book report fun activities

• Grades 6-12
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42 Creative Book Report Ideas for Students

Inspire your students to share their love of books.

Responding to what you read is an important literacy skill. Reading about other people’s experiences and perspectives helps kids learn about the world. And although students don’t need to dive deeply into every single book they read, occasionally digging into characters, settings, and themes can help them learn to look beyond the prose. Here are 42 creative book report ideas designed to make reading more meaningful.

1. Concrete Found Poem

This clever activity is basically a shape poem made up of words, phrases, and whole sentences found in the books students read. The words come together to create an image that represents something from the story.

2. Graphic Novel

Have students rewrite the book they are reading, or a chapter of their book, as a graphic novel. Set parameters for the assignment such as including six scenes from the story, three characters, details about the setting, etc. And, of course, include detailed illustrations to accompany the story.

3. Book Snaps

Book Snaps are a way for students to visually show how they are reacting to, processing, and/or connecting with a text. First, students snap a picture of a page in the book they are reading. Then, they add comments, images, highlights, and more.

4. Diary Entry

Have your students place themselves in the shoes of one of the characters from their book and write a first-person diary entry of a critical moment from the story. Ask them to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

5. Character To-Do List

This fun activity is an off-the-beaten-path way to dive deep into character analysis. Get inside the head of the main character in a book and write a to-do list that they might write. Use actual information from the text, but also make inferences into what that character may wish to accomplish.

6. Mint Tin Book Report

There are so many super-creative, open-ended projects you can use mint tins for. This teacher blogger describes the process of creating book reports using them. There’s even a free template for cards that fit inside.

7. Fictional Yearbook Entries

Ask your students to create a yearbook based on the characters and setting in the book. What do they look like? Cut out magazine pictures to give a good visual image for their school picture. What kind of superlative might they get? Best looking? Class clown? What clubs would they be in or lead? Did they win any awards? It should be obvious from their small yearbooks whether your students dug deep into the characters in their books. They may also learn that who we are as individuals is reflected in what we choose to do with our lives.

8. Book Report Cake

This project would be perfect for a book tasting in your classroom! Each student presents their book report in the shape of food. See the sandwich and pizza options above and check out this blog for more delicious ideas.

9. Current Events Comparison

Have students locate three to five current events articles a character in their book might be interested in. After they’ve found the articles, have them explain why the character would find them interesting and how they relate to the book. Learning about how current events affect time, place, and people is critical to helping develop opinions about what we read and experience in life.

10. Sandwich Book Report

Yum! You’ll notice a lot of our creative book report ideas revolve around food. In this oldie but goodie, each layer of this book report sandwich covers a different element of the book—characters, setting, conflict, etc. A fun adaptation of this project is the book report cheeseburger.

11. Book Alphabet

Choose 15 to 20 alphabet books to help give your students examples of how they work around themes. Then ask your students to create their own Book Alphabet based on the book they read. What artifacts, vocabulary words, and names reflect the important parts of the book? After they find a word to represent each letter, have them write one sentence that explains where the word fits in.

12. Peekaboo Book Report

Using cardboard lap books (or small science report boards), students include details about their book’s main characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, etc. Then they draw a head and arms on card stock and attach them to the board from behind to make it look like the main character is peeking over the report.

13. T-Shirt Book Report

Another fun and creative idea: Create a wearable book report with a plain white tee. Come up with your own using Sharpie pens and acrylic paint. Get step-by-step directions .

14. Book Jacket

Have students create a new book jacket for their story. Include an attractive illustrated cover, a summary, a short biography of the author, and a few reviews from readers.

15. Watercolor Rainbow Book Report

This is great for biography research projects. Students cut out a photocopied image of their subject and glue it in the middle. Then, they draw lines from the image to the edges of the paper, like rays of sunshine, and fill in each section with information about the person. As a book report template, the center image could be a copy of the book cover, and each section expands on key information such as character names, theme(s), conflict, resolution, etc.

16. Act the Part

Have students dress up as their favorite character from the book and present an oral book report. If their favorite character is not the main character, retell the story from their point of view.

17. Pizza Box Book Report

If you’re looking for creative book report ideas that use upcycled materials, try this one using a pizza box. It works well for both nonfiction and fiction book reports. The top lid provides a picture of the book cover. Each wedge of the pizza pie tells part of the story.

18. Bookmark

Have students create a custom illustrated bookmark that includes drawings and words from either their favorite chapter or the entire book.

19. Book Reports in a Bag

Looking for book report ideas that really encourage creative thinking? With book reports in a bag, students read a book and write a summary. Then, they decorate a paper grocery bag with a scene from the book, place five items that represent something from the book inside the bag, and present the bag to the class.

20. Reading Lists for Characters

Ask your students to think about a character in their book. What kinds of books might that character like to read? Take them to the library to choose five books the character might have on their to-be-read list. Have them list the books and explain what each book might mean to the character. Post the to-be-read lists for others to see and choose from—there’s nothing like trying out a book character’s style when developing your own identity.

21. File Folder Book Report

Also called a lap book, this easy-to-make book report hits on all the major elements of a book study and gives students a chance to show what they know in a colorful way.

22. Collage

Create a collage using pictures and words that represent different parts of the book. Use old magazines or print pictures from the Internet.

23. Book Report Triorama

Who doesn’t love a multidimensional book report? This image shows a 3D model, but Elisha Ann provides a lesson to show students how to glue four triangles together to make a 4D model.

24. Timeline

Have students create a timeline of the main events from their book. Be sure to include character names and details for each event. Use 8 x 11 sheets of paper taped together or a long portion of bulletin board paper.

25. Clothes Hanger Book Report Mobile

This creative project doesn’t require a fancy or expensive supply list. Students just need an ordinary clothes hanger, strings, and paper. The body of the hanger is used to identify the book, and the cards on the strings dangling below are filled with key elements of the book, like characters, setting, and a summary.

26. Public Service Announcement

If a student has read a book about a cause that affects people, animals, or the environment, teach them about public service announcements . Once they understand what a PSA is, have them research the issue or cause that stood out in the book. Then give them a template for a storyboard so they can create their own PSA. Some students might want to take it a step further and create a video based on their storyboard. Consider sharing their storyboard or video with an organization that supports the cause or issue.

27. Dodecahedron Book Report

Creative book report ideas think outside the box. In this case, it’s a ball! SO much information can be covered on the 12 panels , and it allows students to take a deep dive in a creative way.

28. Character Cards

Make trading cards (like baseball cards) for a few characters from the book. On the front side, draw the character. On the back side, make a list of their character traits and include a quote or two.

29. Book Report Booklets

This clever book report is made from ordinary paper bags. Stack the paper bags on top of each other, fold them in half, and staple the closed-off ends of the bags together. Students can write, draw, and decorate on the paper bag pages. They can also record information on writing or drawing paper and glue the paper onto the pages. The open ends of the bags can be used as pockets to insert photos, cut-outs, postcards, or other flat items that help them tell their story.

30. Letter to the Author

Write a letter to the author of the book. Tell them three things you really liked about the story. Ask three questions about the plot, characters, or anything else you’re curious about.

31. Book Report Charm Bracelet

What a “charming” way to write a book report! Each illustrated bracelet charm captures a character, an event in the plot, setting, or other detail.

32. Fact Sheet

Have students create a list of 10 facts that they learned from reading the book. Have them write the facts in complete sentences, and be sure that each fact is something that they didn’t know before they read the book.

33. Cereal Box TV Book Report

This book report project is a low-tech version of a television made from a cereal box and two paper towel rolls. Students create the viewing screen cut-out at the top, then insert a scroll of paper with writing and illustrations inside the box. When the cardboard roll is rotated, the story unfolds.

34. Be a Character Therapist

Therapists work to uncover their clients’ fears based on their words and actions. When we read books, we must learn to use a character’s actions and dialogue to infer their fears. Many plots revolve around a character’s fear and the work it takes to overcome that fear. Ask students to identify a character’s fear and find 8 to 10 scenes that prove this fear exists. Then have them write about ways the character overcame the fear (or didn’t) in the story. What might the character have done differently?

35. Mind Maps

Mind maps can be a great way to synthesize what students have learned from reading a book. Plus, there are so many ways to approach them. Begin by writing a central idea in the middle of the page. For example, general information, characters, plot, etc. Then branch out from the center with ideas, thoughts, and connections to material from the book.

36. Foldables

From Rainbows Within Reach , this clever idea would be a great introduction to writing book reports. Adapt the flap categories for students at different levels. Adjust the number of categories (or flaps) per the needs of your students.

37. Board games

This is a great project if you want your students to develop a little more insight into what they’re reading. Have them think about the elements of their favorite board games and how they can be adapted to fit this assignment. For more, here are step-by-step directions .

38. Comic strips

If you’re looking for creative book report ideas for students who like graphic novels, try comic strips. Include an illustrated cover with the title and author. The pages of the book should retell the story using dialogue and descriptions of the setting and characters. Of course, no comic book would be complete without copious illustrations and thought bubbles.

39. Timeline

Create a timeline using a long roll of butcher paper, a poster board, or index cards taped together. For each event on the timeline, write a brief description of what happens. Add pictures, clip art, word art, and symbols to make the timeline more lively and colorful.

40. Cereal Box

Recycle a cereal box and create a book report Wheaties-style. Decorate all sides of the box with information about the book’s characters, setting, plot, summary, etc.

41. Wanted Poster

Make a “wanted” poster for one of the book’s main characters. Indicate whether they are wanted dead or alive. Include a picture of the character and a description of what the character is “wanted” for, three examples of the character showing this trait, and a detailed account of where the character was last seen.

