Halfway through grade one, my adored, grandmotherly teacher saw fit to promote me, in one dizzying moment, from a member of the earthbound turtles reading group, past the bluebirds in the treetops, to join the soaring eagles. Some require very little actual writing but require the same thinking and rehearsal as. Take them beyond boring book reports with 37 creative alternatives that stretch imagination and higherlevel thinking skills. Mention the words book report, and chances are, youll see eyes roll. Take a look at these nine ideas ways to light your creative spark and burn through that project in no time. Spice up those old book reports with some new, creative ideas. That reading project can be a real drag on your timebut dont despair.
Blogger elena aguilar shares some creative ideas to make book reports more fun and meaningful for all types of learners and teachers. Independent bookstores get creative to survive the long. Students of high school and college level usually face this type of task. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write well. Write to the author of the book telling himher what you liked about the book. Job description counselor i creative alternatives, inc. Assigning burdensome book reports can hinder students from fully enjoying a great work of literature. Rozema suggests students create online podcasts to create enthusiasm for reading because they provide an authentic audience for the students work in addition to an. Creative alternatives to book reports conversations. Creative alternatives was founded in 1976 by ron and mary phillips in hughson, california.
Students explore book covers of a variety of books then create a new cover for a book they have read. Unfortunately, for too many youngsters, writing a book report is bitter frosting. Here are 25 alternatives to the traditional book report for students to demonstrate their comprehension and deeper. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for studentsand reading them can be equally tedious for educators. Book report alternatives printable book reports, research. Book report alternatives for kids who hate to write.
Fun, easy, creative ways for kids to make a book report. Later, once he or she is more comfortable with the foundational comprehension skills, you can lay the groundwork for developing the reportwriting skills. Some require very little actual writing but require the same thinking and rehearsal as a more formal piece of written text. Ny creative education symposium 2017 in limerick, ireland, is the first of what is intended as an annual event where academics, artists, policy makers and attendees will come together to critically examine the role of creativity and the creative process in education. Students could design a tattoo for a character and then write an essay explaining or justifying their choices. Education world offers 25 ideas that might help you do. James odom, the strands communication director, says. So, with that in mind, i have created some visual writing ideas that are alternatives to the standard book report. Book report alternatives for middle school education. Many of the suggestions integrate technology into student presentations. Students toppreferred service to buy book reports online. On the back of the book cover, explain why you are giving the award to the book. What makes this fun is that kids get to rethink the role of the setting in the book. Students pick a fictional book and design a cereal based on it.
Video tape oral book reports and then have the children take turns taking the video home for all to share. Draw and color the book cover, and place the book award ribbon on the cover. Creative alternatives to book reports lexia learning. Fortunately, there are a plethora of alternative methods to accomplish the same goal. Storyboarding consists of having students create a comicbook style representation of the work they do in a science lab.
Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for students and. The focus of the organization, then and now, was to provide a nurturing environment for troubled children. If so, theyll jump for joy at the chance to try these ideas for creative book reports. Help your students make the books they read come alive with these 22 creative book report ideas and. Students love this cereal box book report template. There are authentic alternatives texts created by professional writers and thinkers that do more than a mere book report but stop shorts of serious literary analysis. Ten great creative book report ideas minds in bloom. The end result of book report alternatives, such as the one explored in this lesson plan, is that the activities whet the interest of students in exploring new directions and in responding with greater depth to the books they read mitchell 92. Creative alternatives to traditional book reports by heather idoni added friday, october 26, 2007 the homeschoolers notebook encouragement and advice for homeschool families vol. With a traditional book report, students describe the major plot points or the main characters. Book report ideas 20 ways of looking at the book these activities address multiple intelligences and a range of student ability levels. A quick web search will reveal that there are many ideas out there for creative book reports, but they are not all good ideas.
Book reports are a great way for kids to recall what theyve read, help with reading comprehension, and improve writing too. Oct 26, 2007 creative alternatives to traditional book reports by heather idoni added friday, october 26, 2007 the homeschoolers notebook encouragement and advice for homeschool families vol. Students select a book to read based only on its cover art. Fresh ideas for creative book reports education world. Creative activities for any bookplus a powerpoint on how to craft a book report. Nip that collective groan in the bud by offering your students fun alternativeschoices that allow them to connect to a book in ways that are meaningful for them individually. This allows students to explore their favorite trends in books. Oct 20, 2017 while its unavoidable that, at some point, your child will have to learn how to write a book report, the skills leading up to that point can be learned in a variety of creative ways.
Alternative book reports for the 21st century whooos. Put a new spin on the old book report with these creative alternatives. They want new ways to think about a piece of literature and new ways to dig into it. Under executive director, joy biddles leadership, the organization continues to make a difference in hundreds of californias foster youth. Although i do not assign the traditional book reports i was required to produce in own reading past, i am always looking for more reading response options. Beyond the book report a list of 35 ways to respond to reading. Here are 26 creative, fun, and unique book report ideas. Creative alternatives to book reports teachercreated lesson. In my last post i described 10 ways to cultivate a love of reading in kids. What if your students just dont have enough access to technology to make assignments like. Not everyone loves book reports as much as i do, so i created this list of book. Writing a summary of a book isnt necessarily the most effective way to demonstrate learning in the digital age. Below are seventeen alternatives to a written book report.
