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A Beginner's Guide to Writing a Book Report (with Examples)
Last Updated: March 13, 2024 Fact Checked
- Researching
- Drafting the Report
- Reviewing & Revising
Sample Book Reports & Summaries
Expert q&a.
This article was co-authored by Jake Adams and by wikiHow staff writer, Raven Minyard, BA . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,418,233 times.
A book report is a short essay that summarizes and analyzes a work of fiction or nonfiction. Writing a book report may not seem fun at first, but it gives you a great chance to fully understand a work and its author. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about how to write a book report, from choosing a book and outlining to drafting and editing your final paper.
Things You Should Know
- Read the entire book and take notes on important themes, characters, and events. Use your notes to create an outline with evidence that supports your analysis.
- Include the title and author in your intro, then summarize the plot, main characters, and setting of the book.
- Analyze the author’s writing style, as well as the main themes and arguments of the book. Include quotes and examples to support your statements.
Researching Your Book Report
- For example, find out if your teacher wants you to include citations, such as page numbers from the book, in your report.
- Ask your teacher how much of your paper to devote to summary versus analysis. Most book reports are direct summaries with objective analysis rather than your personal opinions. In contrast, a book review or commentary is more opinion-driven.
- Some popular books for book reports include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Choose a book at your grade level.
- Author: Who wrote the book? Do you know any other works by this author?
- Genre: Is the book fiction or nonfiction? If it’s fiction, is it historical, fantasy, horror, etc.? If it’s nonfiction, is it a biography, memoir, science, etc.?
- Audience: Who would find this book appealing? Is it intended for a specific age range or gender? Do you typically enjoy books like this?
- Title: Does the title catch your interest? Does it fit well with the book’s content?
- Book Cover/Illustrations: What does the book cover convey and does it accurately represent the book? How do you feel when you look at it? If the book has illustrations, what are they and do they hold your interest?
- Take breaks while reading to keep your attention sharp. Try to find a pace that is comfortable for you. If you get distracted after 15 minutes, read in 15-minute intervals. If you can go an hour, read for an hour at a time.
- Give yourself enough time to read the entire book. It’s very difficult to write a book report if you’ve just skimmed over everything. Don’t procrastinate!
- Don’t trust online book summaries. You can’t guarantee that they are accurate or true to the text.
- For example, look for a sentence that clearly describes a main setting in the book, such as “The castle was gloomy and made out of large black stones.”
Outlining Your Book Report
- Introduction: Introduce the title, author, and publication information. Include a brief overview of the book’s genre and main theme, and state your purpose for writing the report.
- Summary: Concisely summarize the plot or central idea, highlighting main events, characters, and conflicts. Focus on important aspects while avoiding spoilers.
- Analysis and Evaluation: Evaluate the author’s writing style and use of literary devices, like foreshadowing, metaphors, imagery, etc. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the book and use quotes and examples from the text.
- Themes and Messages: Identify the book’s main themes or messages and how they develop through the course of the book. Provide specific quotes and examples.
- Character Analysis: Analyze the main characters in the book, their development, and their relationships. Explain their motivations, personalities, and significance to the story. Provide examples and quotes to support your analysis.
- Personal Reflection: Depending on your teacher’s instructions, you might share your personal opinions and discuss what you liked and disliked about the book. Reflect on how the book relates to broader themes or issues.
- Conclusion: Summarize your main points and conclude with your final thoughts or reflections on the book.
- Bibliography: If required, include a works cited page or bibliography listing all the sources you used to write your book report.
- Outlining takes time, but it saves you more time once you reach the editing stage.
- Some people prefer to outline with pen and paper, while others just type up a list on the computer. Choose the method that works best for you.
- Be careful not to overuse quotes. If it seems like every other line is a quote, try to dial back. Aim to include a maximum of one quotation per paragraph. Quotes and examples should still take a backseat to your summary.
- For example, you’ll likely need to focus primarily on discussing the most important characters or the characters that appear most frequently in the text.
- When you are finished with your outline, go back through it to see if it makes sense. If the paragraphs don’t flow into one another, move them around or add/delete new ones until they do.
- Also, check to see if your outline covers all of the major elements of the book, such as the plot, characters, and setting.
Writing Your Book Report
- For example, a sentence summary might state, “This book is about the main character’s journey to Africa and what she learns on her travels.”
- Don’t take up too much space with your introduction. In general, an introduction should be 3-6 sentences long, though in rare cases, they may be longer or shorter.
- Use vivid language when you can and include plenty of details. For example, you might write, “The farm was surrounded by rolling hills.”
- For instance, if the main character moves to Africa, you might describe what happens before the move, how the move goes, and how they settle in once they arrive.
- For example, you might write that the main character is “a middle-aged woman who enjoys the finer things in life, such as designer clothes.” Then, connect this description to the plot summary by describing how her views change after her travels, if they do.
- Expect to introduce the characters in the same sentences and paragraphs as the plot introduction.
- You might write, “The author argues that travel gives you a new perspective. That is why her main characters all seem happier and more grounded after visiting new places.”
- For fiction, determine if the author is using the story to pass along a certain moral or lesson. For example, a book about an underdog athlete could encourage readers to take chances to pursue their dreams.
- For example, an author who uses lots of slang terms is probably going for a hip, approachable style.
- Some teachers require, or strongly suggest, that you include the author’s name and the book title in your concluding paragraph.
- When writing a conclusion , don’t introduce any new thoughts. Any important points should be made in your body paragraphs. Save the space for your recap.
Reviewing and Revising Your Book Report
- Before you submit your paper, make sure that you’ve spelled the author’s name and any character names correctly.
- Don’t trust your computer’s spell check to catch all the errors for you. Spell check can be helpful, but it isn’t perfect and can make mistakes.
- If you’re nervous about asking, try saying something like “It would be great if you could go over my book report and make sure that it reads smoothly.”
- Remember, no one’s first draft is perfect, so don’t get upset if someone suggests you do something differently. They want to help make your report the best it can be, so don’t take constructive criticism personally.
- For example, double-check that you are using the correct font, font size, and margins.
- Once you've finished proofreading, revising, and checking that you've addressed all the requirements, you're ready to submit your book report!
- Even though your book report is your own work, avoid using “I” too much. It can make your writing feel choppy. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
- It might be tempting to watch the movie or read the online notes instead of reading the book. Resist this urge! Your teacher will be able to tell the difference. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
Tips from our Readers
- Calm down and walk around if you get too frustrated while writing. If you write a book report while angry, you're more likely to misspell things!
- Choose a unique book. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson is an absolute no. Everyone chooses those. Try something different!
- Write when anything comes to mind! You don't want to lose your ideas!
- Give yourself plenty of time to write your report. Don’t wait until the last minute or you may feel rushed. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
- Stealing or using another person’s work is considered plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Make sure that the work you submit is all your own. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
You Might Also Like
- ↑ https://www.aresearchguide.com/write-book-report.html
- ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
- ↑ https://grammark.org/how-to-write-a-book-report/
- ↑ https://library.valleycollege.edu/elements_of_book_report.pdf
- ↑ https://takelessons.com/blog/steps-to-writing-a-book-report
- ↑ https://www.infoplease.com/homework-help/homework-center-writing-book-report
- ↑ https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-setting
- ↑ https://www.tcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/archive/writing-center-handouts/essay-types-plot-summary.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cornerstone.edu/blog-post/six-steps-to-really-edit-your-paper/
About This Article
To write a book report, start by introducing the author and the name of the book and then briefly summarizing the story. Next, discuss the main themes and point out what you think the author is trying to suggest to the reader. Finally, write about the author’s style of writing, paying particular attention to word choice and the overall tone of the book. For tips on editing and polishing your paper before turning it in, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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How to Write a Book Report
Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:
Book Report Fundamentals
Preparing to write, an overview of the book report format, how to write the main body of a book report, how to write a conclusion to a book report, reading comprehension and book reports, book report resources for teachers .
Book reports remain a key educational assessment tool from elementary school through college. Sitting down to close read and critique texts for their content and form is a lifelong skill, one that benefits all of us well beyond our school years. With the help of this guide, you’ll develop your reading comprehension and note-taking skills. You’ll also find resources to guide you through the process of writing a book report, step-by-step, from choosing a book and reading actively to revising your work. Resources for teachers are also included, from creative assignment ideas to sample rubrics.
Book reports follow general rules for composition, yet are distinct from other types of writing assignments. Central to book reports are plot summaries, analyses of characters and themes, and concluding opinions. This format differs from an argumentative essay or critical research paper, in which impartiality and objectivity is encouraged. Differences also exist between book reports and book reviews, who do not share the same intent and audience. Here, you’ll learn the basics of what a book report is and is not.
What Is a Book Report?
"Book Report" ( ThoughtCo )
This article, written by a professor emeritus of rhetoric and English, describes the defining characteristics of book reports and offers observations on how they are composed.
"Writing a Book Report" (Purdue OWL)
Purdue’s Online Writing Lab outlines the steps in writing a book report, from keeping track of major characters as you read to providing adequate summary material.
"How to Write a Book Report" ( Your Dictionary )
This article provides another helpful guide to writing a book report, offering suggestions on taking notes and writing an outline before drafting.
"How to Write a Successful Book Report" ( ThoughtCo )
Another post from ThoughtCo., this article highlights the ten steps for book report success. It was written by an academic advisor and college enrollment counselor.
What’s the Difference Between a Book Report and an Essay?
"Differences Between a Book Report & Essay Writing" ( Classroom)
In this article from the education resource Classroom, you'll learn the differences and similarities between book reports and essay writing.
"Differences Between a Book Report and Essay Writing" (SeattlePi.com)
In this post from a Seattle newspaper's website, memoirist Christopher Cascio highlights how book report and essay writing differ.
"The Difference Between Essays and Reports" (Solent Online Learning)
This PDF from Southampton Solent University includes a chart demonstrating the differences between essays and reports. Though it is geared toward university students, it will help students of all levels understand the differing purposes of reports and analytical essays.
What’s the Difference Between a Book Report and a Book Review?
"How to Write a Book Review and a Book Report" (Concordia Univ.)
The library at Concordia University offers this helpful guide to writing book report and book reviews. It defines differences between the two, then presents components that both forms share.
"Book Reviews" (Univ. of North Carolina)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s writing guide shows the step-by-step process of writing book reviews, offering a contrast to the composition of book reports.
Active reading and thoughtful preparation before you begin your book report are necessary components of crafting a successful piece of writing. Here, you’ll find tips and resources to help you learn how to select the right book, decide which format is best for your report, and outline your main points.
Selecting and Finding a Book
"30 Best Books for Elementary Readers" (Education.com)
This article from Education.com lists 30 engaging books for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. It was written by Esme Raji Codell, a teacher, author, and children's literature specialist.
"How to Choose a Good Book for a Report (Middle School)" (WikiHow)
This WikiHow article offers suggestions for middle schoolers on how to choose the right book for a report, from getting started early on the search process to making sure you understand the assignment's requirements.
"Best Book-Report Books for Middle Schoolers" (Common Sense Media)
Common Sense Media has compiled this list of 25 of the best books for middle school book reports. For younger students, the article suggests you check out the site's "50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12."
"50 Books to Read in High School" (Lexington Public Library)
The Lexington, Kentucky Public Library has prepared this list to inspire high school students to choose the right book. It includes both classics and more modern favorites.
The Online Computer Library Center's catalogue helps you locate books in libraries near you, having itemized the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries.
Formats of Book Reports
"Format for Writing a Book Report" ( Your Dictionary )
Here, Your Dictionary supplies guidelines for the basic book report format. It describes what you'll want to include in the heading, and what information to include in the introductory paragraph. Be sure to check these guidelines against your teacher's requirements.
"The Good Old Book Report" (Scholastic)
Nancy Barile’s blog post for Scholastic lists the questions students from middle through high school should address in their book reports.
How to Write an Outline
"Writer’s Web: Creating Outlines" (Univ. of Richmond)
The University of Richmond’s Writing Center shows how you can make use of micro and macro outlines to organize your argument.
"Why and How to Create a Useful Outline" (Purdue OWL)
Purdue’s Online Writing Lab demonstrates how outlines can help you organize your report, then teaches you how to create outlines.
"Creating an Outline" (EasyBib)
EasyBib, a website that generates bibliographies, offers sample outlines and tips for creating your own. The article encourages you to think about transitions and grouping your notes.
"How to Write an Outline: 4 Ways to Organize Your Thoughts" (Grammarly)
This blog post from a professional writer explains the advantages of using an outline, and presents different ways to gather your thoughts before writing.