42. Movie Version

If the book your students have read has been made into a movie, have them write a report about how the versions are alike and different. If the book has not been made into a movie, have them write a report telling how they would make it into a movie, using specific details from the book.

What creative book report ideas did we miss? Come share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out the most popular kids’ books in every grade..

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12 Creative Book Report Projects Your Students Will Love

Whether you’re teaching a whole-class novel, or finishing a round of independent reading or literature circles, post-reading assessments are always more engaging when they’re more than just a test or essay.

Below, you’ll discover a dozen fun book report ideas for your middle or high school ELA students, curated by a team of experienced English teachers.

Choose your favorite projects to offer to students as options on a book report project choice board.

Create a Board Game

When I gave “create a board game about the book you read” as a book report option for my students, I was pleasantly surprised at the results! Quite a few students excitedly chose this option and created some really fun-looking games centered on their books. 

This is a great project choice if you’re looking for something that students can’t create by just Googling the book.

Here are some tips and suggestions for assigning a board game book report:

• Give clear parameters and requirements to keep students on track, such as requiring game elements to represent certain literary elements of the book they read.
• Provide suggestions for game components and materials – encourage students to consider the game play and elements of their favorite board games and to use materials they already have at home to create them.
• For a whole-class novel study, consider allowing students to work in teams to create the novel-based board games, then setting aside a class period for students to play each others’ games and see who wins!

If you’re looking to save time… clear directions handouts, lots of suggestions, and a handy grading rubric for a board game post-reading assessment are all included in this resource . Take a look! 

For more independent reading response ideas, check out this post with ideas for fun post-reading projects.

Create a Journey Box

Engaging students in authentic conversations about books is a passion for Carolyn of Middle School Café .  In traditional oral book reports, students simply get up in front of the class and read a summary of the book they read.  Carolyn found this method of oral book reports painful for both her and her students.

Wanting to find a way to help her students talk about their book and keep her class engaged, Carolyn began incorporating Journey Box Book Reports.  A journey box is a shoebox (or bag) that contains artifacts from the story that help the reader share important events from the story. 

Students predetermine what events of the story are most important to share, then they create an artifact to share with the class or small group as they explain the plot.  As an example, Carolyn had a student who read The Diary of Anne Frank.   He created a small 3D tree that he displayed on the desk as he shared about how Anne looked out the window and dreamed of her former life.  It’s a small piece of the story that helps the student explain the plot point and gives the audience something visual to look at and stay engaged. 

Journey Box Book Reports have been successful for Carolyn in both her middle school and high school classrooms.  She does suggest, if using Journey Boxes in older grades, to have students share their stories in small groups.  

Create a Literary Food Truck

If there’s one thing kids love, it’s food – especially high schoolers – and with this in mind, one of Simply Ana P’s favorite ways to recap a class novel or an independent reading unit is with Literary Food Trucks. This is definitely not a new idea, but it’s one that will have you coming back for seconds 🙂 

Ana first tried this project at the end of The Odyssey , where students were able to decide which book(s) they wanted to make the focus of their trucks. The main requirement was that every single choice made had to be intentional and clearly relevant. With this in mind, students could start the planning process. 

You can make the truck’s requirements as simple or as detailed as you prefer, but Ana recommends having students plan: 

• Truck name, design, and branding colors
• Menu design and items (5 items minimum)
• Employee uniforms
• Merch 

Ana includes a writing component by having her students defend all of their selections in the form of a proposal. This is later used in their presentations, and the better (more intentional) their proposal is, the more likely they will win the class vote. This proposal can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to a few pages, depending on what writing goals you have for them, and should definitely include text evidence. 

Part of the beauty of this type of project is that it can be done digital or paper-based. Ana likes to walk her students through a Canva tutorial, where there are even menu templates that students can use so they don’t feel overwhelmed starting from scratch. Or, for more creative students, they can create their trucks on chart paper, poster board, or even 3D dioramas.  After students finish making their food trucks, it’s always fun to take a day for the in-class Food Festival, where students are invited to bring in items from their menus or simply some type of snacks. Some students get super hype about this day and even make/wear aprons or themed employee uniforms. Students are able to walk around, visiting each of their trucks, and casting their votes for Best Food, Most Relevant, and Most Detailed. Have fun and bon appetit !

Create a Mood Board

It can be hard to come up with creative post-reading assessments for your students when they’re done with a full class novel, literature circles, or a choice reading unit. In an attempt to combine 21 st century skills with literary analysis, Samantha from Samantha in Secondary decided to try something a little different. Enter: The Mood Board.

A mood board combines images to elicit a feeling from a viewer much like a writer does with words. The possibilities for using a mood board with your class are endless. Students can create a mood board for an overall book, a character, an event, a theme, a poem, etc. Then, have your students carefully curate a board that is aesthetically pleasing and considers color, space, and design in the execution. As students explain why they’ve made the choices they have, the upper-level thinking comes naturally.

Canva is an excellent tool to use to create your mood boards. Having students interact with software they may be unfamiliar with is a meaningful learning experience in and of itself. If you want to learn more about how to use mood boards in your own classroom, click here to read Samantha’s blog post about it or check out the resource she created that includes done-for-you student instructions, examples, and a rubric here .

Create a New App

How would a character’s life change if there was just the perfect app to solve their conflict??

This is the question Krista from @whimsyandrigor poses to her students as they finish a novel and begin to reflect on the character’s journey. Students begin by discussing all of the details surrounding the protagonist and what they experienced. In small groups and in whole-class discussions, students discuss the conflicts, both internal and external, and then brainstorm all of the realistic and not-so-realistic ways the character could have addressed their problems.

Once students have generated a healthy list of ideas, Krista tells them they get to become an app developer and they must create an app that would greatly benefit a character from their reading.

The requirements are:

• The app cannot already exist.
• The app can be totally unrealistic/not probable.
• The app developer must be able to explain how its features would benefit the character.
• The developer must also create an icon for the App Store.

Here is a print-and-go handout students use to get designing. 

Here are some example apps students could create: to help Will from Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down , maybe an app that predicts his future would help him decide what to do once he steps off the elevator. Or maybe Romeo from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet would have benefited from a life-detection app that would accurately determine whether or not someone was actually dead.

When students sette on the conflict they want to address and the app that would help, they write a Spill the TEA paragraph, as explained by Krista in this YouTube video .  Using this paragraph organization strategy, students will introduce their app, use evidence to explain how it is necessary for the character, and explain how the app would have benefited or changed the protagonist’s journey.

Now they get to be a graphic designer as they design the app’s icon. Students may want to peruse the actual App Store to get ideas about how an icon is designed, what elements must be present, and how to create something that is eye-catching.

If space allows, Krista encourages you to display the icons and Spill the TEA paragraphs in the hallway for other students to see the in-depth critical thinking and character analysis your students did after finishing a novel. 

Who says technology is only a distraction for our students?! This activity proves technology can help students dive deep into a text and its characters!

Write a Vignette

Lesa from SmithTeaches9to12 often focuses on character-based activities for novel studies including a character profile activity , character conversations through text messages , or the writing of a good vignette. 

Vignettes can be a great way to assess students’ literary analysis skills and understanding of the text. Students write a short piece of about 500 words that is descriptive of a particular moment in time focusing on one of the book’s characters. These moments could be placing the character in a new setting, writing about a particular moment in the story that was less developed, or even extending to a moment beyond the book’s conclusion. Lesa provides students with some mentor texts, including “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street or “The Prisoner Van” by Charles Dickens in Sketches by Boz or even one from a novel being read in class. Review the stories for structure, language choice, sentence structure, use of figurative language, and so on. This helps to co-create the criteria for the assignment. Then students write their own vignette. Build in some peer review as an accountability piece and voila!

Create a Character Collage

It’s safe to say that most English teachers have a bin of cut-up magazines somewhere in their classrooms. While these tattered copies of People and Us Weekly have definitely seen better days, they live on in the many collage creations of our students.

Katie from Mochas and Markbooks loves to use collages as visual representations of comprehension. After reading a novel or short story, creating a character collage to show how a character has evolved from beginning to end requires students to use higher order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize and demonstrate their understanding of characterization by dividing their page in half and choosing words and images to represent the character at the start and conclusion of the story on each side.

The results will show the depth of your students’ interpretation of character as well as their ability to use critical and creative thinking skills to represent their knowledge.

Other ways to use this idea instead of showing character evolution are to show two different sides to a character, for example, who they are with different people in their lives. 

If you are looking for other ways to incorporate collage and magazines into your post-reading assessments, check out this blog post for more ideas!

Design Shoe Charms

Crocs are not Olivia ’s shoe of choice, but when she noticed her students bedazzling their plastic footwear with shoe charms, it was a learning opportunity she just couldn’t pass up. Here’s how to make it work in your classroom:

First, have your students choose a character from the book they have finished reading. Then encourage them to find quotes from the book that reveal the character’s interests, values, or personality. Once they have found their quotes (she has her students find 4), tell them to design and color shoe charms that represent those interests, values, or personality traits. This helps students with inferencing, textual evidence, and even symbolism!

When your students have finished making their shoe charms, they can either tape the charms to their shoes for a fabulous, foot-themed fashion show, or they can glue them to a picture of a Croc for quirky classroom décor. Check out this Instagram post to see the charms Olivia’s students came up with!

