No More Book Reports, Introducing...Book Recommendations

That's right- NO MORE BOOK REPORTS.  I have always said that I had some of the greatest teachers when I was growing up, but if there was one thing that I didn't enjoy about their classes was doing book reports.  They were always so boring, and I felt like I was always writing the same thing.

Being a teacher now, I can understand the objectives behind them (kind of), and I appreciate that I did learn some skills like summarizing, distinguishing between main ideas and minor details, and learning about plot.  However, I also remember how boring they were for me, and I can only imagine how boring they would be for my students if I assigned them.  I'm not blaming my teachers at all.  Times were just different.  No big deal.  I'm pretty sure that the ones who are still teaching haven't done a traditional book report in years anyway.

So, in order to keep the objectives in place but to make it a bit more interesting and personal for students, I have created my own version of Student Book Recommendations.  Allowing students to critique and rate books empowers them and gives them ownership of their work.   They love to see their critiques displayed and read by other students.  I like to refer students to the display of Book Recommendations so they can browse them to see if they find something they are interested in.

For the past couple of years, I have designated a specific wall or bulletin board in my classroom to display student recommendations and the materials students need to complete the activity.  Sometimes, I assign them as a literacy center, use them after a group finishes a literature circle book, or allow students to complete them instead of doing their Reader's Workshop Response Log.  

Coming soon will be a picture of the bulletin board with the student recommendations that my students have just finished.  

Here are some values I have found in this activity:
1. Kids are excited about being the expert, or person who gets to critique something.
2. Kids love to see their work displayed.
3. The kids enjoy when other students ask them about the book after reading their recommendation.
4. Kids like being able to choose which books they write about.
5. I learn which books my students are really interested in without having to take a formal poll.
6. This can be a quick assessment.
7. Kids are interactively positively with reading.
8. It makes a great looking bulletin board.

Click here or on any of the images below to get your own set, which includes:

- Teacher Information/Suggestions for Use

- Student Directions

- Student Writing Forms in 8 styles (1 pictured below)

- Student Rubric

- Book Recommendation Cover Page

 

 

 

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