Mar 04, 2017

10 Creative Ideas to Make Students Actually Enjoy Book Reports

This article is sponsored by Scholastic Printables. Learn more about their amazing teaching resources HERE.

We all know that book reports are essential for teachers to make sure students successfully complete their reading assignments. They also help kids to recall what they’ve read, help with reading comprehension, and provide an opportunity for them to practice their writing skills. But let's be honest, NO kid actually enjoys filling out those boring book report forms!

Well guess what, book reports don't have to be dull and painful for your students. With a bit of creativity and some imagination, book reports can be really fun! We teamed up with the education experts at Scholastic Printables to put together a list of some unique and fun book reports ideas. With their thousands of awesome classroom resources, we're taking the "boring" out of book reports, and getting students to actually enjoy them. Have fun using them in your classroom, and find a lot more great ideas and materials when you try Scholastic Printables RISK-FREE for 30 days!

1. BOOK JACKETS

(Grades 3-5)

An activity that never fails to bring the creative side out of your students! With these After-Reading Book Jackets, students will use information about a book they have read, the author, and the illustrator to create a new jacket for their book. They'll have a blast drawing, coloring, writing, and becoming a book cover designer for a day!

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2. D.I.Y. CEREAL BOXES

via hil.troy.k12.mi.us, mrspearcesclass.com & Amy Dennis Pinterest

(Grades 3-8)

Have students cover a cereal box with paper and design it using elements of their book. On the front, include a clever new name for the cereal, relevant to the book. For example, a cereal named for Harry Potter could be "Wizard's Wheaties". On the back, include a summary, the main characters, the plot, and the setting in a creative way. On the top, sides, and bottom include short reviews of the book or the author, or alter the nutritional guide (i.e. 10% Suspense, 20% Conflict, 5% Sadness...)

3. HAND-MADE T-SHIRTS

via TeachingMyFriends.blogspot.com

(Grades 3-6)

Students LOVE this book report idea! Pick up some cheap, plain white t-shirts. Have each student design their t-shirt according to their book. They can use anything they want—markers, paint, felt, or other craft materials! Then they present the book while wearing their t-shirt to convince others to read the book. So in essence, they are becoming little salespeople for the day. You might be pleasantly surprised by their public speaking skills and convincing sales skills!

4. NEWSPAPER REPORT

(Kindergarten-Grade 2)

After reading a book, students get to make their own front page of the newspaper! Have them fill in the sections with details about their favorite character, including a drawing, traits, favorite things, other important information, and then color it all in.

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5. HOMEWORK HOTLINE

(Grades 3-5)

After completing a reading assignment, students discuss the assignment by phone. They record topics and questions from before and after their phone conversation on the graphic organizer (below). This activity always gets kids excited because they get to talk on the phone, like grown-ups!

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6. TIME CAPSULE

(Grades 1-5)

Kids love the idea of a time capsule! Have students design their own. They can simply use an empty potato chip can, wrap it in paper with their own design (decorated according to the book). Then, have them put items in the time capsule that would be important to the main character of the book. They should select at least 10 physical objects that they'd want to send through time to help the main character. When presenting to the class, students should describe each item and why it is important to the main character.

7. MINI-BOOK REPORT

(PreK-Grade 1)

Easy idea for the young ones! Have students fill in the blanks to personalize this simple story-summarizing activity. The colorful, engaging rhyme is guaranteed to delight children as they develop reading and writing skills!

Download and print the FULL resource HERE!

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8. CHARACTER INTERVIEW

(Grades 2-6)

This is a fun exercise for students to use their imagination. Instruct them to choose their favorite character from the book and imagine they have to interview him/her/it. Have them write down ten questions that they could ask the character about his/her/its feelings in relation to the story. Then have them put themselves in the character's shoes and write the responses to their questions, as the character might respond. You could partner up students, and later they can act out the interview in front of the class.

9. KEEP A CHARACTER DIARY

(Grades 3-6)

Here's another great idea to get students to use their imaginations! Have them write a diary, as if they were one of the main characters. They should write the thoughts and feelings the character might have kept in a diary before, during, or after the book's events. Remind students that it is a diary, where only the character's personal contemplations and sentiments should be written.