Create a Movie Poster

When was the last time you went to the movies? Did you notice the posters along the way? If yes then you have walked down the movie studio promotional lane. Like trailers, studios create movie posters to grab the attention of movie-goers before they even enter the theater. Yes, you may have already purchased your movie ticket, but those posters were created for the future. After you finish watching Sonic 2 , what movie will you see next? You probably already pointed to that poster on the way into the theater and said, “That looks like it is going to be good. I want to see that!”   As a post reading idea, Sharena from The Humble Bird Teacher has her students create movie posters based on the text read in class. This allows her to complete a formative assessment on what the students learned from the text. Before having her class create a movie poster, she shows them examples of posters from different genres such as drama, action, family-friendly, and comedy. Then she hands out a piece of construction paper and goes over the basic requirements. On the movie poster, the students are required to have their actors names or image (characters), the title of the movie, a visual (setting or symbol from the story), and a tagline, and a short two to three sentence summary of the movie. Once her students are finished with the assignment, she displays them outside the classroom, so the students can have their own movie studio promotional lane.  If you are looking for more after reading ideas, click here .

Try Novel Engineering

Whether you’ve been hoping to collaborate with another department, or just really want to try something new, Novel Engineering is an amazing way to get students thinking outside of the box ! Staci from Donut Lovin’ Teacher has found that Novel Engineering requires students to actively comprehend and interact with a novel and get creative about how to help improve the lives of characters! Basically, students work to create a product that will help solve a character’s problem. Here’s how it works…

Before reading : Choose a narrative text where the character faces tangible conflicts. Model and practice the design process in small ways. Try using picture books like Mucha! Muncha! Mucha! in order for students to see and practice what they’ll be doing with a text at grade-level.

While reading : Emphasize the conflicts characters face and give students time to brainstorm possible products that would help solve said problem. Make sure students record evidence from the text so they can later justify the need for the product they design.

After reading : Give students time to draft, craft, and improve their designs that will help solve a problem faced by a character. You can give students options where they draw their creation, make their creation, or even plan a digital app like this, depending on time and resources. Whatever you choose, students will be sure to be pushed to use some skills they may not always practice in an ELA classroom!

Staci has some FREE Novel Engineering Digital Planning Pages or you can read more about her experience with novel engineering on the Donut Lovin’ Teacher blog .

Create a Tik Tok Video

How many times have you passed a group of students filming a TikTok in a hallway? Have you had students ask to film in your class once they finish assignments? You are not alone. Students love TikTok and Yaddy from Yaddy’s Room has figured out how to get students using TikTok for academic purposes!

Yaddy likes to challenge students to create TikTok videos that track a character’s development, encapsulates the main theme of the story, or that exemplifies a key conflict. These easy, low stress videos are great at getting even reluctant students to participate.

To incorporate TikTok videos as a means of assessing students after a novel or story, try the following steps:

1)      Get students to brainstorm which part of the novel they would like to use for their video.

2)      Ask students to start combing TikTok for an audio that fits with the portion of the text they chose

3)      Ask them to plan out how they will realize their vision

4)      Rehearse and film!

5)      Bonus: ask students to upload their videos to Google Drive and share the link with you so that you can make QR codes to post around your classroom!

Want to get started using TikTok videos for book reports? Check on Yaddy’s free planning sheet here !

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15 Creative and digital book report ideas that will get your students excited to read

Not all students are excited to read a book. So how can you make reading a book more engaging and fun? This is a huge challenge for most teachers, so I hope I can help you out!

Here’s what you’ll find in this blog post (click on the title if you want to jump to the section directly)

5 tips to get your students excited about reading

• 15 creative and digital book report lesson plans (free & ready to use!)
• The complete collection of book report lesson ideas in one assignment (your students get to choose!)

Instructions on how to use these digital book report lesson activities

Before you dive into the book reports, you have to get your students excited about reading first. In this previous post about reading, I’ve listed 10 tips that will encourage your students to read . I’ve come up with 5 more amazing tips! Here we go:

1. Use AR apps

Here are a few apps with amazing storylines and AR books.

• Wonderscope , for example, is an excellent storytelling tool. It uses augmented reality to transform ordinary places into real-time stories. Students also learn to read with the app. They ask questions to the characters in the story and listen to the characters’ answers.
• The Ghostkeeper’s journal and field guide : This book is an immersive adventure for readers aged 10 and up, offering several AR experiences to enhance the storyline. These are accessed via a mobile app “ Ghost-o-Matic ”.
• Bookful creates an engaging reading experience and brings stories and characters in books to life. The app holds the world’s largest 3D/AR library with hundreds of titles from leading publishers and brands such as: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, DK’s Encyclopedia, and children’s favorites such as Barbie, My Little Pony, Thomas & Friends, Transformers, and The Smurfs.

2. Escape lessons

Here are 3 fun ready-to-use escape lessons to spark your students’ joy of reading:

• A Halloween Murder : Let your students investigate the murder of the victim: Brat Spook. When they find the murderer, they get their “inspector” badge. Let them look for evidence in the murder scene, talk to suspects, analyze lab results, and so on!
• Finding Rudolph : Save Christmas by helping Santa find back Rudolph. Students go through different challenges, talk to eye-witnesses, and follow Rudolph through a winter maze, so Santa can deliver all the presents to the children.
• Easter Bunny Substitute : Can your students find a good Easter Bunny replacement? In the last breakout game for the classroom, the Easter Bunny is hurt, so your students need to interview the possible applicants and take tests to replace the Easter Bunny themselves. If they succeed in the challenges, they get an Easter Bunny substitute badge.

3. Storytelling

If you bring cultural elements into your lessons by telling a story, your students will be more eager to learn. Storytelling makes students want to “live the story”. And they do this by reading it. If your story is strong enough, your students will love learning and reading. They will even remember the lesson content better.

Here’s a fun & ready-to-use example: The life of William Shakespeare

4. First chapters

5. Books & sleepovers

You can even add different parts to your sleepover. For example, let students read their favorite passage in a book of choice out loud, and 1 hour before bedtime, all your students take their book and read in silence. Or how about creating cozy themed corners? Fantasy, science fiction, detectives,… When your students are reading in themed corners, they get the full experience. They can even dress up as a character in their book whilst reading.

15 Creative and digital book report lesson plans

Step 1: Get your students excited about reading. ✅ Step 2: make sure they don’t lose their interest when you’re announcing the book report assignment! ☑️ This part can be demotivating.

As the lower grade students often still get fun book report assignments, the higher grade students often get a dull worksheet where they have to describe the characters and give a summary. Change up your book report assignments with these creative, free & ready-to-use lesson ideas.

Take a look at all these ready-to-use and free digital book report activities. They’re all made with BookWidgets . You can even make exercises like these yourself in your own BookWidgets account.

Keep on reading to find out how to use these exercises in your lessons.

How did your students experience the book? Let them fill the glasses with drawings of the storyline/the book. The glasses represent the view of the students. Students can get really creative and use the toolbar at the bottom to draw and type.

You can ask your students to present their book report artworks to the other students as well. This way, your students can explain what’s on their drawing.

2. Bookworm

3. Timeline

This interactive book report asks your students to create a timeline of the story. When did what happen, chronologically? The have to add the biggest events in the story to the timeline.

4. Comic book

In this book report exercise, your students have to write a comic book based upon the book they’ve just read. When they click on the “start” icon, they can choose fitting text balloons to go with their story.

Here are three other fun websites that let students create comic books: Storyboard That , Comic Life , and Toonytool . They already give you creative templates and drawings. This is a bit easier for students. This way, they don’t have to start from scratch.

5. Character portrait

6. Randomness task

Just… add a little spice. I’ve turned the ordinary book report task, where students have to describe characters, the setting, plot, etc., into an exciting one. Your students don’t know yet what they’ll have to describe. They spin the randomness wheel and their task appears. The fun thing about this one is that all of your students will write a different book report.

7. Book cover

Here, students get to be creative and invent their own book cover (front and back) of the book they just read. Or maybe just a cover for of a piece of text you’ve read out loud. They can use the whiteboard tools: pencil, type tool, switch colors, add images, etc.

8. Character family tree

This digital mind map exercise allows your students to add boxes with text and connect them to each other. This is perfect for a book report activity focusing on the characters in their book.

9. Facebook Profile

Modern days call for modern book report lesson ideas. Image the main character having a Facebook profile. What would be on it? That’s exactly what your students have to figure out here. Create a Facebook profile about the main character.

10. Book Collage

Here, students have to add 10 pictures or images that have to do with the book. They can do so by clicking on the photo icon and adding images into their collage.

11. Mirror selfie

In this creative book report, students have to dress up like the character in their book, including holding 3 attributes that refer to the personality of the main character. They have to take a picture or mirror selfie of themselves dressed up, and add that picture to the whiteboard. You can ask them to come forward and present their images and explain why they’ve chosen those specific attributes.

The fun thing about all of these exercises is that they work on smartphones as well. So in this case, students can just open the exercise on their smartphones, take a mirror selfie with their phones and add it to the mirror in the digital whiteboard exercise.

12. Email to the author

Your students have the chance to write a friendly email or letter to the author of the book they just read. Students have to share:

• their opinion;
• the character in the book they liked most, and why;
• their favorite part of the book and why;
• questions that they have about the book.

If you have an email address of the author, ask your students to submit their works to you, the teacher, first. After having given feedback on their letters, they can make some changes and send it over to the author.

If you have the author’s postal address, it’s much more fun to write a classic letter.

13. Conversation between characters

There is something called a “texting thumb” or a “smartphone pinky”. This shows that students like to send texts. A lot of them. So why not include it in your book report lesson plan? In this digital book report, students have to invent a conversation between two characters in their book.