In this section, you’ll find resources that offer an overview of how to write a book report, including first steps in preparing the introduction. A good book report's introduction hooks the reader with strong opening sentences and provides a preview of where the report is going.
"Step-by-Step Outline for a Book Report" ( Classroom )
This article from Classroom furnishes students with a guide to the stages of writing a book report, from writing the rough draft to revising.
"Your Roadmap to a Better Book Report" ( Time4Writing )
Time4Writing offers tips for outlining your book report, and describes all of the information that the introduction, body, and conclusion should include.
"How to Start a Book Report" ( ThoughtCo)
This ThoughtCo. post, another by academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, demonstrates how to write a pithy introduction to your book report.
"How to Write an Introduction for a Book Report" ( Classroom )
This brief but helpful post from Classroom details what makes a good book report introduction, down to the level of individual sentences.
The body paragraphs of your book report accomplish several goals: they describe the plot, delve more deeply into the characters and themes that make the book unique, and include quotations and examples from the book. Below are some resources to help you succeed in summarizing and analyzing your chosen text.
Plot Summary and Description
"How Do You Write a Plot Summary?" ( Reference )
This short article presents the goals of writing a plot summary, and suggests a word limit. It emphasizes that you should stick to the main points and avoid including too many specific details, such as what a particular character wears.
"How to Write a Plot for a Book Report" ( The Pen & The Pad )
In this article from a resource website for writers, Patricia Harrelson outlines what information to include in a plot summary for a book report.
"How to Write a Book Summary" (WikiHow)
Using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as an example, this WikiHow article demonstrates how to write a plot summary one step at a time.
Analyzing Characters and Themes
"How to Write a Character Analysis Book Report" ( The Pen & The Pad )
Kristine Tucker shows how to write a book report focusing on character. You can take her suggestions as they are, or consider incorporating them into the more traditional book report format.
"How to Write a Character Analysis" (YouTube)
The SixMinuteScholar Channel utilizes analysis of the film Finding Nemo to show you how to delve deeply into character, prioritizing inference over judgment.
"How to Define Theme" ( The Editor's Blog )
Fiction editor Beth Hill contributes an extended definition of theme. She also provides examples of common themes, such as "life is fragile."
"How to Find the Theme of a Book or Short Story" ( ThoughtCo )
This blog post from ThoughtCo. clarifies the definition of theme in relation to symbolism, plot, and moral. It also offers examples of themes in literature, such as love, death, and good vs. evil.
Selecting and Integrating Quotations
"How to Choose and Use Quotations" (Santa Barbara City College)
This guide from a college writing center will help you choose which quotations to use in your book report, and how to blend quotations with your own words.
"Guidelines for Incorporating Quotes" (Ashford Univ.)
This PDF from Ashford University's Writing Center introduces the ICE method for incorporating quotations: introduce, cite, explain.
"Quote Integration" (YouTube)
This video from The Write Way YouTube channel illustrates how to integrate quotations into writing, and also explains how to cite those quotations.
"Using Literary Quotations" (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison)
This guide from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Writing Center helps you emphasize your analysis of a quotation, and explains how to incorporate quotations into your text.
Conclusions to any type of paper are notoriously tricky to write. Here, you’ll learn some creative ways to tie up loose ends in your report and express your own opinion of the book you read. This open space for sharing opinions that are not grounded in critical research is an element that often distinguishes book reports from other types of writing.
"How to Write a Conclusion for a Book Report" ( Classroom )
This brief article from the education resource Classroom illustrates the essential points you should make in a book report conclusion.
"Conclusions" (Univ. of North Carolina)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center lays out strategies for writing effective conclusions. Though the article is geared toward analytical essay conclusions, the tips offered here will also help you write a strong book report.
"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)
Pat Bellanca’s article for Harvard University’s Writing Center presents ways to conclude essays, along with tips. Again, these are suggestions for concluding analytical essays that can also be used to tie up a book report's loose ends.
Reading closely and in an engaged manner is the strong foundation upon which all good book reports are built. The resources below will give you a picture of what active reading looks like, and offer strategies to assess and improve your reading comprehension. Further, you’ll learn how to take notes—or “annotate” your text—making it easier to find important information as you write.
How to Be an Active Reader
"Active Reading Strategies: Remember and Analyze What You Read" (Princeton Univ.)
Princeton University’s McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning recommends ten strategies for active reading, and includes sample diagrams.
"Active Reading" (Open Univ.)
The Open University offers these techniques for reading actively alongside video examples. The author emphasizes that you should read for comprehension—not simply to finish the book as quickly as possible.
"7 Active Reading Strategies for Students" ( ThoughtCo )
In this post, Grace Fleming outlines seven methods for active reading. Her suggestions include identifying unfamiliar words and finding the main idea.
"5 Active Reading Strategies for Textbook Assignments" (YouTube)
Thomas Frank’s seven-minute video demonstrates how you can retain the most important information from long and dense reading material.
Assessing Your Reading Comprehension
"Macmillan Readers Level Test" (MacMillan)
Take this online, interactive test from a publishing company to find out your reading level. You'll be asked a number of questions related to grammar and vocabulary.
"Reading Comprehension Practice Test" (ACCUPLACER)
ACCUPLACER is a placement test from The College Board. This 20-question practice test will help you see what information you retain after reading short passages.
"Reading Comprehension" ( English Maven )
The English Maven site has aggregated exercises and tests at various reading levels so you can quiz your reading comprehension skills.
How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension
"5 Tips for Improving Reading Comprehension" ( ThoughtCo )
ThoughtCo. recommends five tips to increase your reading comprehension ability, including reading with tools such as highlighters, and developing new vocabulary.
"How to Improve Reading Comprehension: 8 Expert Tips" (PrepScholar)
This blog post from PrepScholar provides ideas for improving your reading comprehension, from expanding your vocabulary to discussing texts with friends.
CrashCourse video: "Reading Assignments" (YouTube)
This CrashCourse video equips you with tools to read more effectively. It will help you determine how much material you need to read, and what strategies you can use to absorb what you read.
"Improving Reading Comprehension" ( Education Corner )
From a pre-reading survey through post-reading review, Education Corner walks you through steps to improve reading comprehension.
Methods of In-text Annotation
"The Writing Process: Annotating a Text" (Hunter College)
This article from Hunter College’s Rockowitz Writing Center outlines how to take notes on a text and provides samples of annotation.
"How To Annotate Text While Reading" (YouTube)
This video from the SchoolHabits YouTube channel presents eleven annotation techniques you can use for better reading comprehension.
"5 Ways To Annotate Your Books" ( Book Riot )
This article from the Book Riot blog highlights five efficient annotation methods that will save you time and protect your books from becoming cluttered with unnecessary markings.
"How Do You Annotate Your Books?" ( Epic Reads )
This post from Epic Reads highlights how different annotation methods work for different people, and showcases classic methods from sticky notes to keeping a reading notebook.
Students at every grade level can benefit from writing book reports, which sharpen critical reading skills. Here, we've aggregated sources to help you plan book report assignments and develop rubrics for written and oral book reports. You’ll also find alternative book report assessment ideas that move beyond the traditional formats.
Teaching Elementary School Students How to Write Book Reports
"Book Reports" ( Unique Teaching Resources )
These reading templates courtesy of Unique Teaching Resources make great visual aids for elementary school students writing their first book reports.
"Elementary Level Book Report Template" ( Teach Beside Me )
This printable book report template from a teacher-turned-homeschooler is simple, classic, and effective. It asks basic questions, such as "who are the main characters?" and "how did you feel about the main characters?"
"Book Reports" ( ABC Teach )
ABC Teach ’s resource directory includes printables for book reports on various subjects at different grade levels, such as a middle school biography book report form and a "retelling a story" elementary book report template.
"Reading Worksheets" ( Busy Teacher's Cafe )
This page from Busy Teachers’ Cafe contains book report templates alongside reading comprehension and other language arts worksheets.
Teaching Middle School and High School Students How to Write Book Reports
"How to Write a Book Report: Middle and High School Level" ( Fact Monster)
Fact Monster ’s Homework Center discusses each section of a book report, and explains how to evaluate and analyze books based on genre for students in middle and high school.
"Middle School Outline Template for Book Report" (Trinity Catholic School)
This PDF outline template breaks the book report down into manageable sections for seventh and eighth graders by asking for specific information in each paragraph.
"Forms for Writing a Book Report for High School" ( Classroom )
In this article for Classroom, Elizabeth Thomas describes what content high schoolers should focus on when writing their book reports.
"Forms for Writing a Book Report for High School" ( The Pen & The Pad )
Kori Morgan outlines techniques for adapting the book report assignment to the high school level in this post for The Pen & The Pad .
"High School Book Lists and Report Guidelines" (Highland Hall Waldorf School)
These sample report formats, grading paradigms, and tips are collected by Highland Hall Waldorf School. Attached are book lists by high school grade level.
Sample Rubrics
"Book Review Rubric Editable" (Teachers Pay Teachers)
This free resource from Teachers Pay Teachers allows you to edit your book report rubric to the specifications of your assignment and the grade level you teach.
"Book Review Rubric" (Winton Woods)
This PDF rubric from a city school district includes directions to take the assignment long-term, with follow-up exercises through school quarters.
"Multimedia Book Report Rubric" ( Midlink Magazine )
Perfect for oral book reports, this PDF rubric from North Carolina State University's Midlink Magazine will help you evaluate your students’ spoken presentations.
Creative Book Report Assignments
"25 Book Report Alternatives" (Scholastic)
This article from the Scholastic website lists creative alternatives to the standard book report for pre-kindergarteners through high schoolers.
"Fresh Ideas for Creative Book Reports" ( Education World )
Education World offers nearly 50 alternative book report ideas in this article, from a book report sandwich to a character trait diagram.
"A Dozen Ways to Make Amazingly Creative Book Reports" ( We Are Teachers )
This post from We Are Teachers puts the spotlight on integrating visual arts into literary study through multimedia book report ideas.
"More Ideas Than You’ll Ever Use for Book Reports" (Teachnet.com)
This list from Teachnet.com includes over 300 ideas for book report assignments, from "interviewing" a character to preparing a travel brochure to the location in which the book is set.
"Fifty Alternatives to the Book Report" (National Council of Teachers of English)
In this PDF resource from the NCTE's English Journal, Diana Mitchell offers assignment ideas ranging from character astrology signs to a character alphabet.
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Create a First-Rate Book Report
Make the story jump off the page and into your presentation..
1. Read the book This is an obvious, but very important, first step! Finish reading the book before you begin your report. After all, the ending may surprise you — and you don't want incomplete information in your project.
2. Pick a medium When you finish reading, think about how you can best present the book to the class. Maybe you'll make a wanted poster for the book's villain or use a shoebox to create a diorama of your favorite scene. Use these suggestions to spark your own ideas:
- Design an alternate book jacket
- Make up a mock magazine interview with the author
- Craft a movie poster
- Mix a CD of songs for the book's soundtrack with liner notes explaining why you chose each song
- Create the front-page of a newspaper with headlines about the book
3. Identify the information
- Characters: who is in the story Examples: The people, animals, robots, aliens, or wizards
- Setting: where and when the story takes place Examples: Aunt Mae's farm in 1982, last summer at acting camp, 1950s London, a lake house in Michigan in present day, or 300 years from now on Mars
- Genre: what kind of story is being told Examples: Mystery, fable, historical fiction, or sci-fi fantasy
- Point of view: how the story is being told Examples: First person — the narrator is also a main character who refers to himself as "I." Third person — the point of view switches around and the characters are "he" or "she."
- Tone: why the story is being told Examples: Serious tone for readers who want to learn about the Holocaust or humorous tone for readers who want a silly book about surviving middle school
4. Find an interesting aspect of the story
This can be anything! Think about your favorite character or the last scene in the book. What sticks out in your mind as something you have a lot to say about?
5. Write 5 ideas about the aspect you have chosen
Once you've decided on a part of the story that interests you — say you think the dialogue is really funny — sit down and write at least 5 different thoughts about it. This helps you to pick out specific parts of the story and these details will give you examples when you create your project.
6. Have an opinion
What did you like? What didn't you like? Remember that you don't have to enjoy a book to do a good report on it. While your book project shouldn't just list complaints about the book, your teacher will probably appreciate the thought you put into your opinion. Challenge the author's original ending. Explain why you would have written it differently. If there's a character you didn't like, tell why you would've left her out completely. Keep notes on these thoughts as they come to you.
