A Creative Way of Reporting on Books
By using creative ways to complete book reports, like using cereal boxes, you can motivate students.
By Deborah Reynolds
Remember the way book reports were done when we were in school? The task consisted of reading a book (usually one assigned by the teacher), and then writing a short summary. These book reports were rarely a thrill for students to do, and were probably rather boring for teachers to read and grade.
But trying new techniques can make book reports fun, creative, and educational for your students. One way to do this is to create Cereal Box Book Reports. This is an opportunity to incorporate several academic objectives into one project, including reading, writing, and math concepts. Additionally, this is a great way to talk about the importance of reusing and recycling.
There are many ways to create Cereal Box Book Reports, but here is one idea that incorporates language arts and history. Students can do a report on an important figure from the American Revolution. Teachers can assign each student a famous individual from this time period, and students can choose a book to read about the life of that person. Students then use their cereal boxes to post information about the book they read. Side one is the cover, which includes the name of the author, the name of the illustrator (if there is one), and a picture (drawn, digital, or cut-out) of the famous person they read about. The sides of the box can be used to show a timeline of the person’s life, a list of important events, a description of the author's purpose, etc . . . The back of the box should have a summary of the book in the student’s own words. The bottom of the box could include a brief explanation of the author’s purpose for writing the book, and the top should contain student information such as their name, class, date, etc . . . With this one project, you have covered summarizing, fact vs. opinion, sequencing, and author’s purpose.
This book report idea is not only creative, but a great way to address the needs of diverse classrooms. Differentiation is built into the project because each student represents his or her own level of ability and creativity when constructing their report. Having the whole class save cereal boxes also gives parents on limited budgets a break from having to purchase expensive poster boards, or plastic report covers. Lastly, students who have limited access to a computer will still be able to experience success with this project. Here are some other lesson plans that will allow your students to creatively present their next book report.
Book Report Lesson Plans:
Cereal Box Book Report Project
Here is a different way to follow up a good book! Students design the front of the box to look like a movie poster. The other sides of the box relate to story elements. Students use creativity to represent the characters, setting, tone, and theme of the book. This wonderful lesson plan adds a lot of artistic elements to a book report.
After reading about the first presidents of the United States, students create book reports using cereal boxes. Students write a bio-poem on the back using notes taken on the reading. To report important information on the president, students include a section in which they list the most significant information about that person.
Students analyze literature using creative methods of reporting what is read. This excellent lesson comes with five handouts that guide students through the process. Scaffolding, collaborative projects, and independent work are used to differentiate this process. A rubric is also included.