14. Movie vs. Book

A lot of books have a movie version too. If your students choose a book that also has a movie, it’s interesting to let your students make a comparison. With this book report exercise, you’re also sure your students actually read the book instead of just watching the movie and write a summary of the movie and not the book.

15. Emoji summary

The last exercise is also one students can relate to. Nowadays, we use emojis after almost every sentence when we’re communicating with friends. Emojis also have a strong meaning and can be used to express feelings or say something without actually saying it.

The complete collection of book report lesson ideas in one assignment

All these book report exercises are so much fun and yet they don’t take up a lot of time. Perhaps they just ask your students to only describe a certain part about the book. Cue… the planner widget.

With this type of BookWidgets activity, you can combine several lessons into one. You can let your students take matters into their own hands and choose which book report activities they’d like to finish.

It’s actually pretty easy. Your students read the instructions in the instructions widget and then start adding at least three book report activities to their planner. They finish the activities, submit them to their teacher, check off their planner, and that’s it!

Above, you can find the 15 ready-to-use book report activities. You can use these lesson examples for free. Since they’re all made with BookWidgets, I’ve listed them in this BookWidgets group . Here’s what you need to do:

• Click on this link . It will immediately bring you to the group with all of the book report activities. If you don’t have a BookWidgets account yet, you’ll have to sign up first for free .
• Duplicate all the book report activities. Click on the settings wheel , select all widgets , click on the settings wheel again, choose duplicate selected widgets . Choose where you want to save the activities in your BookWidgets account.
• Go to your saved book report lessons. You can now click on the black dropdown arrow next to the ‘Show’ button of a particular exercise and select Edit . You can make some changes to this activity (if you want). If it’s perfect for you, click on Share in the upper right corner.
• Share this link with your students. When they click on it, they can fill it out. A lot of the book report examples above have been made with BookWidgets’ Whiteboard widget, in which students can use the tool menu at the bottom to switch tools (draw, type,…), and to switch colors. When done, they can submit the book reports to you by clicking on the envelope in the upper right corner.
• As a teacher, you go to “Grades & reporting” in BookWidgets to find your students’ answers.

Of course, now that you’ve got your own BookWidgets account, you can also create book report activities or other assignments yourself!

Attention! Once your free trial runs out, you’ll only be able to use the widgets you’ve already finished/shared with students. While your BookWidgets account will still work and you’ll still get your students’ results with the free BookWidgets version, you won’t be able to duplicate widgets nor create new widgets yourself anymore.

So that’s it! I hope these lesson ideas are useful for your classroom or at least give you lots of new ideas for your book report lessons! You can even create ones yourself!

Create your first digital book report with BookWidgets

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10 Book Report Ideas That Kids Will Love

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Fun book report ideas for fourth, fifth and sixth graders.

Book reports don’t need to be painfully boring. In fact, they can be a ton of fun, and with the right project, students will love the entire process of creating and sharing meaningful book projects. There are loads of great book report ideas out there just waiting to happen in your classroom!

Here are 10 book report ideas that kids will love:

1. cereal box book report.

These oh-so-cool reports were always the top-ranked project by my fifth graders. Students loved creating an original book report display using a covered cereal box and ready-made templates. The finished projects made a great classroom display, and students loved looking at their classmates’ creative reports. Read more about Cereal Box Book Reports HERE .

2. Paper Bag Book Report

This is a super simple idea that is quite fun for students. Provide each student with a lunch-sized paper bag. Tell them to think about 5 objects that relate to the main character of their book . The objects have to be small enough to fit into the bag . Send the bags home and have students place the 5 objects in the bag and bring them back to school. On the day they are due, have students take turns sharing the objects in their bags and explaining how they relate to the main character of the book. You can even make a great display with the bags, objects, and books to pique the interest of other students.

3. Character Day

Have students dress up as the main character of their book. Then, have each student take a turn standing in front of the class and telling their character’s story in first person point of view.

4. Book Report Lap Book

you need are two file folders, some cardstock or construction paper, scissors, glue, and the FREE book report template found here . The finished products are quite amazing, and your students will probably keep theirs forever! Check out my photo tutorial for making a lap book .

5. Book Scene Diorama

Have students construct a diorama of one of the main events of their book. They will make a 3-dimensional scene, including models of characters, the setting, and objects. A shoebox makes a great place to build a diorama. Require students to write a description of the scene.

6. Book Report Posters

This might be the easiest option of the book report ideas. Have students first sketch their posters on a sheet of notebook paper. Then, provide students with a large piece of poster paper or chart paper. Posters must identify main characters, setting, title, problem, and solution. Display finished posters in the classroom or on hallway walls.

7. Book Report Mobiles

Mobiles are easy to make, and it’s fun to watch students use their creativity in designing their own projects. A paper plate folded in half makes a great base/topper for mobiles. Have students write the title of the book on this paper plate semi circle and hang the mobile pieces from it. Provide students with construction paper, yarn, markers, paper hole punches, and any other materials they might need.

8. Book Report Mini Books

With just one piece of paper, your students can make a complete, creative book report!

In these clever book projects , students identify:

• Title/Author
• Main Character

No tape, glue, or staples required! Photo directions are included in this download.

9. Design a Book Jacket

Show your students several examples of some outstanding book jackets. Point out the front with the title and illustration, the spine and its information, and the back with the book summary. Also show the two inside flaps with information about the author and a smaller summary. Provide them each with a larger piece of paper and have them design a jacket for the book they have just read.

10. Ready-to-Print Templates

Use NO PREP book report templates to save your sanity AND to keep things fun for your students. You could print out all 12 templates in this Book Report Templates Packet and let students choose the one they want to do each month! There is even a really nice digital option for Google classroom included!

Regardless of which of these book report ideas you choose, be sure to clearly outline the expectations before your students begin. It’s best if you can model a project to demonstrate the quality of work your students should strive for.

Keep it fun and engaging, and your students will be excited to invest their time in their projects!

Check out these ready to go, easy to use book report projects in my store:

SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!

Pin this to your favorite classroom Pinterest board  so you can come back for these book report ideas!

To recap, the 10 Book Report Project Ideas are:

• Cereal Box Book Report
• Paper Bag Book Report
• Character Day
• Book Report Lapbook
• Book Scene Diorama
• Book Report Posters
• Book Report Mobiles
• Design a Book Jacket
• Ready-to-Print Templates

Shelly Rees

Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.

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Book Report Ideas for 5th Grade that Spark Imagination

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As an experienced Montessori elementary teacher, fostering a passion for reading is a key aspect of my language curriculum.

That’s why I want to share this list of great book report ideas for your 5th grade classroom.

In elementary classrooms, I’ve learned that a fun book report makes the reading experience more memorable. That’s why it’s important to make reading and reporting a blast for every student!

Discover 13 creative book report ideas for 5th graders, perfect for enriching reading experiences in upper elementary classrooms. Explore how these ideas can make reading assignments more engaging and meaningful for students.

Make Book Reports Fun for 5th Grade Students

Indeed, when creating fun book report ideas for 5th graders, they should match the curiosity typical of kids in the second plane of development .

At this age, kids move from needing help to wanting to explore on their own. To support this shift, it’s important to add fun enjoyable vocabulary development activities and hands-on experiences to their book reports.

Fun book reports cultivate a love for reading and self-expression, blending learning with enjoyment for kids. This is what we call learning in disguise .

We’ve included activities that capture attention and align with the Montessori philosophy. They encourage independent thinking, exploration, and unique problem-solving approaches.

13 Creative Book Report Ideas for 5th Graders

Transform book reports into engaging adventures for 5th graders with these innovative and enjoyable ideas.

💡 Teacher Tip: Incorporate some of these book report ideas into your family book club for added excitement. Prepare to captivate everyone in the household!

1. Interview the Main Character s

When students interview a book’s main character, they act as reporters, igniting curiosity and engagement.

By creating captivating questions for the main characters, they not only enhance critical thinking but also look deeper into the story, making the learning process more fulfilling.

Here are some engaging interview questions for a fifth-grade student to ask the main character of a book they read:

• Are there any hobbies or interests you have that weren’t explored in the book?
• How would your friends describe you?
• If you could switch places with another character in the story for a day, who would it be and why?
• How do you see your life beyond the ending of the story?
• What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from your journey in the story?

Additionally, have students answer the questions they came up with. Encourage them to use the voices of different characters, providing answers in the unique perspective of each persona.

Based on my experience, this is one of those book report ideas for 5th grade students that stands out because it enables students to explore the main character in a captivating manner. They formulate the questions, engaging deeply with the character.

This book report prompts elementary students to think differently, fostering a thought-provoking experience.

💡 Related articles: 31 Fun Summer Reading Activities Elementary Students Will Love  Summer Brain Drain: 9 Ways to Help Elementary Children Avoid the Summer Slide 27 Educational YouTube Channels to Prevent Summer Learning Loss

2. Film a Movie Trailer for the Book

Elevate book reports by delving into multimedia storytelling. Empower students to create engaging movie trailers for the book they finished reading.

With this activity kids combine technology and creativity to showcase key moments, characters, and the story’s excitement.

My students loved making these trailers! 🎬

I’d have them work in small groups over a couple of weeks, planning and filming their creations. They really got creative, dressing up as characters and using props for authenticity. Then they’d put it all together using iMovie to create their final book trailers

We’d then gather as a class on a designated day to watch all the trailers, creating a memorable experience for everyone!

This dynamic approach not only boosts their digital literacy skills but also showcases their enthusiasm for the book.