7. Compare something in the book to your own life
Find a way to relate to the story. What traits does the main character have that you have too? Do any of your friends or family members remind you of the characters? Have you visited the location of the book's setting? If the book is fantasy, would you want the same kind of superhuman powers that the characters have?
8. Decide who else would like this book
Would you recommend this book to a particular friend? Why? Answering this kind of question can show you the audience the book is geared to. It also helps you and your friends figure out books to recommend to each other for your next report!
9. Wrap it up
Brainstorm what else you want to include, such as great illustrations, who told you about the book, if the author wrote anything else, and where this book ranks on your list of favorites.
10. Spin all the separate pieces into the project
Now it's time to go back to step #2: Pick a medium. You're now ready to put all of the information you gathered into an interesting, entertaining, and above all, informative book report. Good luck!
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Writing Book Reports
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- Book Report--Upper Elementary School Level
Book Report | Definition, Outline & Writing
Additional info.
Margaret has taught both college and high school English and has a master's degree in English from Mississippi State University. She holds a Mississippi AA Educator License.
Chrissy has taught secondary English and history and writes online curriculum. She has an M.S.Ed. in Social Studies Education.
Table of Contents
What is a book report, how to write a book report, book report: examples, lesson summary, what is the basic format of a book report.
A book report mentions the author, title, and publication information in the introduction. The body paragraphs may provide plot summary and analysis of literary elements in fictional works or the author's arguments in non-fiction works. The conclusion often includes a statement that reveals whether the book report writer would recommend the book to others or not.
What does a book report consist of?
A book report based on a work of fiction typically consists of a plot summary, an analysis of one or more literary elements, and a statement recommending or discouraging others from reading the book. A non-fiction book report, on the other hand, typically discusses the book's topic and the author's arguments. A non-fiction book report may also contain the reader's recommendation about whether others should read the book or avoid it.
Book reports are typically brief, informative reports written by K-12 students that summarize a book they've read. A book report can serve several purposes. First, it can prove that a student has read and comprehended the book. In addition, it briefly summarizes the book's plot and main ideas. A book report typically provides some analysis of one or more of the book's literary elements, and it may also encourage or discourage others from reading the book.
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Students need to consider several factors as they explore book report ideas. The first step for students learning how to write a book report is to ensure they understand the assignment. Some teachers may have specific requirements for the book report. If this is the case, students must ensure that the book and report meet the assignment specifications. Additionally, there are several other considerations students should keep in mind.
- Students who can select their own books for the report need to find books they would like to read. Students should ensure the book's subject is of interest to them since they will need to allot quite a bit of time to reading the book and writing about it.
- Students should also consider the literary genre, or category, of the books they are considering. One approach for students choosing a book is to reflect on the genres they typically enjoy, but students might also select a genre with which they are less familiar. For example, students who regularly read fiction might choose a non-fiction book to experience a different type of writing.
- The book report's introduction typically provides the book's title, author, and publication date. The introduction is also the appropriate place for the student to mention anything of particular interest about the book's publication; for example, a student may learn that the writer submitted the book to publishers for years before it was ultimately published. This type of information may be interesting to readers and revealing in regard to the writer's persistence and the book's history.
- In addition to noting the book's title, author, and publication history, students will likely find it helpful to make notes about the book as they read. For instance, students can write a brief summary of each chapter as they read. In addition to summarizing the plot, students may also find it helpful to record the main characters, setting, and any insights about the book's symbols and themes that occur to them as they read.
- It may also be beneficial for students to record a few significant quotations from the book, along with the page numbers where the quotes are located. These quotations may be useful when it is time to write the actual book report, either in support of analysis or simply to provide others with a sense of the author's writing style.
Book Report Format for Fiction
The book report format for works of fiction often focuses on the book's literary elements. In addition to author, title, and publication information, the book report can focus on plot summary , character analysis , or thematic analysis . This type of book report may also include a combination of all of these elements.
- Book reports should identify the book's setting, which refers to the time and place in which the story's events occur.
- Main characters should be identified in a book report, and their motives and actions can be used to develop a character analysis to help readers understand a particular character.
- The book's plot, which is the events that occur in the book, is typically summarized in a report on a work of fiction. Students who are writing a plot summary should be careful not to reveal spoilers that might ruin others' experience of reading the book for themselves.
- Students should try to identify the book's themes, which are usually expressed as a statement of what the book is actually about or what the writer is trying to say about the book's topic. This process is referred to as thematic analysis.
- Many works of fiction contain highly symbolic elements. A symbol is a representation of something that has meaning beyond its literal composition. For example, a rose is a flower that may also carry a deeper meaning when associated with a particular character or setting.
Book Report Format for Non-fiction
The report format for non-fiction books is similar to fiction books, but a few of the components differ. A non-fiction book report includes the title, author, and publication information. It also includes the book's topic, or subject, along with any arguments the writer develops in regard to that topic.
While non-fiction books do not have a setting in the way a work of fiction does, these books may have an actual (rather than an imagined) location. In addition, a non-fiction book's historical context may be a significant element. If so, the book report should briefly delve into locations and context. A non-fiction book may also present an argument or position on the topic, an element that is typically not present in fiction.
Outline for Book Reports
Like many other types of writing, a book report is constructed with an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should contain the writer's name, the book's title, its publication date, and its genre. Any pertinent information about the book's publication should also appear in the introduction.
The body of the report should identify and describe the book's setting and main characters. It should also include a brief summary of the plot. It is important, however, to avoid revealing information that may dampen another person's enjoyment of the book. For example, if the book ends with an ironic twist or surprise, the ending should not be revealed in the book report.
Another section of the book report's body should provide an analysis or literary interpretation of the book. This analysis comprises the reader's thoughts, opinions, and reactions to the book's literary elements. One body paragraph, for example, may focus on character analysis, while another paragraph may provide a thematic analysis of the book. Students should include a few brief quotations or paraphrased passages as evidence or examples to support the analysis.
Students should briefly summarize the main points of the report and again mention the title and writer in the conclusion. The conclusion may also include a few sentences to explain the reasons that the student would recommend the book to others or to explain why others might not enjoy reading the book.
An excellent way to understand how a book report can be written is to look at some brief book report examples for both a fiction and a non-fiction book.
Fiction Book Report Example
Cormac McCarthy first published ''No Country for Old Men'' in 2005. Readers who are familiar with the movie version of No Country for Old Men will find several differences between the movie and McCarthy's novel.
The novel is set in Texas in the early 1980s, a period when the violence associated with the drug trade between Texas and Mexico shocked even well-seasoned law enforcement officers. The novel's protagonist is Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who stumbles across the bloody aftermath of a drug deal. When Moss takes a case containing two million dollars from the scene, he never imagines the lengths the drug dealers will go to retrieve their money. Hoping to recover the money, a ruthless killer named Anton Chigurh relentlessly pursues Moss, while Sheriff Ed Tom Bell makes a fruitless attempt to save him from the brutal Chigurh.
Sheriff Bell's past, which is largely ignored in the movie, is explored in some detail in McCarthy's novel. When the sheriff confesses an act of wartime cowardice to his uncle, readers discover the reason he goes to such great lengths to help Moss. Bell says that he abandoned his friends and fellow soldiers when they were under attack. Bell's attempts to find Moss before Chigurh does can be understood, then, as an act of atonement for his past failure. In fact, the incident during the war can be viewed as the driving force behind his entire career as sheriff. Bell admits the significant effect the act has had on his life to his uncle. ''HE SAID I WAS BEIN hard on myself Said it was a sign of old age. Tryin to set things right. I guess there's some truth to that,'' Bell says.
The novel's plot is relatively simple, involving Chigurh chasing Moss and the missing drug money. The characters, however, make the novel enjoyable. The cold and ruthless Chigurh and the hapless Moss are the cat and mouse in the novel, but the depiction of the complex sheriff who attempts to resolve his past is central to the work. Readers will no doubt enjoy McCarthy's action-packed plot, peopled with characters who must try to find a way to live with their mistakes.
Non-fiction Book Report Example
Richard Grant's non-fiction book Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta was published in 2015. When Grant, a long-time resident of England, finds himself living in Pluto, Mississippi, the well-known travel writer discovers a place so foreign to him that he may as well have been on the planet Pluto.
Grant soon discovers the triumphs and the tragedies of the Mississippi Delta. He marvels at the local characters he encounters as he explores the region's sprawling landscape and decaying towns. ''One of my hopes in writing this book is to dissolve these clumsy old stereotypes, and illustrate my conviction that Mississippi is the best-kept secret in America. Nowhere else is so poorly understood by outsiders, so unfairly maligned, so surreal and peculiar, so charming and maddening.'' Yet Grant also finds social and racial segregation in the Delta. The effects of generations of poverty and oppression are evident as well, as he describes young people who have never witnessed a new building being constructed in their town.
Readers who want a glimpse of perhaps the most enigmatic region in America will enjoy Grant's Dispatches from Pluto . Those who decide to read the book, however, should expect to encounter a region as varied and complex as every other. If reading Dispatches from Pluto does ''dissolve'' readers' "clumsy old stereotypes," then Grant has achieved his book's stated goal.
Book reports constitute a reading and writing assignment that most K-12 students will encounter in classes. Book reports typically provide proof that students have read and understood the books they read. A book report about a work of fiction can focus on plot summary , or writing about the book's events or actions. These reports typically include character analysis , an examination of characters' actions and motives or thematic analysis , which is an analysis of the author's main point. The analysis section of the book report presents the student's reactions, thoughts, and opinions, which are based on specific evidence in the book. Non-fiction book reports are similar, but they typically do not analyze literary elements. For example, non-fiction reports do not examine the setting but might discuss historic locations or context. In addition, non-fiction book reports examine the author's arguments and focus on the topic, or the book's subject.
Both reports on fiction and non-fiction works usually provide the book's title, author, and publication information in the introduction. The body of the book report contains an analysis of literary elements or arguments, along with a summary of the plot or topic. The conclusion of the book report often includes a statement in which the student endorses the book or discourages others from reading it.
Book Reports
You read a lot of different types of books for school. Sometimes, your teacher may assign a class novel. You and your classmates read along together in school, or maybe read some chapters independently. Perhaps you have to read a certain number of books by the end of the year. In other instances, your teacher may ask you to read a story and then write a book report . You've probably heard this term before, but what exactly does it mean?
A book report is a written description and analysis of a fiction or non-fiction book. Book reports are a good way for you to better understand an author's writing. It's also a way for your teacher to see if and how you understood the book. Book reports can seem like a pretty challenging thing to write, but if you follow a few simple steps, it's actually very simple!
Finding Your Book
After your teacher assigns you a book report, the first thing you should do is read the directions. This might seem obvious, but it's always a good idea to pay attention to any instructions before you start a project! From the directions, determine what type of book you need to read for your report. Should you look for a fiction book (a made up story) or a non-fiction book (a factual text)? What type of information does your teacher want you to include in your book report?
Once you've figured out what type of book you will need to read, it's time to start searching for it! If you're unsure of what book you'd like to read or where to find it, there are a number of resources that can help you! Your teacher or school or local librarian can give you advice and point you in the right direction. You can also do research on the internet.
Reading Your Book
Before you start reading, it's important to figure out what things you should be looking for. This depends on the type of book that you are reading! The questions below can help you focus your attention as you read. Make sure to take notes. These notes can be written in your book (if you own it!), on sticky notes, or on a separate sheet of paper.
Fiction Book
If you're writing a report on a fiction book, there are a few things you're going to want to look out for as you read.
- Setting: When and where does your book take place? How does the setting impact the characters and events in the book?
- Characters: Who are the most important people (or animals!) in the book? What are their personalities like?
- Plot: - What are the main events of the story from the beginning to the end?
- Themes: Are there any big ideas, messages, or concepts that the author is trying to get across to the reader?
- Symbols: Does the story include any objects or characters that represent deeper meanings?
Non-Fiction Book
Non-fiction books are different than fiction books. This means what you look for as you read will be different as well! As you go through your non-fiction book, consider the following:
- Topic: What is the book about?
- Arguments: What is the author trying to prove or convince you to believe?
- Main Ideas: What is the big idea or main takeaway from the book?
Outlining and Writing Your Book Report
After you've finished reading for your book report, the next step is to create an outline for your paper. The outline makes up the general framework of your paper and helps you organize your information. This will make actually writing your report much easier! Most book reports follow a simple outline:
- Introduction: Your introduction should briefly explain what the book is about and include important information like the title of the book and the name of the author.
