carefully plan the content that has to be presented within their allotted time. The title and name of author can be written on the blackboard prior to presentation. The reports should ideally include a brief about the story and a concise presentation on their point of interest. Have a Q&A session at the end to stimulate flow of ideas and opinions.

Bulletin report

Students may be given the choice of making a bulletin board with all necessary information structured in the form of bulletin points. This would help them organize and prioritize their work and encase the topic in a better format.

Pictorial reports

This report technique is a platform for creative and artistic students. Pictorial reports can include comic strips, sketches, charts, or a collage on the topic to be represented. Pictorial reports are best used to represent topics like sequencing events in chronological order, portraying a particular scene, representing the dynamics between characters. Analyzing a character using a collage challenges the child to be inventive and resourceful. For those students who are not artistic, there are a variety of online digital tools that can help them with the process.

Review reports

In this type of report, you may ask students to rate a book the same way they would rate a movie. Students should comment on the good and bad points of the book and give it a rating of stars.

Act out

Divide students into different groups and let the groups decide on a scene they would like to act out. The script, costumes, props and other details should be planned out by the group. Every group should have one person to introduce the scene to the rest of the crowd. After acting the scene out, every student would need to explain the following points (or points similar to this):

• Why did they choose the particular scene?
• Discuss the character/ mood in the scene.
• What was involved in planning the scene?

Show and Tell

Pick an object, place, character or a passage from a book and elaborate on it. For example, if the student decides on the costume portrayed in the book, the student can try to find images of similar costume, research the time period when such costumes were in fashion and maybe even elaborate on the type of materials that were used during that time. Similarly, students should also be able to explore all aspects of the book. This type of report will stimulate active learning and enhance performance of the students.

Design a cover

Once the book is read, students have to design the front and back cover of the book. Along with the title and author’s name, students can design the picture and add captions in suitable colors that symbolizing the essence of the book. They may also choose to frame their thoughts at the back of the book, instead of a synopsis.

These ideas will make reading assignments a lot more fun for students. However, keep in mind that you do not stray from the learning goals for the assignment.

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Discuss Here: What are some book report ideas that have worked in your classroom?