3. Write an Alternative Ending

Encourage upper elementary students to think critically and creatively by exploring different ways a book could have ended.

Discussing alternate endings lets kids exercise creativity and analytical skills when a story takes an unexpected turn.

This engaging activity extends beyond altering endings. It serves as a platform for students to express their reasoning, providing insight into narrative choices and their impact on the overall story.

To start this engaging activity, I have students brainstorm and jot down potential alternate endings.

From these ideas, they choose one to develop further. They then embark on the task of writing a descriptive and meaningful alternate ending that flows seamlessly with the story.

This hands-on approach of putting their stamp on the story enhances their comprehension of the narrative. It also encourages them to think about character motivations, plot dynamics, and the overall impact of their chosen ending.

💡 Teacher Tip: Have students write an alternative ending, and then film a scene from the new ending they’ve written. How fun!

As you can see, these 5th-grade book report ideas are ideal for any elementary classroom.

4. Explore Different Characters’ Viewpoints

Students, in this activity, become sidekicks and antagonists, gaining different perspectives on the story’s events.

Based on Montessori principles, this method expands comprehension, thereby fostering empathy and critical thinking. Moreover, by embodying different characters’ perspectives, students develop a richer understanding of varied viewpoints in the story. This, in turn, enhances both creative and analytical abilities.

My 5th-grade students loved this book report idea. They selected 3 or 4 characters from the book, excluding the main one, and answered questions from each character’s perspective, providing distinct insights into the story.

This activity seamlessly blends creativity and analytical exploration, rendering the book-reporting process both enjoyable and insightful.

🤨 Curious about the questions my students selected? Here are some of their favourites:

• If your character was the main character, would the book title change?
• How does your character perceive other characters in the book?
• If your character were to tell the story from their perspective, how might the narrative change?
• If your character had the opportunity to change one event in the story, what would it be and why?
• What is your character’s relationship with the main antagonist or opposing force in the story?

5. Curate a Main Character Scrapbook

This 5th-grade book report idea deepens students’ connection with the main characters uniquely.

Young readers are invited to create a scrapbook that visually captures the main character’s personality, hobbies, and journey throughout the book.

In this activity, students create a visual representation to better understand and connect with the story’s main character.

By seamlessly blending pictures, drawings, insightful captions, and quotes, students can unravel the complexities of the character’s personality. This approach enhances their artistic expression while fostering attention to detail.

I encouraged my students to include stickers, clippings, quotes, and images in their projects, capturing the essence of the main character.

This allows for a truly personalized and engaging scrapbook creation that goes beyond the surface, providing a rich exploration of the character’s traits and experiences.

6. Storytelling Through a Podcast

In this book report idea designed for 5th graders, students are immersed in the popular world of podcasting. Working either in pairs or individually, students produce a podcast that mirrors the theme of the book they’ve recently read.

The initial phase of this assignment involves collaborative brainstorming to develop the theme. From there they can write a script that authentically captures the essence of the book they’ve read.

This brainstorming process encourages teamwork and sparks discussions about the book’s central themes, characters, and compelling plot points.

Adding to the versatility, I offer students two podcasting formats to choose from.

The first option involves artfully retelling the story, sparking curiosity, and encouraging others to pick up the book. Kind of like a book teaser.

Alternatively, students can choose an interview-style podcast where one interviews another about their thoughts on the book.

This choice empowers students to explore various podcasting styles, catering to diverse preferences and talents.

To guide their podcast creation, I provide students with a comprehensive outline that includes essential elements such as plot highlights, character analyses, and personal reflections. This structured approach assists in organizing their podcasts and ensures a well-rounded exploration of the book’s key components.

As these budding podcasters explore the world of audio storytelling, they refine their verbal communication skills. The podcast format encourages students to articulate their viewpoints in an engaging and concise manner, fostering analytical thought.

7. Build a Diorama to Represent a Scene in the Story

This is one of the most popular book report ideas for 5th grade, as students always love getting their hands dirty creating.

A diorama is like a tiny, 3D world that shows a scene from a story in a creative way. This option allows students to visually interpret the book’s essence by crafting a vibrant representation of a specific scene.

Equipped with a variety of art supplies, including construction paper, plasticine, magazines, paint, as well as everyday objects, students tap into their creativity to vividly portray the selected scene, making it tangible and visually engaging.

There’s so much fun and learning going on here!

Engaging in this hands-on activity nurtures students’ artistic skills and also deepens their comprehension as they depict key elements from the story.

Transforming the traditional book report into a multi-sensory experience sparks a love for literature through creative expression.

8. Paper Bag Book Report

Explore the world of literature creatively with a paper bag book report. This hands-on project combines artistic expression with literary analysis, offering students an interactive way to represent their learning.

In this unique approach, students take a simple paper bag and turn it into a representation of the book’s key elements.

Students showcase artistic talents by recreating the book cover on one side of the bag. The back features a brief plot summary for a quick overview.

As students continue their exploration, one side of the bag is dedicated to listing the characters in the story. On the opposite side, students outline the overarching theme of the book.

To add a tangible and personal touch, students fill the bag with carefully chosen artifacts that symbolize significant elements from the plot, characters, or themes.

This unique activity not only sparks creativity but also encourages thoughtful reflection, making it an ideal addition to your repertoire of book report ideas for 5th grade students.

9. Book Scavenger Hunt

Another engaging book report idea is to have 5th graders channel their creativity into designing a scavenger hunt inspired by the book.

This activity taps into their comprehension of the plot and characters and also encourages them to think critically about the story.

The process involves identifying significant locations, events, or items from the book and incorporating them into the scavenger hunt checklists or clues. This tests understanding and sparks imagination in weaving the story into challenges.

Creating a scavenger hunt instills a sense of responsibility, as students must ensure that their peers can navigate the adventure they’ve crafted. A scavenger hunt is a fun activity for everyone!

💡 Printable scavenger hunts for hassle-free learning!

10. Book Character Trading Cards

This unique activity is a captivating spin on traditional book reports tailored for 5th graders. In this interactive project, students unleash their creativity by making trading cards inspired by characters from the book they read.

Whether mimicking the style of hockey trading cards or adopting the charm of Pokemon cards , students have the freedom to design these cards to match their interests. Each card becomes a canvas for vibrant images, character names, essential traits, and concise yet captivating descriptions.

This activity fosters artistic expression while allowing exploration of character traits in an engaging manner.

Elevating the book reporting experience, this hands-on project not only engages students but also adds an artistic flair to your collection of book report ideas for 5th grade.

11. Create a To-Do List for the Main Character

This book report activity blends literary exploration with practical life skills. Students will step into the main character’s shoes and write a to-do list, considering their goals, desires, and motivations.

As students delve into the intricacies of a character’s psyche, they not only sharpen their analytical skills but also cultivate crucial life skills, fostering personal growth and preparing them for success in various aspects of life.

My students enjoyed diving into the main character’s life by creating to-do lists for a day, week, or month. It’s a simple yet effective way to connect with the story and gain deeper insights into the character’s experiences.

Thinking deeply about a character from the book while making practical to-do lists for that character helps students develop a more clear understanding of their complexities, providing a valuable bridge between literature and real-life tasks.

12. Build a Timeline of the Book

Engage students in the literary journey with a book timeline project. Encourage them to create a chronological display of key events from the story, whether on a long strip of paper, with 3D objects, or through digital tools.

Enhance their comprehension by incorporating illustrations or visuals for each event on the timeline, providing a comprehensive overview that reinforces their grasp of the book’s plot progression.

This creative approach not only hones organizational skills but also fosters a deeper connection to the flow of the story.

13. T-Shirt Book Report

Students can transform a plain T-shirt into a visual representation of the book, employing artistic expression to convey characters and the books theme.

This hands-on approach not only nurtures creativity but also encourages students to delve into the book’s core message, providing a deeper understanding of the story.

In my classroom, students loved having the option to do a T-shirt book report.

I had students recreate the book cover on the back of the shirt, while the front was designed to reflect the attire of one of the characters.

Before painting the shirt, students brainstormed and sketched at least three ideas. This planning phase fueled their creativity and helped them consider how to visually represent their concepts effectively on the T-shirt.

The interactive approach, coupled with the thoughtful planning process, make the T-shirt book report a dynamic and engaging learning experience for 5th grade students.

These alternative approaches to the common book report encourage children to think outside the box and showcase their understanding of the book in a unique and personalized way.

Why Book Reports Are Important in Elementary

Book reports hold significant importance at the elementary level as they serve as invaluable tools for assessing a child’s comprehension and analytical skills.

These reports encourage students to look deeper into the plot, characters, and themes of a book, promoting a more profound understanding of what they have read.

Beyond academic benefits, book reports can nurture creativity and communication skills alongside academic growth.

And on top of that, elementary book reports teach kids about responsibility and following rules as they meet deadlines and guidelines. This helps them develop important skills for future academic tasks.

The Wrap-Up: Book Report Ideas for 5th Grade

These creative and fun book report ideas for upper elementary not only make the learning process enjoyable but also encourage independence and self-expression. By incorporating engaging activities, we can foster a love for reading and storytelling in young minds.

Let these innovative approaches inspire a newfound appreciation for literature, turning book reports into exciting adventures for every 5th-grade reader.

Happy reading and reporting!

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Donna Paul, with over 15 years as a certified Montessori teacher, is praised for her engaging teaching style. Beyond the classroom, she's a children's book author and spearheads two impactful blogs with her partner, Karen: thatssomontessori.com for Montessori insights at the elementary level and thenomadicstrays.com for simple road life living. Based in British Columbia, Canada, Donna's nomadic life allows her to share ideas and develop educational products with Karen as they travel. Donna can be found spreading smiles and knowledge wherever she roams.

