When my students hear the dreaded words book report, they usually respond with grumbles and groans. Who wants to slave over a boring old story summary? But fear not! Book reports don’t have to be fun squashers. Here are some fresh ideas that will bring smiles to your students’ faces and get their creative juices flowing.
Newspaper Article
Make your students the reporters who are writing about an interesting event from the story. Have them use the computer to include clip art graphics for a picture. Let them play with the font to create eye-catching headlines. Paste the articles together and print a copy of the newspaper for everyone in class. Students will like sharing their reviews and get some good ideas for future book picks.
Shoebox Diorama
Have students use a shoebox to design a scene from their story. They can cover the box with paper and draw or paint the background. They can cut out pictures from magazines to use in the scene. They might get creative and use carpet squares for flooring or popsicle sticks to design fences or furniture. They can explain what happened in their scene as they share their diorama with the class.
Puppet Show
Students can use socks, paper lunch bags, or small paper plates on popsicle sticks to design characters from their books. Then have them write a simple script from their favorite scene and have them act it out with their puppets. They can partner up with a friend to take on different roles. A big TV box or a covered table can make a terrific puppet stage.
Scrapbook
Students can use construction paper to make a scrapbook for the main characters in their books. They can draw and color pictures to paste in the books and add captions to describe what’s happening in the scenes. They can also include letters or journal entries from the main characters in their scrapbooks. They can add a special page for mementos from the story.
Dress Up Like a Character
My students really enjoy this project. They dress up like characters from their books. Costumes might include glasses, hats, old shirts, fake mustaches and more. They also need to create a bag of props from the story. For example, a student dressing up like Greg, from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, might have a diary, a safety patrol badge, and video game in his prop bag. Students need to give a short speech telling the class who they are. I remind students to use “I” when talking, to stay in character. They show us each prop in their bags and explain how they relate to the story. As a culminating activity, we have a parade through the school showing off our costumes and books to other classes. The kids love to see their favorite characters marching through their room.
Don’t make book reports a dreaded activity. Try these fun activities and let your students enjoy sharing their books with the class!