- Book Description: The body of your book report describes various aspects of the book. (See the elements and questions you should read for listed above!)
- Book Analysis: Following the body paragraphs, your book report should include an analysis that explains your response to the book. Did the author effectively communicate his or her point to the reader? How did the book make you feel? Was the author qualified to write about this topic? Did you enjoy it? Would you recommend it to a friend? Why or why not?
- Conclusion: The conclusion is a brief summary of the main points of your book report.
A good way to start your outline is to list each of these major points then add information using bullet points or dashes. Your outline does not need to be in complete sentences. After completing your outline, it's time to start writing. To do this, expand upon the main points in your outline. That means writing in complete sentences, adding transitions, and making sure your information makes sense!
A book report is a written description and analysis of a fiction or non-fiction text. After determining the type of book you need to read, it's important to consider what information to look for. For fiction books, read for and take notes on the setting, characters, plot, themes, and symbols. When reading non-fiction books, make sure to identify the topic, arguments from the author, and any main ideas.
After reading and taking notes on your book, the next step is to create a general outline for your report. Your outline and your report should include an introduction, body paragraphs that describe the main points of the book, your analysis of the book, as well as a conclusion that summarizes your writing.
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Writing Book Reports – Elementary School Level
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- December 4, 2019
- By Homework Help Global
Learn How to Write a Good Book Report For Any University or College Class
When you were in elementary school, the book reports you wrote were most likely about youth fiction, such as E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. But in post-secondary, you’re going to be writing about more complex novels or even nonfiction textbooks. The rubric will be a lot more complex as well, so you want to make sure you’re getting it right when it comes to your book report.
Need some help? That’s what we’re here for. We’re giving you our top tips for learning how to write a book report. Follow these, and we promise the reward will pay off.
What is a Book Report?
In order to learn how to write a good book report, you need to understand what exactly it is you’re doing. So, we’re going to start with the basics. What exactly is a book report?
A book report, or a book summary, is essentially an analysis of the contents of a book. You’re writing it to show that you fully understood the book. According to the Purdue Writing Lab , your book report should be an informative, objective report discussing the book. Sounds simple enough.
But why am I still doing this in university? This is a question you may be asking yourself as you sit down and try to start this paper. It’s a good question, as you probably thought you were done with book reports once you got to university. But book reports provide a lot of value to your studies, no matter what type of program you’re in.
While they often take a more complex form than the typical book reports you did in elementary or high school, a university or college book report is a way for your professor to review your analytical skills. Writing a book report shows that you understand elements such as contexts, imagery, literary devices, and how they’re used in practice. It also shows that you can identify various concepts and themes within a work of either fiction or nonfiction. This is important because it’s used as an indicator as to whether you’ve really absorbed the course material, and shows your academic growth within that course or your overall program.
The Difference Between a Book Report and a Book Review
It’s important to note that we’re talking about a book report here, which is not to be confused with a book review. These are two different things, and understanding what you’re being asked to write will prevent you from making avoidable mistakes (and losing marks). If you’re assigned a book report, make sure you actually hand in a book report and not a book review talking about why this is your favorite book ever.
As we mentioned above, a book report is an analysis or exploration of a book, or the themes within a book. Its purpose is to show that you understood the context of the book, and it serves as an objective summary. You’re not talking about how much you loved the book or why you don’t like a certain character. Instead, you’re providing a summarized analysis of the author’s work without your personal point of view.
Meanwhile, a book review is an evaluation or critical assessment of the book. In a book review, you’d address the value of the book and your own point of view. Would you recommend this book to your friends or classmates? Explain why or why not. If you didn’t like a specific element or you thought it was a waste of time, this is where you’d discuss that.
So, now that you know what you’re doing, it’s time to actually learn how to write a compelling book report.
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Before You Start Reading
If you haven’t read the book yet, take notes while you read. Even if you’ve already read the book, it’s a good idea to quickly go through and give yourself a refresher while jotting down highlights. This will be a major help when you start writing your book report because you’ll have the information in front of you instead of having to flip through the book every single time you need to find something.
Use the note-taking techniques you would use in class and apply them while you’re reading. Oxford Learning Center recommends a few different note taking methods tailored to your own learning style. Choose something that works for you and use it.
While you’re reading, look out for vocabulary words, metaphors, and literary devices such as imagery and symbolism. Pay attention to the author’s writing style. Highlight (or jot down) anything you don’t understand, or any terms you think are important that you want to look up later on. If you’re having trouble with this, try using the Feynman Method . Essentially, you take a subject you’re not familiar with, and write down everything you know about it in simple terms, as if you’re teaching it to a child. From there, you can add more research as you go on and learn to simplify it. The best way to show that you truly understand a subject is when you’re able to explain it to someone in the most condensed way.
How to Write a Good Book Report: Fiction
While your assignments can adapt a lot of the same techniques and styles, your book report is going to be a little different when it comes to fiction and nonfiction material. Let’s start with fiction. Here’s what you need to know.
Fiction book reports usually include a discussion of various elements, literary devices, and techniques including (but not limited to):
● Symbolism
● Characters
● Narrative format
Sometimes that book report is based entirely around the use of one of those elements (for example, you could write an entire paper about the use of nature imagery in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein). But when you’re going for a more broad or general approach, it’s best to try to go over as many of these elements as possible as long as it makes sense in terms of paper length and topic.
I Watched The Movie Instead of Reading the Book. That’s Good Enough For my Book Report, Right?
Wrong. Contrary to what you may believe, your professor can tell when you didn’t read the book. If you leave your book report to the last minute and just watch the movie the night before it’s due, you’ll be in for a shock when you get your mark back.
One of the key reasons you need to learn different tips on writing a good book report is to showcase that you understand the literary devices the author is using and what you can take away from them. You can’t do that if you’re just watching the movie, because you can’t see literary devices like symbolism in the same way you do when you read the book.
Another major problem with using the movie for your book report is within the summary itself. As we all know, movies often tend to leave out various elements of the book, even if they’re important to the story or make the story more understandable. The Harry Potter franchise is a great example of this, as many elements are left out from the films simply because they needed to condense them. It’s hard to take large, detailed, complex works of fiction and pick and choose what gets shown in a two hour time span. Sometimes a movie adaptation may even change the ending entirely, and you’d never realize that if you didn’t read the book. That’s a big risk to take for your book report, especially if it’s worth a heavy percentage of your overall grade.
This is also an issue if you’re writing your book report on a nonfiction book. For example, if you’re writing about a nonfiction book showcasing the use of airplane technology in World War II, you may assume that this information is all history, so it’s common knowledge among many historians, and proceed to look it up on the Internet. However, when historians write books about events that happened, they often include their own point of view or their specific arguments, adding a fresh new perspective on the topic. So, your historian writing about airplanes in World War II may be arguing about a specific impact of this technology and connecting it with something else, which you’d miss in your book report if you didn’t actually read the book.
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How to Write a Good Book Report: Nonfiction
Nonfiction book reports can be a little more difficult because you don’t have fictional plots, images, or characters to work with. But you do have a thesis statement, supporting arguments, research, and details.
Similar to what you would do when writing an article summary , a nonfiction book report focuses on the evidence, arguments, and rhetoric the author uses. Consider the author’s objective, and whether they have done an effective job at reaching that objective. In other words, are you convinced? Why or why not? Additionally, consider what contributions this author is making to the field of research or industry.
Here are some potential elements to consider for your nonfiction book report:
● The author’s point of view: What is their main argument or thesis statement?
● Evidence and sources used: Are they reliable? What types of sources are used (primary or secondary)?
● Use of rhetoric: How does the author craft their argument to make it appealing and believable to the reader?
● If it’s a research study, how do the results reflect the author’s hypothesis?
● What new information does the author bring to the table? This is particularly important for books about historical events, popular works of fiction, or other themes that are considered to be common knowledge.
For more information, take a look at our blog on writing an article summary for a detailed, step-by-step guide through this writing process. You can easily adapt our top tips for article summaries to use in your nonfiction book report if you need some more guidance.
Understand What You’re Writing
There are generally three different types of book reports out there. When learning how to write a good book review, it’s essential to understand what you’re writing and which direction you’re going to go.
● Character analysis: A character analysis is a focused exploration of one or a few specific characters in the book. You could talk about how this character follows the hero’s journey, a fatal flaw they may have, or even the purpose of their existence in the story (ideal for non-protagonist characters).
● Theme analysis: When you write a theme analysis, you will explore one or a few specific themes that are central to the work. For example, you could write a theme analysis of madness in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth or racial prejudice in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. When writing a theme analysis, make sure that the theme you choose isn’t too broad and that you can back it up with examples and quotations from the text.
● Plot summary: In a plot summary, you are providing a close analysis of the specific plot of the book itself. Usually, you’d want to relate the plot in terms of its context. Anyone can google the plot summary of a book, so your job is to dig deeper and analyse the story.
Where to Start: The Book Report Outline
Now that you know what kind of book reports there are, let’s get down to business. Start by making a book report outline. Your outline will help guide the paper and keep your writing consistent, organized, and easy to read. Not only that, but starting with an outline makes the entire writing process easier. You’ll know exactly what type of information to include, what quotations to look for, and how to structure the paper.
You’re likely familiar with the typical essay structure: introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Well, this structure is ideal for your book report format, too.
The introductory paragraph is your way of introducing your reader to your paper and explaining what you’re going to be talking about. Like most introductions, yours should begin with a catchy hook, and move in the typical essay triangle formation – start with general information, then narrow down to details until you reach your thesis. After your hook, write a few sentences with basic book details, starting with the author and the title, and then the setting, time period, or other contextual information. For more of our top tips on writing an essay introduction, check out Episode 69 of The Homework Help Show .
Each body paragraph should focus on one specific topic, theme, or supporting argument. Start the paragraph with an opening statement, provide evidence, explain your position, and then include a closing statement that transitions to the next paragraph.
In the conclusion of your book report, restate your thesis and then include a summary of your arguments in a few sentences. Then, you want to reflect on why this topic is important. Does it tie in with the theme of your course? Why should your reader care about this topic? Don’t present any new information or arguments, but be reflective and think outside the box.
So, now that you know how to write a good book report outline, it’s time to start writing.
The Anatomy of a Great Book Report
Here are some things you should consider when learning how to write a solid book report. We’re going to break this down for you so that you don’t miss out on any of the important parts of your assignment.
A Plot Summary
Your plot summary should be a brief retelling of the main storyline. It’s best to assume that your reader hasn’t read the book, even if everyone in the class is writing about the same one. Sometimes a professor will ask for the plot summary in the introductory paragraph, but most of the time this can be its own body paragraph.
It’s important to keep this summary brief and to the point. Your reader doesn’t need to know every single detail. But they do need to know the important points that connect the story, and they need to have an idea of what you’re talking about throughout your paper. They also need to know who specific characters are if you’re going to be talking about them later on, so you can introduce those characters briefly in the summary section.
Citations and Quotations
When using quotations from the book, make sure you offer an explanation every time you cite something. You need to show the connection between the quote and the theme or point you’re making. This is how you demonstrate that you truly understand the material and you’re not just throwing in quotes wherever they fit. Even if your teacher doesn’t specifically ask for quotations, you should always include at least a few of them, and make sure you cite the author properly.
Would it surprise you to know that most students struggle with formatting their assignments? Be careful when making your bibliography or works cited page. These are marks you could lose that can easily be avoided with a basic Google search to make sure you’re doing it right. If your professor doesn’t give you a specific format to use for your book report, stick to MLA, which is the most common formatting style for English and humanities essays.
Questions to Guide Your Book Report
Here are some questions to ask yourself while writing your book report. They will give you some understanding as to what specific details you should include and how you can contextualise the writing.
● What is the author’s point of view?
● Who is the intended audience?
● What contributions does this book make to the specific genre, historical time period, theme, or field of research?
● Is the author’s writing style clear and concise?
● Where and when does the story take place, and why is this important?
When it comes to learning how to write a good book report, answering these questions is essential to your overall analysis. These answers will help you understand the point of the book and why you’re even writing this book report in the first place.
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What to do When You Hit a Snag in the Writing Process
So you started writing your book report, and then you hit a wall, and now you can’t figure out how to get past that wall. It happens to the best of us. So in teaching you how to write a good book report, we’re also going to teach you what to do when you hit writer’s block along the way.
Revising and editing is an essential part of the writing process. But you don’t always need to wait until you’re done to do this. Revising your writing before you’re finished is an effective way to pick up where you got stuck. Take a little break, and then come back to read over what you have written so far. Does it make sense? Where could you expand on your ideas?