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Book Report Ideas! 10 Fun Alternatives to Traditional Reports

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In this article, we will explore 10 book report ideas that can foster creativity, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of literature.

Traditional book reports often involve summarizing the plot, analyzing characters and themes, and providing a personal evaluation of the book. However, educators and homeschoolers alike have recognized the need to make reading assessments more engaging and meaningful. Try some of these book report ideas to engage your learners.

Related: 7 Motivational Activities for Students

Alternative Book Report Ideas! 1. Book Trailer or Movie Adaptation

Instead of writing a traditional book report, here’s an idea: students can create a book trailer or even film a short movie adaptation of their chosen book. They can focus on capturing key scenes, character interactions, and the overall mood of the story, while employing artistic and technological skills. This can be an independent project or group work for book club!

2. Conduct a Character Interview

Students can imagine themselves as journalists and conduct a character interview. They can prepare a list of questions and then respond in the character’s voice, providing insightful answers that demonstrate a deep understanding of the character’s thoughts, motivations, and personality. This book report idea works independently or students can work in pairs to come up with interview questions and answers.

3. Create an Alternative Ending

Encourage students to reimagine the book’s ending. They can pen a new chapter or conclusion that deviates from the original, providing justifications for the changes they made and exploring how these changes would impact the overall story.

4. Character Social Media Profiles

In the age of social media, students can create profiles for book characters on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. They can design the profile, write updates and posts in character, and engage with other students’ character profiles to discuss the book’s events and themes. You can create these right on the apps or Download a Printable Instagram Template here .

5. Book Report Ideas: Create a Collage or Diorama

Students can express their understanding of the book through visual representations. They can create collages or dioramas that depict key scenes, settings, or symbols from the book. This artistic approach allows students to explore their creativity while demonstrating their comprehension of the story.

6. Write a Letter to the Author

Another alternative book idea is to write a letter to the author. Students can give their opinion of the book, talk about themes, characters, and express how they relate to the content. Many authors have contact information online if you’d like to mail your letter as well!

7. Podcast or Radio Show

Students can create a podcast episode or a radio show inspired by the book. They can discuss the plot, analyze characters, interview real or fictional experts on related topics, and even create original music or sound effects to enhance the audio experience.

8. Book Report Ideas: Use Alternate Formats

Allow students to explore non-traditional book formats such as graphic novels, poetry collections, or choose-your-own-adventure stories. They can write a reflection or analysis on how the chosen format enhances or alters their reading experience.

9. Throw a Literary Tea Party!

Organize a literary tea party, where students can dress up as a character from the book they read. During the party, they can engage in lively discussions, debates, and character analysis while enjoying tea and snacks.

10. Creative Presentation

Encourage students to present their understanding of the book using creative formats like puppet shows, dramatic performances, or visual presentations. This allows them to actively engage with the material, showcase their public speaking skills, and bring the story to life.

Book Report Ideas: Conclusion

By diversifying book report options, you can ignite students’ passion for reading and cultivate their critical thinking abilities. These 10 alternatives to traditional book reports offer students the opportunity to express their creativity, explore different perspectives, and demonstrate a deep understanding of the books they read. So, let’s inspire students to go beyond the boundaries of traditional book reports and embark on unique and exciting literary adventures.

Ashley helps parents who want to homeschool find the resources they need to successfully teach their children. Ashley is a former teacher, current homeschooler, published author, and designer behind Circle Time with Miss Fox printables as well as the creator of this website, The Homeschool Resource Room.

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Book Report Ideas: Creative Ideas for Book Reports

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Book reports are a curriculum mainstay, but their format is a bit tired. 

Spice up your assignment with these creative book report ideas!

This article contains affiliate links to things that you might like.

Book Report Ideas

Book reports are a great educational tool because they teach students to identify the framework of a story and analyze its structure and style. 

They are also a welcome chance to practice persuasive writing and presentation.

Book reports’ very utility is why they are assigned so often (and why students start to dread them). 

You can turn all this around by jazzing up a book report in one of two ways.

The first way to add creativity to a book report is to alter the form of the report. 

Instead of summarizing the story, plot, setting, and characters and ending with a recommendation (“I liked this book because…”), you ask for something more creative .

The second way to add creativity is to change up the presentation. 

Who says a book report need always be on 8.5 x 11 paper? 

Why not creatively present the report (and perhaps incorporate art as well)?

Creative Ideas for Book Reports

Here are some book report ideas that ask for creative content:

Ask the Therapist Book Report

Imagine you are a therapist analyzing a character in the story. 

What does the character fear? 

Give specific examples from the story. 

Magazine Interview Book Report

Imagine you are a reporter interviewing the main character for an article. 

What would you ask the person? 

Write an engaging article about the background of the character, their personal life, and what’s next on the horizon.

5W’s + H Book Report

Keep it simple and have the student answer these basic questions (the main components of a story sequence chart).  

• Who are the main characters?
• When does it take place?
• Where does it take place?
• What is the problem?
• How is it resolved?
• Why did you like/dislike it?

Newspaper Article Book Report

Take the 4W’s + H questions above (leave off the “Why” question) and turn it into a newspaper article. 

You can illustrate it.

Villain’s Book Report

Imagine that the villain of the story (as an alternative, pick a minor character) read the book. 

What would his/her book report be like? 

How would the villain describe the main character and the action? 

What would the villain think about the way the author told the story?

Collage Book Report

Hunt through magazines to find pictures that tell the story. 

Assemble them and give a presentation of your book report with that as a visual aid.

Book Report Acrostic

Use the title of the book (or even the letters of the alphabet ABC…) to generate an acrostic poem about the book. 

If the book is Tom Sawyer , T could be “Tom is a clever and hilarious boy.” O could be, “Over and over you see Tom get into mischief.”

Book Report Project Ideas

Here are some book report project ideas that involve creative presentation:

The World’s Tiniest Book Report

Stick to the basics and assemble a mini book report. 

You can fit it in a mint tin or jewelry box.

Origami Book Report

Put the 5W’s and H in an origami creation like the classic “cootie catcher” (alas, that is what the kids call it and what you have to put in the search engine).  

Illustrated Book Report

Don’t just stop at writing–add art!  

Diorama Book Report

Create a diorama of the most important scene in the book. 

Have the student give a presentation on what is happening in the scene and why she feels it is pivotal.

Keep in mind that you’re probably going to have to teach your students how to make a diorama because it’s pretty much a lost art!

Book Report in a Bag

Decorate a grocery bag with the title of the book and illustration. 

Fill the bag with the paragraphs of a book report, each written on their own paper in fun shapes. 

Reach your hand into the bag and pull out the info on the book!

Pizza Box Book Report

Ask a local pizza company to donate some unused boxes. 

Create paper book report pizzas that tell about the book on each slice. 

Decorate the inside lid of the pizza box like a project board advertising your book.

Cover Design Book Report

Create a new dust jacket for the book. 

How would you illustrate it? 

What content would you put on the back to entice the reader to buy the book? 

Don’t forget to invent quotations from other famous authors or celebrities!

Creative Book Reports and Projects

Your students have likely had enough of the traditional book report. 

Add pizzazz to the task with these creative ideas for book reports.

You May Also Like:

• Post Reading Activities
• Fun Writing Activities for Middle School
• How to Teach Informational Writing to K-2

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10+ Fun Book Report Ideas

Please note, Year Round Homeschooling uses affiliate links. For more information see our disclosure policy .

While book reports can be a great school activity to gauge what your children learned, they can be boring to create. Have you considered thinking outside of the box and finding book report ideas that your children might actually enjoy?

When it comes to homeschooling you want your child to have a love of reading and a love of learning. Boring them with book reports simply will not achieve this. Instead of having your child write up a standard book report, challenge them to create something fun and exciting!

• Create a cereal box design based on the book they read.

This is a great activity for highly visual kids. From adding characters to the front of the box to giving book details in place of nutrition facts. This is option is a lot of fun and will challenge your child’s creative side.

• Design a game using characters, settings and events from the book.

Having your child create the file folder game will allow them to think back to the book every time they play. Creating games is an easy way to encourage siblings to talk about the books they read with each other. This is also a great way to build up a stock of fun file folder games to entertain your kids.

• Challenge your child to become a travel agent and create a brochure for a setting in the book the read.

This will challenge your child to really think about the setting of the book and the adventures that are possible in that setting. Encourage them to make the worst places seem fun and exciting. This is an opportunity to teach them that not everything they read is a truthful depiction of reality.

• Take a trip to the local thrift store and give your child a budget to choose an outfit to dress up as a character from the book they read.

Your child will have to pay close attention to details the author gives on the appearance of the characters.  They will also need to be creative to make their own costume, as well as stay in the budget you gave them.

• Fictional diary entries are a great way for children to connect to the characters in a book.

This will require your child to put themselves in the shoes of the characters. They will have to consider both the characters and the details of the events in the book as they create their diary entries. 

• Have your child write an alternate ending .

Test your child’s comprehension of the story by challenging them to write an alternate ending to a book. They will have to contemplate the many different possibilities before deciding on which they will use. This is a great activity for your future authors, as many authors have no idea where the story will go as they are writing. Often they leave the door wide open to allow your children to pull details from the book into their alternate ending.

• Set up an interview with your child playing the role of the author.

This can be a fun way to have your child step into their creative side. It also will test your child’s comprehension and memory of the book while they pretend to be the author of the book they read.

• Design a mini-book for their book report.

