Book Report and Book Project Information 
 

This year you will have a book report due every month (except December and
June) on the last school day of each month.

-          Please make sure that the books selected are chapter books with a
minimum of one hundred pages.

-          You may substitute a PowerPoint presentation for a maximum of
three written reports. There will need to be a minimum of five slides and the
information in the written form must be included in the PowerPoint
presentation.

-          You will be required to do a book project in addition to your
report each month. Directions are included in this packet.

-          All book reports need to be typed by the student, making sure that
each question is answered. The questions are attached to this sheet and they
are on the website.

-          It is very important that book reports are turned in on time. Late work is not acceptable.

 The due dates, genres, and activity assignments are:

Due Date                         Genre                  Activity
Last school day of:

September                     Free Choice             Oral Book Review Only

October                         Mystery                   Project Cube, dust Jacketor Power Point

November                     Non-fiction              Suitcase Display/story container
                                                                              
January                          Historical Fiction      Newspaper Page or Grocery Bag with Artifacts

February                       Newbery Award      Triptych or PowerPoint

March                           Biography Book        Board Game or Biography Mobile

April                             Fantasy                     Diorama or Cartoon Strip

Every written book report will need to follow these guidelines:

1.
You will need to have a title page with the title of the book,the author of
the book, the publisher's name, your name and the date.

2.
You will need to describe the setting in detail. Describe how the setting
changes the mood of the story.This section needs to be labeled "Setting" and
should be about five lines in length.

3.
Who are the main characters in your story? Describe at least three people who
make a difference in how the story evolves. This sections needs to be
labeled "Main Characters" and should be at least six lines long.

4.
What is the climax in the story? What event happened that changed the way the
story ended? Sometimes there are several climaxes. Choose the one that is the
most important to you. Describe what happened in detail. This section needs
to be labeled "Climax" and should be approximately 6-10 lines long.

5.
In every book there is a moral to the story, or a lesson that the author
wants you to learn. What is the lesson in this book? Think about this.
Sometimes it is very subtle. This section needs to be labeled "Moral of the
Story" and should be about five lines long.

6.
What did you think of this book? Did you enjoy it or not? Why? Label this
section "My Opinion" and be specific in your reasons why you did or did not
like the book. This should be about four lines long.

7.
Write a summary of the book in order of the events. This section should be
about one-half to one page in length. I will be looking for lots of details
and description. It needs to be labeled "Summary."

Book Report Format-Non-Fiction
1. Title, author, publisher, number of pages
2. Setting
3. Summary of the book (one page handwritten, ¾ page typed)
4. Your opinion of the book

Book Report Project Directions

Dust Jacket Directions

Description
A dust jacket is the paper covering on a hardback book. It is designed to attract the attention of prospective readers and tell them something about the book. By looking at and reading a dust jacket you can find a lot of
information about the book in a condensed format.

Materials
Paper
Colored pencils or markers

Directions
1. Read a book of your choosing. As you read, write down words that describe the book or that tell your reaction to the book.
2. Fold a piece of construction paper in five sections so that there is a front inside flap, a front cover, a spine, a back cover and
a back inside flap.
3. Plan what you will put on all sections of the book jacket before you actually draw or write on the paper. This is what you will put in each section:
             a. Inside flap- write a brief description of the book. Do not tell everything that happens in the book, but tell enough to get people interested in reading it (10 sentences minimum).
            b. Front cover-write the title and the author’s name. Draw a picture that will get the reader’s interest and show something about the contents of the book.
            c. Spine-write the book’s title and publisher
            d. Back cover-write your review and recommendation. Tell why you think this book is good. You may add an illustration (10 sentence minimum).
            e. Inside back flap- Include some brief information about the author. If you cannot find any information about the author on the book, check the Internet. Include other books that the author has written (5 sentence minimum).
            f. Transfer your drawings and writings to the book jacket.

Suitcase Display

Create a suitcase out of tagboard or a manila folder or poster board. Decorate the front of your suitcase with a picture of the cover of your book. Inside your suitcase, draw or cut our pictures of several things that are
representative of your book. Describe the pictures neatly and say why they are important. Make sure you mention the title, author and main characters.

Biography Mobiles

Materials: wire coat hanger, construction paper, glue, scissors, colored pencils or crayons. Clip art is optional. Make a wrap of construction paper to cover the hanger. On the wrapped portion, include the title of the book, the author’s name and your name. You need to create five items that tell about events or important facts in the person’s life. The items may be drawn by you, you may use Clip Art or they may be real items that are small and lightweight. Then, you attach the items
to the bottom of the hanger with yarn or string of different lengths. Put your title wrap over the hanger.

Board Game

Materials:  Tag board, markers, rulers, scissors

Choose your favorite board game. Cut out a square piece of tagboard and create a board game using the same format as your favorite board game, except substitute characters and events from your book. You may use magazine clippings, Clip Art or whatever media is appropriate. You may be very creative and artistic!

 Project Cube Description
A project cube is a way to visually present information about your book in a three-dimensional format. On the five sides of a cube you will put pictures and words that will tell other people about the book. It will not tell them the plot of the book, but it will be descriptive enough to interest them in reading the book themselves.
Materials:
Construction paper or cardboard     
scissors      
glue        
colored pens or markers

Directions
1.  Choose a book and read it. As you read it, write down words that describe the mood of the book and
the message you think the author is trying to get across to the reader.
2.   Plan what you will put on thee fives sides of your cube. On one panel, write the title and author. On the other sides draw
pictures showing events from the book, write words to describe the book, or write a summary that would make other people want to read the book. On one side write down adjectives about the book and two sentence about what you
think the author wants us to learn from the book. On another side, draw a picture of the setting and describe it in 2-5 sentences. On another side, write the title and the author’s name and write about the beginning of the
book. Add a picture. On another side, talk about the middle of the book (a short summary) and draw a picture. On another side, write about how the book ended and draw a picture. On the last side, draw a picture and explain what
your favorite part of the book is.

Criteria for Grading:
Does the cube tell about the book?
Does it show an understanding of the plot, mood or theme of
the book?
Will it make other people want to read the book?
Is it neat, attractive and colorful? It needs to be about 8” x  8” square  

Story Container
Materials: Blank paper, construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons
and/or  colored pencils, coffee can or other container.

Decorate your container to illustrate your book and include the author’s name, title and your name. Create ten items that are important to the book. You may draw these items, they may be real items, they may be Clip Art or magazine
pictures. On a 3X5or 4X6 card, explain why these items are important in your book. Put the card in the container. 

BAG BOOK REPORT       ­­­­
1. Get a brown paper grocery bag.     
2. On the bag glue pieces of paper that include the
    following information: The title of the book      
          The author      
          Your name      
          A picture of a scene in the book     
          A picture of the main character(s)      
               3. INSIDE the bag include 5-8 different objects
   that will help you tell the class about the book.     
              4. Be prepared to tell the class about the book using the
objects in the bag.      ­­­­
1. Get a brown paper grocery bag.     
2. On the bag glue pieces of paper that include the
    following information: The title of the book      
          The author      
          Your name      
          A picture of a scene in the book     
          A picture of the main character(s)      
               3. INSIDE the bag include 5-8 different objects
   that will help you tell the class about the book.     
              4. Be prepared to tell the class about the book using the
objects in the bag.