When all else fails, do a quick Google search to see what other people are saying about your book. This might give you a fresh new perspective to look at and some new ideas you may not have noticed before. However, do not copy this information directly or steal their words. Do your own research and connect it back to the book.
Not Feeling it? We’re Here to Help.
If you just can’t fathom sitting down and writing your book report, it’s time to bring in some help. An essay writing service can help you write your book report, or edit it for you to make sure you’re on the right track.
Instead of trying to figure out how to write a good book report and then risking your mark, leave it to the professionals at Homework Help Global . We have an internal team of over 50 academic writers who have written plenty of book reports throughout their educational careers. When you don’t have the time or energy to handle your assignments, we’re here for you, and we’re more than capable of getting the job done in the highest quality possible.
Get a free quote now to get connected with one of our top writers and we’ll get started on your book report.
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Book Reports
Teacher Wynne explains how write a good book report.
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Book Report Templates
30 book report templates & reading worksheets.
Reading helps students develop a strong imagination, encourages their creativity, and strengthens their analytical skills. Teachers assign a lot of book reports to ensure that students read lots of books, especially at that critical early age when they are still trying to master the written word. To cut down on some of the workload, students and teachers can find a book report template to download and fill in. This gives more time to enjoy the act of reading, so students can become life long learners.
Table of Contents
- 1 Book Report Templates
- 2.1 Why Provide A Book Report Form
- 2.2 Sections Of A Simple Book Report
- 2.3 Sections Of A Multi-Page Report
- 3 Sample Book Reports
- 4 Difference Between The Book Report Types
- 5.1 What To Do Once You’ve Written The Report
- 6 Book Report Examples
- 7 Tips for Teachers
- 8 Tips for Students
What Is A Book Report
A book report is typically given as an assignment to students in elementary and middle school. Students fill out a form answering basic questions about the book they were assigned to read. Turning in the report serves as proof to the teacher that the student read the book and, hopefully, got something out of it.
These reports may ask students to detail what the book was about, the names of the main characters, what the theme of the book is, and where the events are set. Some reports may ask specific questions about events or characters to ensure that the students read the book all the way through. The report can also help students understand the book better by asking them to think about its meaning and the plot.
Reading Worksheets
Teachers may also hand out worksheets for students to complete in class or as homework. These are usually limited to the earlier grades when students are still learning to read. Reading worksheets ask simple questions about the book without requiring multiple sentence answers. These questions may ask students to name a favorite character, or mention the main conflict in a few words.
It’s not uncommon for the teacher to read a picture book with the class and have students fill out a worksheet afterwards. If the classroom has a bookshelf, there may also be a ‘Reading Time’ when students pick out a book to read. When they finish, the students fill out the worksheet and submit it to their teacher.
Why Provide A Book Report Form
Book report forms are a popular choice of assignment for elementary school classes. These forms make it simple for students to complete the report by filling out the worksheet. These sheets can be generic with standard questions, or teachers may create a unique sheet with questions specific to each different book that is assigned.
These forms also help introduce students to the idea of a book report format and show them what kind of information may be expected on longer, multi-page reports that they are expected to complete in the higher grades. A form is also easier to grade , especially for teachers who have a large classroom and more assignments to go over than usual.
Sections Of A Simple Book Report
A simple book report features a few sections that ask students to answer questions in paragraph format. These each ask students to detail a different element of the book. All book report forms will ask for the title, author name, and the illustrator’s name, if it is a picture book. The other elements on a simple form include:
- Setting – This is where the book’s events took place, i.e. New York.
- Characters – A list of who the main characters are and their names.
- Plot – A basic overview of the major events in the book.
- Your impressions – Whether you like the book or not, and why.
A simple form may also just ask the students to describe the beginning, middle, and end events of the book in three questions. Students may also be expected to identify the climax, which is the most intense point of the book where the main character’s problems are resolved or made worse. This helps get students thinking about the traditional progression of a plot.
Sections Of A Multi-Page Report
Eventually, teachers transition students to writing a multi-page book report. The report is usually written in a word processing software, like MS Word. Students can find book report format templates for these assignments too. These longer reports are written out in paragraph form. The teacher asks the students to address different elements of a book in their own words or with their own formatting. A simple way to organize these reports is to divide them into three basic sections, the introduction, main body, and conclusion. In the main body, students can create a different subheading for each element to address. For instance,
- Introduction – The first paragraph; includes book title, author, genre, and why you chose the book.
- Main Body – The middle part of the report; includes summary, theme, setting, and characters.
- Conclusion – A short summary of the book report and opinion of the book.
Sample Book Reports
Difference Between The Book Report Types
The short book report form is handed out by the teacher and can be completed in one night like a homework assignment. A multi-page report is created by the student and may take more than one night to finish.
Short templates are available in lots of fun book report ideas suitable for young children. They have questions with a few lines to hand write the answers in a few short sentences. Some templates may include activities to make them more interesting to students, such as having them draw out a scene from the book or re-write the ending.
Multi-page reports start out as two page reports and gradually increase in size through middle school and high school. Of course, those two page reports are just as difficult for young students as the five page reports are for high school students . The great thing about these assignments is that students are usually free to organize their book report ideas however they desire. They can create bold sub-headers for the main body of the report. Students can write about the theme, characters, and setting separately. Or they can leave out the headers and devote their report to a specific element, such as the book theme. This allows students to weave information about characters and setting into the report where they are most relevant to the theme. The former works well for short chapter books, and the latter is better for books that may feature multiple themes.
Ideas for Different Kinds of Book Reports
There is more than one way to complete a book report. Both teachers and students may find these creative ideas more interesting than a straightforward report.
Write a review of the book. Create the report in the form of a newspaper or blog review. Summarize the book without giving away the plot or the ending. Talk about what made you like it or, if you hated it. Feel free to give the book a thumbs up or down rating at the end.
Do a diary. Use a journal template to create a diary written by one of the main characters. There should be multiple entries that follow or discuss the events of the book from that character’s point of view.
Interview one of the characters. Create an imaginary interview with one of the characters in the book. Ask them questions about where they come from, why the character did something important to the plot, and what the character thinks about the outcome of the events in the book.
Write a newspaper article. Create an imaginary newspaper article detailing one of the major events in the book, such as a theft or an important discovery. Make sure to answer the who, what, where, when, and why of these events in your article.
What To Do Once You’ve Written The Report
When students finish writing out their book reports, they have completed what is called the “First Draft” or “Rough Draft”. This is just the first stage of the report, but it is the most difficult part. Finishing up that report in the following steps is a lot easier.
Read and mark the report. Read through the book report from beginning to end to get a feel for it overall. Get a brightly colored pen to mark any spelling or punctuation errors you find in the report. Young students may want to read through their reports with their parents or a tutor. Sometimes, teachers actually make students submit a rough draft of their reports for points before the final report is due. The teacher reviews the draft, makes edits, and suggestions for changing the report before final submission.
Make edits to the report. Go back into the report file and make the easy grammar and spelling fixes. Take a look at your teacher’s suggestions or the ideas you wrote down for things to change in the report. Create a plan to make those additions or changes. Make the changes to the report. Don’t forget to save your file as a separate document. For instance, save your rough draft as, Report1.doc, and this updated version as, Report2.doc.
Review the report. Print out a fresh copy of the report. Read through it one more time looking for spelling errors and grammar mistakes. Keep an eye out for spots where the text doesn’t make sense. This can sometimes happen when you add new content to a report. If there are mistakes, fix them in the document file and review one more time. Your final draft is ready to print out when you can no longer find any mistakes.
Book Report Examples
Tips for Teachers
Book reports are a big part of the curriculum. That doesn’t mean they have to be a lot of work for the students or the teacher. Make assigning these reports less of a hassle with these tips.
- Assign one book for the entire class to read. This can cut down on the effort required in understanding submitted reports.
- Pick out a short book report template to use. There is no need to use valuable time in creating one from scratch.
- Print out more copies of the form than are needed. Some students may lose theirs and need an extra form.
- Make reminder announcements when a due date approaches. Remind students at least twice before a book report due date.
- Keep the word count requirement low. Teachers also have to spend more time reviewing longer reports.
- Consider creative alternatives to some written reports. When your curriculum includes a lot of book reports, give students the option of turning in a drawing, diorama, or another project as a break.
Tips for Students
Being assigned a book report to complete can seem like a daunting task, especially if if you have never written a multi-page report. Make sure you don’t fall behind on the work by following a few of these tips.
- Make up a reading schedule to complete the book well in advance of the report being due. Use a calendar to remind yourself.
- Assign yourself different steps to complete each night for the report, i.e. make an outline, write 200 words, or revising
- Ask the teacher for help with ideas if you can’t figure out how to get started.
- Look for examples of completed reports to see how they are structured.
Book reports vary in their length and complexity. Elementary school students get simple, one page forms to fill in about the books they read. Those in middle school and high school usually have to write multiple page reports. Nearly all reports require students to talk about the plot, theme, characters, and how they liked the book. Both students and teachers can find a lot of templates to use. Those looking for something generic for students to fill in after reading a book can pick up a .pdf or .jpg form. Those who want more control over the look and wording of the template should download a .doc file.
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How to write a Book Report: Template and samples
Our writers at my homework help website have summarized the important steps that need to be taken before beginning the writing process of a book report.
Book report should not just account for what was in the text but also a thoughtful and well-organized assessment of the material itself.
Table of Contents
What is a book report.
A book report is a paper written to provide the general overview of a book and can also include the author’s own analysis of the work.
It should be crafted in such a way that it summarizes the contents of a given book and provides insight into how it was written and why it was written and should not offer criticism or personal opinion of the text but rather focuses on facts about the content.
A book report is a literary composition that details information about a particular piece of literature, like its plot summary and characters.
When paper writing a book report the aims is to give readers a comprehension of what they have read in terms that are comprehensive and brief.
This type of assignment writing should be well-structured pieces that cover all the elements relevant to the material and also maintaining brevity at all times.
Additionally, by helping students learn key concepts like summarizing content, interpreting themes, and identifying narrative elements in texts for example, character development, they serve as useful tools for improving their literacy skills.
Types of Book Reports
There are several different types of book reports. They include fiction/nonfiction summaries, character analyses, critical reviews, expository essays, compare/contrast essay , theme assessments, and even oral PowerPoint presentations with accompanying visuals such as graphs or tables.
Each type of book report requires specific knowledge related to its topic. This is because students should choose on basis of their strengths or interests to give forth the best work possible.
For example, those who enjoy reading novels might go for analyzing fictional characters, just as those interested in current events may opt to write an expository essay on political issues talked about within a certain text such as news articles or periodicals
Book Report Ideas
Choose the right book.
Choosing the right book is important when you want to achieve a successful book report. This means giving your best effort to finding something that interests you or has significance to your life.
You should not settle for anything less than a great book. Nonetheless make sure it matches up with any academic expectations set by your teacher or professor.
Interesting Topic
Homework helpers at myhomeworkhelp.org recommend selection of an interesting topic that can serve as a foundation for discussion in your report (that is either a themes or characters) once you have chosen an appropriate book. This will provide guidance to your research efforts and on where best to focus attention when summarizing and analyzing key elements from within the text.
Read and Understand the Material
It is vital to ensure that the contents have been thoroughly understood by reading through it at least twice (sometimes even three times if necessary) before attempting to write about anything within a work of literature.
In order to ensure accuracy when summarizing content later in the writing process one is required to pay close attention during each read through.
Additionally, searching for links between ideas mentioned within different parts of the novel could lead one down paths worth exploring further both inside and outside its pages. This will be depending upon the researchers’ interest level in further researching specific topics or themes discussed therein.
Book Report Template, Format, Structure, & Outline
A book report template acts a guide and can also be prove useful when organizing thoughts prior to writing the report itself.
It basically incorporates several parts that should be addressed so as to capture the essence of the work being reported on successfully.
Parts of a Book Report Template:
Here are some of the most common parts of a well-structured book report:
1) Introduction : This is an opening paragraph that introduces and prepares the readers to what will follow in the body paragraphs and why it is relevant or important.
2) A summary is a brief overview of the most important plot points, characters, and events in a given text. It does not include personal opinions or criticisms of these things.
3) Characters : In this section, one should provide brief analyses concerning each character mentioned within a novel. This includes the character’s backgrounds and even goals.