Each page of their mini-book can cover different vital details from characters to setting and plot. If you do this for several books you’ll have a cute mini-library perfect for use with dolls for imaginative play. This can be particularly engaging for children that love the popular American Girl® dolls.

• Encourage them to create a video.

Kids obsessed with YouTube will get a kick out of doing a video book report. This is great for reluctant writers that would rather give their report verbally. 

• Have your child write a song about the book they read.

This is such a fun and creative way for them to show what they have learned. It also gives your child the opportunity to include their interests in their learning, which will cause them to be more excited to complete the project. 

• A young scientist would love to come up with a science project or new invention to help solve a problem in the book they read.

Creating such a project would prove that your child understands the struggles in the plot, while also giving them a creative outlet for their young minds.

• Have your child create their own book report ideas .

Give your child free reign in their own learning and you may be pleasantly surprised with the amount of thought and work they put into creating the perfect book report!

The key to making book reports fun is to give your child the opportunity to try something new.

Try giving your child a list of books to read and different style book reports they will need to complete. Then let them decide which book will become which style book report. 

How do you make book reports fun for your kids?

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How to Make Book Reports FUN!

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5 Fun Homeschool Book Report Ideas for Kids

November 17, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

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Ah, the familiar (and sometimes dreaded) book report.

When I was in elementary school, we had to give book reports in front of the entire class. I never minded, because I loved books and always wanted to talk about them to my classmates.

But everyone didn’t love doing them.

And it’s easy to see why. Just writing a report about a book isn’t necessarily fun.

So I thought it would be helpful to share these five fun homeschool book report ideas you can try with your children!

These are simple to do and they’re engaging, so if you have children who don’t love writing about the books they read, these different book report ideas may help.

Read on to see the full list!

And, for more ways to bring books to life, take a look at our tips for making reading fun for active kids !

Images c/o: AndrewLozovyi / Depositphotos

The Cereal Box Book Report

Take an empty cereal box and glue butcher paper or construction paper all around it.

Have your children draw an important scene from the book on the front and write the book title at the top.

Use the space for the nutrition facts on the side to list characters and places inside the book.

On the back, kids can describe the basic plot and explain what they liked about the book.

The Story Cube

Pick up a few dry erase dice and let kids draw a scene from a few of the book’s chapters on each side. Challenge them to use the drawings to retell the story.

You can also do this with an empty tissue box. Let the kids draw scenes from the story and glue them around the sides.

Then they can use the story cube to retell the major parts of the story. Or “roll” the cube to tell random events.

The Comic Book Report

Hand out a couple of pieces of paper, with markers and colored pencils, and let the kids make a comic book summary of the story.

Keep it short (eight or twelve panels) and see if they can depict the events in the order they occurred.

Afterwards, they can use the comic book to retell the major plot events.

The Stage Play Report

If you have children who love to dress in costume and perform (like I do), why not have them try a stage play book report?

They can dress up as the main characters and act out a scene or two from the story. Let siblings help to make a “set” and play other roles too! Older kids may want to try writing a soliloquy or monologue showing the main character’s internal conflict and struggles.

After the play is finished, let the kids hold a character “wax museum” while they’re still in costume!

Each one can hold up a sign with the name of their character and a few important facts about him or her. As parents, you can walk around to see each “exhibit” from the story.

The Build A Scene Report

Grab some art supplies and recyclables from around the house to build a model of a scene from the book. Choose a specific setting from the story (such as a village, castle, apartment, forest, etc.) and challenge the kids to use as much detail as they can. This is a great way to help the kids pay attention to descriptive details in the book.

You can also use LEGO blocks to construct a setting from the story. With a smartphone, older kids can create a stop-motion video to show a few of the major events!

Which of these fun homeschool book report ideas do you think your kids would like? Let me know how they work for your family!

Try some of these other ideas for making reading fun!

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Book Report Activities

Excerpted from

Activities for Any Literature Unit

Featured 5th grade resources.

Related Resources

• 1. Book Report Projects
• 2. Projects For Novels & Picture Books
• 3. Seasons & Holidays
• 4. Powerpoint
• 6. Sticker Charts

Book Report Templates: 25+ Unique, Fun, and EXTRA LARGE Book Report Projects

Engage your students in fun and challenging reading activities all year long., on this page, you'll find unique book report templates that  are available in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and themes., list of book report projects:.

Each Book Report Project Set Contains:

• Assembling Directions
• First Draft Worksheets
• Final Draft Black and White Templates
• Final Draft Color Templates 
• Book Report Project Grading Rubric
• Bulletin Display Banner (5 pages long)
• To READ detailed information about each resource set and to view large pictures of the book report templates, click on the "More Information" links that are found in each of the  boxes below.

 ==>  Value Pack:  Click Here  <==

28 Book Report Projects

14 Free Projects

1.  Cheeseburger

Click For More Information

2.  Sandwich

3.  Game Board

4.  Character Body

5.  Extra Large Castle

6.  Extra Large Turtle

7.  Biography Newspaper

8.  Movie Camera

9.  Extra Large Wanted Poster

10.  Dog

11.  Character Vacation Suitcase

12.  Pizza Venn Diagram

13.  Rocket

14.  Birthday Cake

15.  Butterfly

16.  Caterpillar

17.  1 st Place Trophy Award

18.  Sequencing School Bus

19.  Computer

20.  Radio

21.  Sunflower

22.  Dive Into Reading Fish Set

23.  Cause and Effect Tree

24.  Mountain Story Map

25.  House

26.  Cell Phone

27.  Star

A Note About Your Purchase:  You will be emailed a download link for the resource(s) that you purchase so that you can download, save, print, and use the resource(s)  today!

Note :  

• Due to spelling differences in English (Examples: color/colour and favorite/favourite), there are two separate sets of  worksheets and templates included in each book report set.
• You can select the version ( U.S. or U.K. spelling rules) that contains the spelling that is used in the country where you live. 
• The worksheets and templates that are shown on this page use  U.S. spelling rules .

Video:  Introduction to Book Report Projects

You can watch a youtube video that shows examples of some my  book report projects by clicking on this link:.

Click Here ==>   Watch Book Report Projects Video

These projects are unique in shape, but simple in supplies!

I have often found a book report idea that I really liked in a teacher resource book or on a website. Unfortunately, these book report projects involved purchasing a lot of additional items and driving around after school hours to find art supplies. This is not fun to do after a long day in the classroom!

My book report projects are unique in shape, but simple in supplies!

After you have printed out the unique book report templates, the only materials that you will need to have in your classroom to complete these book report projects are scissors, glue, tape, and coloring pencils.

You will not need to go shopping after school for art supplies  and materials to complete these fun book report projects.

A teacher's time is valuable, so all of my book report projects include a 5 page bulletin board display banner . I hope that these display banners help save you time in decorating your classroom bulletin board displays that feature your students' book report projects.

The majority of my book report projects also contain thematic bulletin board accent pieces. You can use these accent pieces to add the finishing touches to your bulletin board displays so that they are colorful and eye catching!

All of my book report projects include the following components:

• assembling directions
• first draft writing worksheets (the writing lines on the first draft worksheets match exactly with the writing lines on the final draft templates)
• final draft project templates
• color final draft project templates of the project for you to use as a finished example to show to your students
• grading rubric for both the students and the teacher to fill out
• five page color banner to display on your bulletin board
• most of these sets also include bonus accent pieces for you to use as decorations for your classroom bulletin board displays

Thank you for visiting this Book Report Projects  page.

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Click on the navigation bar above , or on the orange links below , to view the pages and resources on this website.

1.  Reading

• Book Report Projects   - Make Reading Fun With These Unique Templates!
• Projects For Favorite Books  - EXTRA LARGE Group & Student Projects For Novels and Read Aloud Books
• Value Pack   - 27 Book Report Projects
• Free Sight Word Flashcards   -   Fry   -   Dolch
• Newbery and Caldecott Book Lists
• Reading Overview  -  Book Report Tips

2.  Writing

• Fun Creative Writing Templates
• Poetry Templates
• Printable Worksheets
• Writing Prompts For Jan - Dec
• Writing Overview

3.  Other Subjects & Resources

• Powerpoint Lessons
• Sticker Charts
• Award Certificates
• Grammar  

4.  Resources For Months, Seasons & Holidays

• Back To School
• Peace Day   (Sept. 21)
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• February & Valentine's Day
• March & St. Patrick's Day
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• Earth Day   (April 22)
• Mother's Day  -  Father's Day
• June, July, & End of School Year

5.  Monthly Creative Writing Prompts  

• January   -   February   -   March
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• July   -   August   -   September
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• General Topics

6. FREE Downloads For Teachers

• List of FREE Teaching Resources
• FREE Printable Classroom Calendars
• FREE Bulletin Board Display Banners
• FREE Printables of Favorite Quotes
• FREE Sight Word Flashcards
• Bulletin Board Display Ideas

7. About This Site

• Contact Heidi    -    About Me
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• Frequently Asked Questions
• Copyright Policy    -    Privacy Policy
• FTC Disclosure   -   Disclaimer

Engage Your Students in Fun Reading Activities This Year More Than 25 Creative Book Report Projects to Choose From!

• VIEW ALL BOOK REPORT PROJECTS
• Cheeseburger  -   Wanted Poster
• Rocket  -   Monopoly Gameboard
• Dive Into Reading Fish  - Sandwich
• Castle - Main Character Body

Extra Large Group Projects For Favorite Novels and Read Aloud Books

• VIEW ALL BOOK TITLES
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  by Roald Dahl
• The Enormous Crocodile  by Roald Dahl
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• Shiloh  by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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Please be sure to check out the other pages on Unique Teaching Resources for a large variety  of fun lesson plans that will engage your students in learning and save you valuable time.

