St. Patrick Catholic School

Your child will be completing 6 book reports/projects this year.  After reading the book, your child will need to choose one of the projects below to complete as well as be prepared to give an oral presentation to the class.  Below you will see the genre of book assigned for each month.  Please take some time to look over the list, and help your child budget their time wisely in order to complete the reading and project in a timely manner.  All projects/reports will be due on the last Monday of the month – exact due dates follow each genre.  My expectation is that your child is reading a book appropriate to their reading level.  All books must be approved by the teacher.  All books must be A.R. books (use the website to check – or I will check) so that students can take an A.R. quiz on the book.

September:  Fairy Tales (traditional and fractured) – project/report due on September 26

October:  Mystery (books that feature a crime, a question to be answered, an investigation, suspense and climax) – project/report due on October 31

November:  Historical Fiction (a story using made-up characters – but with a basis in history) – project/report due on November 28

January:  Realistic Fiction (a story using made-up characters – but with a story that could be real) – project/report due on January 30

February:  Biography / Autobiography (books that tell true stories about real people, factual information about famous people) – project/report due on February 27

March:  Fantasy (books that feature dragons, wizards, imaginary characters and places, magic, heroes, villains) – project/report due on March 26

*Things that must be included in your oral report:

• Book Title, Author, Illustrator
• Catchy opening statement – 1 or 2 sentences that hook the audience into wanting to hear more about your book
• Summary of the book – this is the most important part of the report – you need to tell the audience about your book without giving away the ending. A summary is different from a retell – a summary is about 5 – 6 sentences.  Think carefully about the characters, setting, problem, sequence of events, and solution as you are writing your summary.
• What you liked / didn’t like
• Any changes you would make to the story (you may not want to change anything – or you may want to make the ending different – either way – explain why.)
• Would you recommend this book for your classmates to read?  Tell why or why not?
• Overall rating on a scale of 1-10 (1=you didn’t like the book – 10=you really liked the book)

**All books will need to be A.R. books and completion of an A.R. quiz will be included in the book report grade.**  (See attached rubric for points)

Appropriate projects/reports:

ü  Write a letter to the author (see sample idea checklist)

ü  Create a puppet of the main character

ü  Create a story quilt (see directions)

ü  Create a sculpture of the main character (use any combination  of soap, wood, clay, sticks, wire, stones, old toy pieces, or any other objects of your choosing)

ü  Write a diary that one of the story’s main characters might have kept before, during, or after the books events.  Remember to include the character’s thoughts and feelings about the stories events.

ü  Build a model of an important object or place in the book

ü  Recreate the setting of a favorite scene by constructing a diorama

ü  Create a “Wanted” Poster for the main character (see idea list)

ü  Create interview questions – prepare them for the teacher to read while you become the character being interviewed (minimum of 7 questions)

ü  Create an award for the main character (see directions)

ü  Create a postcard describing the book to a friend (see directions)

ü  Create a trading card – use the following website to create a trading card: http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/trading_cards/

**You will need to choose a different activity for each of the book reports.**

*Letter to the Author idea checklist:

• Greeting
• Tell something about yourself
• Tell what you like about the book
• Possible questions to ask the author:  Where do you live?  Are you married?  When did you write your first book?  How old were you?  Why do you write books?  What do you like to write best?  What are your writing strengths?  What is hard for you to write?  What is your favorite book?  Who is your favorite author?  Who is your favorite illustrator?  Who is your favorite character in your books?
• Specific questions about the book
• Closing
• Signature

*Story Quilt directions:

• Reread your favorite scenes from your book
• Decide how many pieces you will include in your story quilt (minimum of 6)
• List the scenes you want to include
• Draw each scene onto the same size paper
• Use a construction paper border around the outside of the quilt and between the quilt pieces
• Retell the story using the pictures from your story quilt

*Create an award

• Pick an important character from the book – consider his or her accomplishments and determine an appropriate award for those accomplishments
• Prepare a speech (maximum of 3 minutes) about the person.  Tell why you chose this person and describe his or her accomplishments.  Explain the reasons you chose to present this particular award to this person.
• Design an award for this person.  For example, you could present Alexander Graham Bell a replica of a telephone.  Awards can also be as simple as a certificate.  Be creative!
• The award must include (in writing) the person’s name and accomplishment(s).

*”Wanted” Poster

• Name of character
• Height
• Weight
• Hair Color
• Eye Color
• Distinguishing features (scars, birthmarks)
• Last seen (Title)
• Wanted for:
• Reward amount
• Contact Person (Your name)

*Postcard to a friend

• On the front side of the postcard you need to include the title of the story, the author and an illustration
• On the back of the post card, write a letter to a friend (or your teacher) summarizing the story.

Sample Rubric for Book Report/Project

Name ____________________________                               Month  ______________

Book Title ____________________________________       Genre  _______________________

Overall score  _____/45 A.R. quiz score  ______/10