4) Themes : Here, one is required to look at how the work’s themes show up in the plot or dialogue so as to figure out what they are. This may assist in figuring out what you might have learned from what you read and moreover help you understand its deeper meaning.
5) Style : Style refers to the unique choice that the writer employs during the writing of their work. This may include; the way they structure their sentences, use metaphors, and repeat words. You can show what makes them different from other texts with similar stories or themes by talking about these parts.
6: Personal Response : You may want to share your own reactions (positive or negative), interpretations, or conclusions about some of the things talked about in the book based on your own experiences or beliefs. However, it is important not to let feelings get in the way of what’s true, therefore this should only be done if there’s ample evidence to give support to the claims made here.
7) In the conclusion , by summarizing the main points from above and giving your final thoughts on the material you looked at during the analysis will enable you to tie up any loose ends.
8) Works Cited (if needed) : Outside source must be properly cited at the end using the formatting rules given by the teacher or professor that is either MLA , APA or any other writing style, If they were used to research topics covered in earlier sections.
Book Report Examples Written by Students
A book report example guides the structure and formatting of a well-written book report. However, it is important that students comprehend that what works for one may not necessarily work for another. This is due to differences in topics or the themes being discussed.
- Example #1: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen : This classic novel explores themes of love, marriage, and social class in 19th-century England through the story of Elizabeth Bennet. In this novel, Bennet must choose between two suitors amidst familial pressures from her mother’s attempts at arranging marriages for her daughters. A good example of this type of book report might demonstrate how the characters change over the course of the story or even how the author employ symbols to depict how the story’s themes are supposed to be understood.
- Example #2: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee : In this novel, readers witness racial injustice through the protagonist Scout Finch. Finch’s father Atticus is tasked with defending falsely accused African-American man Tom Robinson in court . Possible focuses include moral lessons learned from the story such as the importance of understanding others’ perspectives or role judgment plays within society.
- Exam#3: The #3: Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling : In this series, the main character, Harry Porter, goes on adventures full of magic, friendship, loyalty, and persistence. Although he has to deal with a lot of problems, such as taming dragons and stopping bad guys’ plans, among other things. A successful paper could compare different characters’ relationships while exploring their symbolic significance; for example Hermione Granger’s intelligence represents knowledge.
How Do You Start Writing Your Own Book Report?
You need to do more than just read the book and write a summary of it to write a good book report as you are also required to actively engage with the material being discussed.
As such, there are many steps one should take before beginning the process of writing one’s own book report.
Brainstorm Ideas
Take time to brainstorm potential topics related to the material at hand. Depending on what works best for the individual one might decide to do it alone or with others. The topics should relate to the main ideas of the text or focus on certain characters and also events.
Prepare Research Materials
start looking for books, articles, and other sources that have something to do with the topic to learn more about its importance once you’ve chosen the topic. This assist in making sure that later summaries of the content are correct and gives the ideas and opinions in the paper a solid base on which to stand.
Create An Outline
Start making an outline that follows the basic structure you established earlier ( that is introduction, summary, characters, themes.) when you have enough information. This acts as a roadmap when writing the actual paper and a way to stay focused during any difficult sections that may arise during the course of the project.
Write an Introduction
In this section, one introduces readers to the topic by discussing why they decided to explore certain aspects of it over others. This act as a hook that catches the reader, enticing them to delve further into the body paragraphs below.
Compose Body Paragraphs
Just like when writing any other type of essay assignment such as when writing an argumentative essay , you should include the necessary information that is relevant to the topic in each section, such as plot points when talking about the summary, observations about how characters change, and analyses of how the story is written.
Make sure that all of the claims made here are well supported by adequate evidence from other sources so that the conclusions drawn from the analysis can still be trusted.
Finish with Conclusion
In the conclusive part, you are required to tie up any loose ends by summarizing the main points from above. While doing this you are require to give any last thoughts about the material that was looked at during the analysis. Moreover, make sure that any opinions you express in the essay fit with the facts you’ve already gathered for the sake of continuity.
Proofread, Revise, And Edit
Go back through it to make sure it all makes sense and make changes if something isn’t clear after the whole paper is done. Furthermore, this is also the time to fix any grammar mistakes and format the paper according to any rules set by the instructor or professor.
We can Help to Write your book reports
My Homework Help has an idea on how hard it can be to write a good book report. That is why we give you a website to hire someone to write my book report. You have to read the book carefully and come up with well-written opinions about what it’s about despite the complexity of the books you will be required to read.
It’s no wonder that many students have trouble with this assignment! That’s why our team of professionals is here to help make sure your book reports are done right.
- Research and Analysis: Our do my essay experts know a lot about the different topics that are discussed in texts. This knowledge allows them to conduct thorough research on works to get a deeper understanding that can’t be gotten by just skimming or light reading.
- Structure and Formatting: Structure and formatting are important parts of a good book report, so our team makes sure everything follows the rules set by the teacher or professor while adding a personal touch.
- Quality assurance: All of the reports our do my homework experts write go through multiple rounds of editing and proofreading before they are sent to the client. This is to make sure that they have the best content possible. Additionally, writers use creative yet consistent techniques throughout the writing process.
Frequently Asked Questions
A book report can be defined as an essay that sums up the story of a book and gives an opinion on how good it is. It basically includes details about the author, the title, the main characters and plot points, themes, style, and personal reflections on the work as well.
According to homework help experts, the length of a book report will vary depending on what format or structure you’re using; however, it should generally be no more than 2-3 pages in length for most reports that follow traditional guidelines.
Generally, a good book report template will have seven main parts that includes an introduction, a summary, characters, themes, style, a personal response, and a conclusion. A works cited section may also need to be added at the end if outside sources were used during the research process.
Yes! making an outline for essay before you start writing helps keep your ideas in order throughout the whole process. This will enable you to use your time wisely and with ease when you want to “ do my assignment “. As such, one can focus solely on formulating arguments instead of worrying about where they fit into the paper itself.
Make sure you’ve followed all of your teacher’s or professor’s instructions and followed the formatting rules (such as MLA or APA), before you turn in your final draft. You can read more about how to write in APA format here.
Check for grammar mistakes again before giving yourself a final once-over, once you’re sure you understand the material. This will assist you in catching any typos sooner. Moreover, make sure you get a grade you can turn in.
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Homeschool On
Deep breaths, drink more coffee, keep calm and homeschool on!
Check out this FREE book report planning printable!
October 22, 2015 by Rebecca Spooner
My grade 3 son has been reading, a lot! We go to the library every week and he is reading at least one chapter book every few days. I can hardly keep up! He is going through them so fast that I decided I wanted him to start doing book reports. The goal here is to not only to teach some organized writing but to help him slow down and savor the story at the same time. When I sat down and started showing him what he needed to include in his report, he got very overwhelmed. He needed help organizing all the information in one spot. We spent two days writing the report. The first day he filled in all the blanks, not worrying about spelling/structure/neatness. The second day we put it into a good copy together. It made all the difference and I wanted to share our little printable with you! Take a minute to pin this for your friends! Because we can ALL use a little help when it comes to teaching writing to our children.
Download your free book report organizing printable!
This is a four page printable. The first two pages are the book report planning sheets. They have questions and prompts to help your child plan out all the information they need for their report. The next two pages are for the actual book report good copy. You can use those or not, it’s totally up to you! But I wanted to include it in there just in case. I made sure to put a place for the name and date at the top so you can use it even for a school assignment.
IF you are planning ahead and using this book report planner for some day down the road, try to remind your child to choose their favorite quote as they are reading. They can highlight it or mark it with a post-it note. This will help them learn how to appropriately use a quotation reference within their report while helping them pay a bit closer attention as they are reading. If your child is younger or you are using this after they have read the book, you can just scratch that out.
To download your free book report printable pack, just put your name and e-mail address in the box below. You will receive a download link within 1 hour (usually a LOT sooner). If you have not received an e-mail, make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts and double check your junk or spam folder!
All printables on this site are created by me and copyright to Hip Homeschooling . If you would like to share this with a friend, just hit share at the bottom of this post or share the link rather than the download link you are sent in your inbox. Every page view I receive supports this blog and allows me to create more great printables for you! Don’t forget that your link will expire after three tries, if you need to download it again just head back to this post (which is why it’s a good idea to pin it for later!) and you can get a new link sent to you. If you are having problems, send me an email at [email protected] and we’ll figure it out! Also, make sure your printer is set to print to the edge or else resize it a bit if it is cutting something off. Every printer is so different, it is nearly impossible to create one that will fit them all!
Your next book report made easy!
I want to hear how this book report planner works for you! Comment below if it helped your child organize their thoughts and made writing a book report just a little less traumatizing! If you have suggestions or thoughts, I want to hear about them! Ideas for the next printable? Shoot me an e-mail! And most importantly, if you like this printable, hit the share button below! And be sure to check out my other printables by CLICKING HERE !
I used to review curriculum, now I create it!
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FREE Printable 3rd Grade Book Report Template for Report
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Make sure kids are understanding what they read with these free book reports . This 3rd grade book report is super handy, as it is no-prep and works with any book. Use this book report template to ensure readers are understanding what they are reading. These book report form has many spots for children from second grade, third grade, fourth grade, and fifth graders to write down information about the book including the title, author, setting, main characters and the ending. Simply print the free book report templates and you are ready to go!
3rd Grade Book Report
Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you will love these no prep book report templates for children in grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, and grade 5 students. Children need to practice writing and summarizing the major parts of the book, and ensuring they understand what they are reading, but staring at a blank page isn’t going to help your early reader succeed! With the help of these Book Review Template for Kids and guided prompts, children will easily be able to complete a fun and exciting report on any book they have been reading. Use these 3rd grade book report pages to guide children to review and clearly express the major points of the book they just read.
Free book report templates
Start by scrolling to the bottom of the post, under the terms of use, and click on the text link that says >> _________ <<. The book report template 3rd grade pdf file will open in a new window for you to save your freebie. Now print off the pages. This pack is fully black and white, which will help with printing costs.
Book report template
The activities on these book reports include:
- Title of Book
- Describe the setting of the book
- Describe the main characters of the book
- Write a short summary of the book
- How did the story end?
Book report form
- Describe the climax of the story
- Rate the book
- My favorite part
- My favorite character
- A different ending could be
- Draw a new cover for the book
3rd grade book report template
- Where did the book take place?
- When did the book take place?
- What obstacles did the characters face?
- What are your thoughts on the main character
- My thoughts on the book
Book reports for 3rd graders
Whether you are a parent, teacher, homeschooler, daycare provider, or planning a summer camp – you will love these no-prep book report worksheets for kids of all ages in grade 3, grade 4, grade 5 and even grade 6!
Book recommendations for Kids
- Tons of books for preschoolers and fun world book day activities
- Must Read Kindergarten Reading Books pdf free , free Kindergarten Reading Level Book List, Favorite Read Aloud Books for Kindergarten
- 100 Books for 1st Graders to Read by Themselves – Level 1 Reading Books pdf free , Fun-to-Read First Grade Picture Books , First Grade Read Aloud Chapter Books
- Chapter Books for 1st Graders , 2nd Graders, and 3rd Graders – favorite series to keep kids reading!
- Best Read Aloud Chapter Books for 2nd Grade , Check out these 2nd Grade Reading Books pdf free
- Handy Grade 3 Reading Books pdf FREE
- Free 4th Grade Reading List pdf
- Printable Grade 5 Reading books pdf
- Exciting Historical Fiction Books for Kids and 25 Exciting Historical Fiction Books for 4th Graders
- Alphabet Books for Children, Transportation Books for Kids , Space Books for Kids that are out-of-this-world
- Funny Picture Books for kids of all ages, Sweet Picture Books about Family , Fun Zoo Books for Kids
- Books about community helpers , Beautiful Animal Books for Preschoolers , Preschool Color Books
- Creepy, Crawly Bug Books for Preschool kids, Rhyming Books for Kindergarten , fun-to read fall books for kids , and Preschool emotion books for learning to understand feelings
- See all of our popular kids books to read
Reading Comprehension
- Handy, Reading Comprehension bookmarks (any book: fiction or non fiction)
- Free Book Report Template for elementary age students or Book Report Worksheets for elementary age kids
- Simple, one page Book Report Template s to ensure kids are understanding the main charaters, setting, and idea of what they are reading
- Super cute Pizza Book Report Idea with Free printable template or sandwich book report freebie
- Free 3rd Grade Book Report template choices
- 26 more clever Book Report Ideas , Ralph Waldo Poetry Worksheets
- See if kids remember the moral of the story with these FREE Aesop Fables Worksheets pdf
- This Library Scavenger Hunt helps kids learn to navigate a library or this Reading Scavenger Hunt
- Bookshelf Reading Log printable – to help encourage kids to read!