Do your students grumble every time you mention the words book reports. Academic integrity creative assessment alternatives. Book report alternatives for middle school creative. Ive made them with many classes as a classroom teacher but they could easily be done while relief teaching as a. Make the process of writing a book report easy as abc. This clever book report is made from ordinary paper bags. But not all kids enjoy filling out book report forms.
Creative and critical thinking book interactions no tech necessary. Have students create a mini book with an illustrated cover and write one letter of the alphabet on each page. Using a 3d model can help you show the importance of symbolism in your book by bringing to life the important symbols used in a story. Give yourself and your students a break by assigning alternatives to the traditional book report. These might include a summary of the plot or main points or themes, comparisons or references to the writers earlier works, discussion of the writers. Fifty alternatives to the book report diana mitchell students tire of responding to novels in the same ways. Fifty alternatives to the book report readwritethink. Are you a teacher who keeps saying i wish i could find a way to make book reports more fun and interesting for my students.
The purpose is to initiate an interdisciplinary conversation, exploring. So much information can be covered on the 12 panels and it allows students to take a deep dive in a creative way. There are ways to finish your project that will show your enthusiasm and make your teacher sit up and take notice. Book report alternatives printable book reports, research reports and skills sheets my file cabinet. Like podcasting, this type of book report provides an alternative to the traditional writing assignment. Teachers, your students will love this creative book report project for elementary kids. Storyboards can be assigned before or after the lab. Use your chromebooks, laptops or mobile devices to give them a creative twist. Get creative with lab report alternatives home edutopia. Using the classroom library or the school library, allow time for students choose their books. Book in a boxin this book responseactivity, studentsdecorate a box torepresent the book and fillit with objects thatsymbolize differentaspects of the story. Creative alternatives to book reports teachercreated.
They transport students to a different time and place. But if you are looking for a simple to use, free printable form, dont miss our book report form and our. Promoting frequent and enthusiastic reading, offers creative alternatives to my letters and journals. Voukon asks why teachers are still promoting, the tried and true onesizefitsall conflict action climax book report that does not generate passion for reading in students. As the school years approaches the last days and spring fever claims the limited attention span of students a fun creative alternative to the standard book report. Students could choose to use audio only or take it a step further through the use of video, props, and costumes. I want to expand on that theme by suggesting 10 alternatives to the book report. Fun and creative book report ideas for middle school students. After reading the book, they use an interactive tool to create a new cover for it. It is hoped that this diverse group of suggestions will whet the interest of students in exploring new directions and in responding with greater. All included printable templates make this diy book report project easy and. You can buy a premade doll cradle, make one from paper, or get even more creative using materials you find.
Fun and creative book report ideas for middle school. Teachertested ideas to help kids respond to their reading with enthusiasm. When you have a child who hates to write, short book reports can be just as daunting as a fullfledged research paper. I dont think they are an effective way for a student to demonstrate understanding of a book and i dont think they help students enjoy or appreciate reading. Cereal box book reports a fun alternative book report.
They will record one fact on the topic per letterpage. Written book reports, of course, do serve a need, but a steady diet of written reports can induce boredom and stifle enthusiasm toward reading. Make your reading project sizzle with these hot ideas. The words book report can elicit groans from students at any age. Free blogging sites like blogger and wordpress also support podcasting. An alternative to book reports featured, reading sunday, july 16, 2017 for many of us, just hearing the words book report gives us a flashback to tedious reports that we were tasked with completing when we were in school. Thisis a creative way studentscan present an oralpresentation. Many of us have kids who dont like to write or cant write. There are many, many great ways for students to respond to literature. Be book report pen pals and share book reports with children in another school.
Creative alternatives to book reports can motivate your students to read. For example if innocence is used throughout your book you could use a babys cradle as your base. While this format is important in assessing understanding of literary elements, offering alternate bookreport formats encourages students to use creativity and other writing skills in. These will work for almost any book and are especially good when students are reading independent book selections. International centre for creativity and imagination. Youll find a variety of ideas ranging from essaybased projects to artistic projects to technology. Creative alternatives to book reports book report ideas halfway through grade one, my adored, grandmotherly teacher saw fit to promote me, in one dizzying moment, from a member of the earthbound turtles reading group, past the bluebirds in the treetops, to join the soaring eagles. My favorite part is the character ingredient list and the special prize. Book reports are a valuable tool for assessing students understanding of independent reading, but writing report after report can become rote for studentsand. As the school years approaches the last days and spring fever claims the limited attention span of students a fun creative alternative to the standard book report may provide a little sanity. Book reports are as boring to grade as they are to write. Illustrate a scene or character from the book on a tshirt. Students love this creative cereal box book report and it is a great way to recyclereuse cereal boxes too.
Take a look at these fun and effective alternatives to book reports and get your students and. Reviews from creative alternatives employees about creative alternatives culture, salaries, benefits, worklife balance, management, job security, and more. Encourage students to respond to literature as they learn to talk and write about books. Nov 25, 2012 6 creative alternatives to book reports 1. This is a fun way for students to show what they know in a creative way. There are creative alternatives to written book reports. With summary book websites online, the traditional book report is no longer an enriching task. Ive also included suggested requirements for these thoughtfuland funresponses to literature. Mar 30, 2015 as a result, giving a student the opportunity to make a movie book report can be a huge motivator, allowing them to get creative while displaying their understanding of the books source material. This list of 30 creative alternatives to the traditional book report emphasizes multiple intelligences and student imagination.
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