- How to teach elementary age students to write a Ralph Waldo Poetry Worksheets
- Free Parts of a Book Worksheet or these parts of a book for kids coloring pages that use playdough, and book reading goals printables
- Plus, grab these super cute, free printable Star Wars bookmarks for kids !
Book Review Template for Kids
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- This set is for personal and classroom use only.
- This printable set may not be sold, hosted, reproduced, or stored on any other website or electronic retrieval system.
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Beth Gorden
Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables – www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com. Beth studied at the University of Northwestern where she got a double major to make her effective at teaching children while making education FUN!
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Book Report Alternative: Summary, Symbol, and Analysis in Bookmarks
- Resources & Preparation
- Instructional Plan
- Related Resources
Students love to make bookmarks on the computer because they get to share their ideas with others. Consider the following exchange and you'll see why teachers love this project: "What background color will you choose for your bookmark? What goes with Achren's character? She's so evil that it will have to be red," commented Hannah as she worked. Samie disagreed, and the discussion that ensued had them pawing through the book, justifying their preferences. By making these simple bookmarks, students practice in summarizing, recognizing symbols, and writing reviews—all while writing for an authentic audience. What more could a teacher ask for?
From Theory to Practice
Beverly Busching and Betty Ann Slesinger explain that literature is a "repository of cultural values"; thus, by reading widely, students are able to tap that repository and become more conscious of their own culture and that of others. Busching and Slesinger continue, "Students need to see their own lives interpreted and validated in the books they read, and they also need to see the wide panoply of humanity, not just to watch these characters enact their lives, but also to see into their lives. Through books, students can develop strong bonds with diverse individuals they would be unlikely to meet in their actual lives, or could never know well" (146-47). By asking students to explore texts in their libraries for stereotypes and balanced representations of cultural values, this lesson bridges the transformation and decision-making/social action approaches to multicultural education. Further Reading
Common Core Standards
This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.
State Standards
This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.
NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts
- 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
- 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
- 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
- 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Materials and Technology
- Computers with word processor software
- Laminating supplies or tape
- Yarn, colored paper, markers, and other decorations (optional)
- The Hobbit Characters boomark
- Doom Stone Characters bookmark (copies or transparencies)
- Planning Sheet for Bookmark Book Reports
- Rubric for Bookmark Book Reports
Preparation
- Before this lesson, students will read a book independently, in literature circles, or as a whole class.
- Ask students to bring copies of the book that will be the focus of their bookmark to class for reference.
- Make copies or overheads of the sample bookmarks, the Planning Sheet for Bookmark Book Reports , and the Rubric for Bookmark Book Reports .
- Practice the steps for creating bookmarks with a word processor using your computers and software. You may want to provide your students with more specific instructions that are customized for your software program.
- Find sources for clip art that are appropriate for your class. Typically a small clip art library is included with word processing programs; however, additional images may be needed. Have URLs on hand that students can use to find images for their bookmarks. Optional: Depending upon your goals and the resources available, students can also draw original images on their bookmarks with markers, creating images in a program such as Paint or PhotoShop, or scanning images.
Student Objectives
Students will
- write summaries and reviews for a book they have read.
- identify appropriate symbols that relate to their books.
- interact with classmates to give and receive feedback.
- explore how audience and purpose shape their writing.
Session One
- Generally explain that students will be making bookmarks that include four parts: summary, character details, review, and related images. The bookmarks can be given away or traded with other students. One copy can also go to the librarian who can share them with other students at the school.
- Share one or both of the example bookmarks to explain the assignment to the students, pointing out each of the four parts.
- What are the important characteristics of a summary? What do these example summaries do well?
- Why would we want our bookmarks to keep the conclusion of the plot a secret? What does keeping it a secret accomplish?
- How are characters described? What details make sense for our bookmarks?
- How does a book review differ from a summary?
- How might we indicate ranking or recommendations? (e.g., thumbs up/down, 5-star scale)
- How do the symbols on the bookmark relate to the text? What ideas might you keep in mind as you choose clip art for your own bookmarks?
- Once you're satisfied that students understand the assignment, they can begin work with bookmark planning sheet. Students can work individually or in groups on this project.
- Encourage students to interact with one another, to share and receive feedback on their plans for bookmarks. Since these bookmarks will be shared in the class as well as in the library, hearing the feedback and comments of other students helps writers refine their bookmarks for their audience.
- Students can continue working on the project for homework if desired.
Session Two
- Remind students of the goals and elements included in this project. Answer any questions students have.
- Open up a new page in landscape view in their word processing program.
- Insert a table with 5–6 columns and equal left and right margins to make printing the back of the bookmarks easier.
- Copy the table and insert it on a second page (this will be the back of the bookmark).
- If students are working with a Microsoft Word Processor, Microsoft's digital clip art collection provides additional graphics they can use. Check the images to ensure that they are appropriate for your students.
- Remind students to put their names on the bookmark!
- Give students time to type, proofread, and print their bookmarks. Remind them to print multiple copies if necessary to share with other students and the library.
- While students work, again encourage them to interact with one another, to share and receive feedback on their plans for bookmarks.
- After the bookmarks are printed out, you can laminate them or tape them together. Some students may want to add yarn or a tassel. They can also decorate with markers or other classroom supplies.
- As students finish, ask them to turn in two bookmarks (one for you and one for the librarian). Encourage students to share and trade their additional bookmarks.
Student Assessment / Reflections
- For more formal assessment, use the Rubric for Bookmark Book Reviews which is tied to the key elements included in the planning sheet: summary, review, characters, graphics, and spelling/punctuation/grammar.
- On the other hand, nothing is as useful as the feedback that they'll receive by sharing their bookmarks with their peers. Informal feedback from students who read the bookmarks and search out the related book are excellent feedback for students.
- Lesson Plans
- Professional Library
In this article, Versaci details the many merits of using comics and graphic novels in the classroom, suggests how they can be integrated into historical and social issues units, and recommends several titles.
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Homework – Top 3 Pros and Cons
Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates
From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century. [ 1 ]
While we are unsure who invented homework, we do know that the word “homework” dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorization exercises as homework continued through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment by monks and other scholars. [ 45 ]
In the 19th century, German students of the Volksschulen or “People’s Schools” were given assignments to complete outside of the school day. This concept of homework quickly spread across Europe and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann , who encountered the idea in Prussia. [ 45 ]
In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal , decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ]
Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union’s technological advances during the Cold War . And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool. [ 3 ] [ 45 ]
A 2014 study found kindergarteners to fifth graders averaged 2.9 hours of homework per week, sixth to eighth graders 3.2 hours per teacher, and ninth to twelfth graders 3.5 hours per teacher. A 2014-2019 study found that teens spent about an hour a day on homework. [ 4 ] [ 44 ]
Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the very idea of homework as students were schooling remotely and many were doing all school work from home. Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss asked, “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” While students were mostly back in school buildings in fall 2021, the question remains of how effective homework is as an educational tool. [ 47 ]
Is Homework Beneficial?
Pro 1 Homework improves student achievement. Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicated that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” [ 6 ] Students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework on both standardized tests and grades. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take-home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school. [ 10 ] Read More
Pro 2 Homework helps to reinforce classroom learning, while developing good study habits and life skills. Students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class, and they need to apply that information in order to truly learn it. Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, co-founders of Teachers Who Tutor NYC, explained, “at-home assignments help students learn the material taught in class. Students require independent practice to internalize new concepts… [And] these assignments can provide valuable data for teachers about how well students understand the curriculum.” [ 11 ] [ 49 ] Elementary school students who were taught “strategies to organize and complete homework,” such as prioritizing homework activities, collecting study materials, note-taking, and following directions, showed increased grades and more positive comments on report cards. [ 17 ] Research by the City University of New York noted that “students who engage in self-regulatory processes while completing homework,” such as goal-setting, time management, and remaining focused, “are generally more motivated and are higher achievers than those who do not use these processes.” [ 18 ] Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives: accountability, autonomy, discipline, time management, self-direction, critical thinking, and independent problem-solving. Freireich and Platzer noted that “homework helps students acquire the skills needed to plan, organize, and complete their work.” [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 49 ] Read More
Pro 3 Homework allows parents to be involved with children’s learning. Thanks to take-home assignments, parents are able to track what their children are learning at school as well as their academic strengths and weaknesses. [ 12 ] Data from a nationwide sample of elementary school students show that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance, especially among economically disadvantaged African-American and Hispanic students. [ 20 ] Research from Johns Hopkins University found that an interactive homework process known as TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) improves student achievement: “Students in the TIPS group earned significantly higher report card grades after 18 weeks (1 TIPS assignment per week) than did non-TIPS students.” [ 21 ] Homework can also help clue parents in to the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed. Duke University Professor Harris Cooper noted, “Two parents once told me they refused to believe their child had a learning disability until homework revealed it to them.” [ 12 ] Read More
Con 1 Too much homework can be harmful. A poll of California high school students found that 59% thought they had too much homework. 82% of respondents said that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.” High-achieving high school students said too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems. [ 24 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] Alfie Kohn, an education and parenting expert, said, “Kids should have a chance to just be kids… it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.” [ 27 ] Emmy Kang, a mental health counselor, explained, “More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.” [ 48 ] Excessive homework can also lead to cheating: 90% of middle school students and 67% of high school students admit to copying someone else’s homework, and 43% of college students engaged in “unauthorized collaboration” on out-of-class assignments. Even parents take shortcuts on homework: 43% of those surveyed admitted to having completed a child’s assignment for them. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] Read More
Con 2 Homework exacerbates the digital divide or homework gap. Kiara Taylor, financial expert, defined the digital divide as “the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that don’t. Though the term now encompasses the technical and financial ability to utilize available technology—along with access (or a lack of access) to the Internet—the gap it refers to is constantly shifting with the development of technology.” For students, this is often called the homework gap. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] 30% (about 15 to 16 million) public school students either did not have an adequate internet connection or an appropriate device, or both, for distance learning. Completing homework for these students is more complicated (having to find a safe place with an internet connection, or borrowing a laptop, for example) or impossible. [ 51 ] A Hispanic Heritage Foundation study found that 96.5% of students across the country needed to use the internet for homework, and nearly half reported they were sometimes unable to complete their homework due to lack of access to the internet or a computer, which often resulted in lower grades. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] One study concluded that homework increases social inequality because it “potentially serves as a mechanism to further advantage those students who already experience some privilege in the school system while further disadvantaging those who may already be in a marginalized position.” [ 39 ] Read More
Con 3 Homework does not help younger students, and may not help high school students. We’ve known for a while that homework does not help elementary students. A 2006 study found that “homework had no association with achievement gains” when measured by standardized tests results or grades. [ 7 ] Fourth grade students who did no homework got roughly the same score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math exam as those who did 30 minutes of homework a night. Students who did 45 minutes or more of homework a night actually did worse. [ 41 ] Temple University professor Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek said that homework is not the most effective tool for young learners to apply new information: “They’re learning way more important skills when they’re not doing their homework.” [ 42 ] In fact, homework may not be helpful at the high school level either. Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, stated, “I interviewed high school teachers who completely stopped giving homework and there was no downside, it was all upside.” He explains, “just because the same kids who get more homework do a little better on tests, doesn’t mean the homework made that happen.” [ 52 ] Read More
Discussion Questions
1. Is homework beneficial? Consider the study data, your personal experience, and other types of information. Explain your answer(s).
2. If homework were banned, what other educational strategies would help students learn classroom material? Explain your answer(s).
3. How has homework been helpful to you personally? How has homework been unhelpful to you personally? Make carefully considered lists for both sides.
Take Action
1. Examine an argument in favor of quality homework assignments from Janine Bempechat.
2. Explore Oxford Learning’s infographic on the effects of homework on students.
3. Consider Joseph Lathan’s argument that homework promotes inequality .
4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives .
| 1. | Tom Loveless, “Homework in America: Part II of the 2014 Brown Center Report of American Education,” brookings.edu, Mar. 18, 2014 | |
| 2. | Edward Bok, “A National Crime at the Feet of American Parents,” , Jan. 1900 | |
| 3. | Tim Walker, “The Great Homework Debate: What’s Getting Lost in the Hype,” neatoday.org, Sep. 23, 2015 | |
| 4. | University of Phoenix College of Education, “Homework Anxiety: Survey Reveals How Much Homework K-12 Students Are Assigned and Why Teachers Deem It Beneficial,” phoenix.edu, Feb. 24, 2014 | |
| 5. | Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), “PISA in Focus No. 46: Does Homework Perpetuate Inequities in Education?,” oecd.org, Dec. 2014 | |
| 6. | Adam V. Maltese, Robert H. Tai, and Xitao Fan, “When is Homework Worth the Time?: Evaluating the Association between Homework and Achievement in High School Science and Math,” , 2012 | |
| 7. | Harris Cooper, Jorgianne Civey Robinson, and Erika A. Patall, “Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Researcher, 1987-2003,” , 2006 | |
| 8. | Gökhan Bas, Cihad Sentürk, and Fatih Mehmet Cigerci, “Homework and Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Review of Research,” , 2017 | |
| 9. | Huiyong Fan, Jianzhong Xu, Zhihui Cai, Jinbo He, and Xitao Fan, “Homework and Students’ Achievement in Math and Science: A 30-Year Meta-Analysis, 1986-2015,” , 2017 | |
| 10. | Charlene Marie Kalenkoski and Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia, “Does High School Homework Increase Academic Achievement?,” iza.og, Apr. 2014 | |
| 11. | Ron Kurtus, “Purpose of Homework,” school-for-champions.com, July 8, 2012 | |
| 12. | Harris Cooper, “Yes, Teachers Should Give Homework – The Benefits Are Many,” newsobserver.com, Sep. 2, 2016 | |
| 13. | Tammi A. Minke, “Types of Homework and Their Effect on Student Achievement,” repository.stcloudstate.edu, 2017 | |
| 14. | LakkshyaEducation.com, “How Does Homework Help Students: Suggestions From Experts,” LakkshyaEducation.com (accessed Aug. 29, 2018) | |
| 15. | University of Montreal, “Do Kids Benefit from Homework?,” teaching.monster.com (accessed Aug. 30, 2018) | |
| 16. | Glenda Faye Pryor-Johnson, “Why Homework Is Actually Good for Kids,” memphisparent.com, Feb. 1, 2012 | |
| 17. | Joan M. Shepard, “Developing Responsibility for Completing and Handing in Daily Homework Assignments for Students in Grades Three, Four, and Five,” eric.ed.gov, 1999 | |
| 18. | Darshanand Ramdass and Barry J. Zimmerman, “Developing Self-Regulation Skills: The Important Role of Homework,” , 2011 | |
| 19. | US Department of Education, “Let’s Do Homework!,” ed.gov (accessed Aug. 29, 2018) | |
| 20. | Loretta Waldman, “Sociologist Upends Notions about Parental Help with Homework,” phys.org, Apr. 12, 2014 | |
| 21. | Frances L. Van Voorhis, “Reflecting on the Homework Ritual: Assignments and Designs,” , June 2010 | |
| 22. | Roel J. F. J. Aries and Sofie J. Cabus, “Parental Homework Involvement Improves Test Scores? A Review of the Literature,” , June 2015 | |
| 23. | Jamie Ballard, “40% of People Say Elementary School Students Have Too Much Homework,” yougov.com, July 31, 2018 | |
| 24. | Stanford University, “Stanford Survey of Adolescent School Experiences Report: Mira Costa High School, Winter 2017,” stanford.edu, 2017 | |
| 25. | Cathy Vatterott, “Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs,” ascd.org, 2009 | |
| 26. | End the Race, “Homework: You Can Make a Difference,” racetonowhere.com (accessed Aug. 24, 2018) | |
| 27. | Elissa Strauss, “Opinion: Your Kid Is Right, Homework Is Pointless. Here’s What You Should Do Instead.,” cnn.com, Jan. 28, 2020 | |
| 28. | Jeanne Fratello, “Survey: Homework Is Biggest Source of Stress for Mira Costa Students,” digmb.com, Dec. 15, 2017 | |
| 29. | Clifton B. Parker, “Stanford Research Shows Pitfalls of Homework,” stanford.edu, Mar. 10, 2014 | |
| 30. | AdCouncil, “Cheating Is a Personal Foul: Academic Cheating Background,” glass-castle.com (accessed Aug. 16, 2018) | |
| 31. | Jeffrey R. Young, “High-Tech Cheating Abounds, and Professors Bear Some Blame,” chronicle.com, Mar. 28, 2010 | |
| 32. | Robin McClure, “Do You Do Your Child’s Homework?,” verywellfamily.com, Mar. 14, 2018 | |
| 33. | Robert M. Pressman, David B. Sugarman, Melissa L. Nemon, Jennifer, Desjarlais, Judith A. Owens, and Allison Schettini-Evans, “Homework and Family Stress: With Consideration of Parents’ Self Confidence, Educational Level, and Cultural Background,” , 2015 | |
| 34. | Heather Koball and Yang Jiang, “Basic Facts about Low-Income Children,” nccp.org, Jan. 2018 | |
| 35. | Meagan McGovern, “Homework Is for Rich Kids,” huffingtonpost.com, Sep. 2, 2016 | |
| 36. | H. Richard Milner IV, “Not All Students Have Access to Homework Help,” nytimes.com, Nov. 13, 2014 | |
| 37. | Claire McLaughlin, “The Homework Gap: The ‘Cruelest Part of the Digital Divide’,” neatoday.org, Apr. 20, 2016 | |
| 38. | Doug Levin, “This Evening’s Homework Requires the Use of the Internet,” edtechstrategies.com, May 1, 2015 | |
| 39. | Amy Lutz and Lakshmi Jayaram, “Getting the Homework Done: Social Class and Parents’ Relationship to Homework,” , June 2015 | |
| 40. | Sandra L. Hofferth and John F. Sandberg, “How American Children Spend Their Time,” psc.isr.umich.edu, Apr. 17, 2000 | |
| 41. | Alfie Kohn, “Does Homework Improve Learning?,” alfiekohn.org, 2006 | |
| 42. | Patrick A. Coleman, “Elementary School Homework Probably Isn’t Good for Kids,” fatherly.com, Feb. 8, 2018 | |
| 43. | Valerie Strauss, “Why This Superintendent Is Banning Homework – and Asking Kids to Read Instead,” washingtonpost.com, July 17, 2017 | |
| 44. | Pew Research Center, “The Way U.S. Teens Spend Their Time Is Changing, but Differences between Boys and Girls Persist,” pewresearch.org, Feb. 20, 2019 | |
| 45. | ThroughEducation, “The History of Homework: Why Was It Invented and Who Was behind It?,” , Feb. 14, 2020 | |
| 46. | History, “Why Homework Was Banned,” (accessed Feb. 24, 2022) | |
| 47. | Valerie Strauss, “Does Homework Work When Kids Are Learning All Day at Home?,” , Sep. 2, 2020 | |
| 48. | Sara M Moniuszko, “Is It Time to Get Rid of Homework? Mental Health Experts Weigh In,” , Aug. 17, 2021 | |
| 49. | Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, “The Worsening Homework Problem,” , Apr. 13, 2021 | |
| 50. | Kiara Taylor, “Digital Divide,” , Feb. 12, 2022 | |
| 51. | Marguerite Reardon, “The Digital Divide Has Left Millions of School Kids Behind,” , May 5, 2021 | |
| 52. | Rachel Paula Abrahamson, “Why More and More Teachers Are Joining the Anti-Homework Movement,” , Sep. 10, 2021 |
More School Debate Topics
Should K-12 Students Dissect Animals in Science Classrooms? – Proponents say dissecting real animals is a better learning experience. Opponents say the practice is bad for the environment.
Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms? – Proponents say uniforms may increase student safety. Opponents say uniforms restrict expression.
Should Corporal Punishment Be Used in K-12 Schools? – Proponents say corporal punishment is an appropriate discipline. Opponents say it inflicts long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.
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IMAGES
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COMMENTS
Include the title and author in your intro, then summarize the plot, main characters, and setting of the book. Analyze the author's writing style, as well as the main themes and arguments of the book. Include quotes and examples to support your statements. Part 1.
Book reports follow general rules for composition, yet are distinct from other types of writing assignments. Central to book reports are plot summaries, analyses of characters and themes, and concluding opinions. ... Fact Monster's Homework Center discusses each section of a book report, and explains how to evaluate and analyze books based on ...
Here you want to provide basic information about the book, and a sense of what your report will be about. You should include: Title (underlined)/Author. Publication Information: Publisher, year, number of pages. Genre. A brief (1-2 sentences) introduction to the book and the report/review.
Here you want to provide basic information about the book, and a sense of what your report will be about. You should include: Title (underlined)/Author. Publication Information: Publisher, year, number of pages. Genre. A brief (1-2 sentences) introduction to the book and the report/review.
Step 2. Once you have finished reading the book and have taken thorough notes, it is time to start organizing your thoughts. Create an outline to structure your report like the one in the example above. Make sure you over all the necessary components.
11-13. 1. Read the book. This is an obvious, but very important, first step! Finish reading the book before you begin your report. After all, the ending may surprise you — and you don't want incomplete information in your project. 2. Pick a medium. When you finish reading, think about how you can best present the book to the class.
Reading Book Response Activity Booklet: Book reports also make fantastic homework assignments. If you have finished reading a book in the classroom, you can use this Reading Book Response Activity Booklet to help children reflect and write reports at home. With a massive 16 pages of activities, it's a bumper pack of reading response resources.
Homework Center - Writing Skills. Book reports are a way to show how well you understood a book and to tell what you think about it. Many teachers have their own rules about what a book report should look like so be sure to check, but the following parts a book report are very common and may be helpful.
A book report based on a work of fiction typically consists of a plot summary, an analysis of one or more literary elements, and a statement recommending or discouraging others from reading the ...
Homework Center - Writing Skills. Book reports are a way to show how well you understood a book and to tell what you think about it. Many teachers have their own rules about what a book report should look like so be sure to check, but the following parts a book report are very common and may be helpful.
University or college book reports can be tricky, so in this blog we're showing you how to write a good book report at the post-secondary level. Toll-Free: 1 ... check out Episode 69 of The Homework Help Show. Each body paragraph should focus on one specific topic, theme, or supporting argument. Start the paragraph with an opening statement ...
Teacher Wynne explains how write a good book report. Skip to main content. Homework Zone: Language. View video transcript. Book Reports. Teacher Wynne explains how write a good book report. ... Homework Zone: Grammar - There, They're and Their. Punctuation. Book report. What is a Simile? Homework Zone: Language - Paragraph with Supporting Details.
Difference Between The Book Report Types. The short book report form is handed out by the teacher and can be completed in one night like a homework assignment. A multi-page report is created by the student and may take more than one night to finish. Short templates are available in lots of fun book report ideas suitable for young children.
Here are some of the most common parts of a well-structured book report: 1) Introduction: This is an opening paragraph that introduces and prepares the readers to what will follow in the body paragraphs and why it is relevant or important. 2) A summary is a brief overview of the most important plot points, characters, and events in a given text ...
Download your free book report organizing printable! This is a four page printable. The first two pages are the book report planning sheets. They have questions and prompts to help your child plan out all the information they need for their report. The next two pages are for the actual book report good copy.
These fun, free printable book report template pages are perfect for older kids in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students. Being no-prep, these book report forms help to ensure readers are understanding what they are reading. Simply print the printable book report template to write down information about the book ...
Make a Pizza Box Book Report. For this book report idea, students will collect a used (but relatively clean) empty pizza box and transform it into a book project. Using a ruler, students will draw inside of the box a circle (as large as possible) divided into eight "slices" or pieces. On each wedge, they will write information about the story.
3rd Grade Book Report. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler - you will love these no prep book report templates for children in grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, and grade 5 students. Children need to practice writing and summarizing the major parts of the book, and ensuring they understand what they are reading, but staring at a blank page isn't going to help your early reader succeed!
Students can continue working on the project for homework if desired. Session Two. Remind students of the goals and elements included in this project. Answer any questions students have. ... In this alternative to the traditional book report, students respond to a play they have read by creating a resume for one of its characters. Grades . 6 - 8 |
Instead of trying to figure out how to write a good book report and then risking your mark, leave it to the professionals at Homework Help Global. We have an internal team of over 50 academic ...
A completely original book report composed from scratch. We understand that schools have zero-tolerance plagiarism policies, so our essay writing service will be fully original! You will receive a plagiarism report with your paper. 2. Your personal data will be safe with us. You can share any details that you like, as we value your privacy.
From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century. []While we are unsure who invented homework, we do know that the word "homework" dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home.