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13 Fun Reading Activities for Any Book

Whether you walk into a classroom in Asia, North America or Europe, you will almost certainly see teachers and students building their understanding of the world through a dedicated daily reading session full of great reading activities.

Books allow students an opportunity to be informed, entertained or escape as they comprehend fiction and non-fiction texts against their understanding of the world, their personal insights, and opinions and finally compare those texts to others.

Whilst you may have a wealth of books in your school library, developing fresh and engaging ways to study literature can often be challenging.  So today, we will explore 25 proven activities that can be applied to any book and at any age level.

These reading activities to improve reading comprehension are easy to follow and suitable for most age groups within an elementary/junior high school level.

125 Text Response ACTIVITIES, Games, Projects for ANY BOOK

This massive collection of ☀️ READING ACTIVITIES☀️ covers all essential reading skills for elementary/primary students. NO PREP REQUIRED! Works with all text and media types.

Thousands of teachers have adopted this as a GO-TO RESOURCE for independent and group tasks.

A COLLECTION OF FUN READING ACTIVITIES

A lifetime tale in pictures reading task.

Draw the main character from a book you have recently read.  Show them as a baby, middle-aged and an older person.

Underneath each picture, write what you think they might be doing at that point in their life, and explain why they may be doing so.

For example, if you drew Harry Potter as a baby, he might cast spells on his mum to feed him lots of yummy food.

Post-reading activities like this are accessible for all age groups to adapt their skill level and text style.

If you want to learn more about characters, read our complete guide here.

TEXT TO SELF-READING TASK

Based upon a book you have just read, share a  story about yourself related to an event or character in the book.

It is probably best done in the form of a written recount. Link your experience to no more than four situations that occurred within the text.

Text to self is an excellent opportunity for students to become introspective about the content they read and compare it to their own life experiences. 

This activity is appealing to teenagers more so than juniors .

IT’S IN THE INSTRUCTIONS READING TASK

From a book you have just read, select either a critical object or creature and create a user manual or a guide explaining how to care for it.

Ensure you use any vital information learnt from the book and any other information you consider essential.

If you are writing a user manual for an object, remember to focus on using it correctly and taking care of it.

If you are writing a user guide for an animal or creature, focus on keeping it alive and healthy as well as information that explains how to keep it happy and under control if necessary.

Dear Diary, READING TASK

Place yourself in the shoes of one of the characters you have just read about and write a diary entry of a critical moment from the story.

Try to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

Your diary entry should be around a page long and contain information you learned from the book when the character was in that specific place and time.

Remember, when writing a diary entry, you are writing it from a first-person perspective. It is usually but not always written in the present tense.

Diary writing has been a very popular activity throughout time, but social media tools such as Facebook and blogging have in some ways changed this.

Mapping it all out, READING TASK

How do you make reading lessons fun? This reading activity answers that question confidently.

Have a go at drawing a map of one of the places from the text you have just read. See how much detail you can include, and be sure to discuss your map with another reader so you can compare and add more if necessary.

Take some time and effort to ensure your map appeals to the same audience the book aims at.

All good maps should contain the following BOLTS elements.

B – Bolts

O – Orientation

L – Legend

S – Scale

Express Yourself READING TASK

Using an iPad or a digital camera, make faces of the emotions the main characters would have gone through in your book and take photos of them. 

Put them together in a document on your computer or device and explain the emotion below the image and when the character would have felt this way.

This is an excellent opportunity to use some creative direction for this task.

Be sure to play around with the images, filters and graphical styling available.

Travel Agent READING TASK

Think of yourselves as a group of travel assistants whose job is to promote a  city of your choice from the text you have been reading.

As a group, you need to develop a concept map of all the exciting things that happen in your city and then present it to the class.

Don’t forget all of the exciting things such as theatres, restaurants, sports, adventure activities, entertainment and much more…

If you are a little short on details of the location of your story, do some research if it was an actual location or just get creative and make up some locations and tourist attractions based on what you read.

You’re Hired READING TASK

Select a character from a book and consider what might be an excellent job for them. You can choose something entirely suitable such as a security guard job for Superman or a more oddball approach, such as a pastry chef.

Either way, you will have to write a letter from this character’s perspective and apply for a position.

Be sure to explain why your character would be a great employee and what special skills they would possess to make them ideal for the role. Sell your character by explaining all the great attributes they possess.

What’s the Status? READING TASK

Create a Facebook page for your character with some status updates about what they have been up to.

Include some pictures and ensure your status updates are relevant to the character and the story.

Around 3 – 4 status updates with mages should give an overall picture of the character.

Use your status updates to explore what your character does for a job, leisure time, places they might go on vacation and the like.

Bubbles and Clouds READING TASK

Using speech bubbles and pictures of the characters, draw a conversation between two characters from the story you have read.

Remember, thought is drawn as a cloud, and a spoken statement is drawn as a  bubble.

Be sure to look at some comics or graphic novels for inspiration and insights.

This activity is usually best done on pen and paper, but numerous digital apps and tools will allow you to make this a reality through technology.

Amazing Artifacts READING TASK

An artifact is an object that has some significance or meaning behind it. Sometimes, an artefact might even have a very important story behind it.  I am sure you have a favorite toy, or your parents have a particular item in the house that they would consider an important artifact.

For today’s task, you will select five artifacts from the text you have been reading and explain what makes them significant or essential.

They don’t all have to be super important to the story, but I am sure that at least a couple played a significant role.

Be sure to draw a picture of the artifact and if necessary, label it.

FREE READING ACTIVITIES RESOURCE TO DOWNLOAD

Thinking Differently READING TASK

Choose three important events from the text and explain how you would have handled them differently from the characters in the story.

Explain how it may have changed the story’s outcome in either a minor or significant way.

Be insightful here and think of the cause and effect.  Sometimes your smallest action can have a significant impact on others.

Popplet Mind Mapping Task

Popplet is a mind mapping tool that allows you to connect ideas together using images, text and drawings.

From a text, you have recently read, create a family tree or network diagram that explains the relationship the characters have with each other.

Some may be father and son, husband and wife or even arch enemies.

Try and lay it out so it is easy to follow.

You Have Three Wishes READING TASK

A genie lands at the midpoint of the story you have just read and grants the two main characters three wishes.

What do they wish for and why?

Finally, would their wishes have changed anything about the story?  How so?

Again think about the cause and effect relationship and how this may have altered the path of the book you have been reading.

A COMPLETE DIGITAL READING UNIT FOR STUDENTS

Over 30 engaging activities for students to complete BEFORE, DURING and AFTER reading ANY BOOK

• Compatible with all devices and digital platforms, including GOOGLE CLASSROOM.
• Fun, Engaging, Open-Ended INDEPENDENT tasks.
• 20+ 5-Star Ratings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MORE GREAT ARTICLES WITH READING ACTIVITIES

Top 7 Reading Comprehension Strategies for Students and Teachers

How to teach Guided Reading: Teaching Strategies and Activities

Identifying the main idea of the story: A Guide for Students and Teachers

Teaching Cause and Effect in Reading and Writing

Graphic Organizers for Writing and Reading

Top 7 Tips for Teaching Guided Reading in Large Classes

5 Reasons You Need a Digital Reading Diary In 2023

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Create a fun activity book for kids using Microsoft templates

april 4, 2024

by Monica Jayasinghe

Hey there, parents and fellow educators! Did you know that Microsoft has templates we can use to make a fun and engaging activity book for kids and students? Today, I want to show you how I created a growth mindset activity book using these awesome resources.

Follow along and watch this fun, easy activity come together.

Why a growth mindset activity book?

A growth mindset is the belief that we can get smarter and more skilled at pretty much anything, as long as we put in the effort and keep at it. It's about understanding that challenges and setbacks are just part of the learning process, not signs to give up.

This shift in thinking makes learning a whole lot more fun and less stressful. Instead of freaking out over getting something wrong , students learn to see it as a step towards getting it right . And that, in turn, helps students become resilient and adaptable people who are ready to tackle any challenge life throws at them!

How to create a growth mindset activity book: step by step

1. choose your template.

First, head over to create.microsoft.com and explore their customizable coloring book options . These templates serve as a creative canvas for educators to design fun and educational resources.

You'll find a variety of adorable templates to choose from. I decided to customize the Feelings Monster coloring book .

2. Customize the cover

To make my activity book a growth mindset themed book, I started by changing the text on the cover. I highlighted the text and used the eye dropper tool to match the font color to the cover design.

Microsoft's user-friendly interface allows for easy customization. If you want, you can also tailor the provided images to suit the theme of your activity book.

3. Add some writing prompts

Next, I focused on creating engaging prompts for social-emotional learning time. These prompts will encourage students to reflect and respond, giving them designated spaces for writing and self-expression.

Here's how I added these:

• I took the existing text boxes and turned them into interesting writing prompts for my students.
• To give them space to write, I inserted a line using the Shapes tool. I changed the color and weight of the line to make it thicker and easier to see, then aligned it to the center of the page using the Arrange button.
• I duplicated the line twice to create three writing spaces.

4. Add a coloring activity

For the next page, I wanted to include a coloring activity. Adding different activities on each page helps keep students calm and engaged.

• I went to Insert > Table and created a small table for my students to color. Using the top panel, I customized the prompts to fit our social emotional learning goals.

5. Personalize with activities and images

For the remaining pages, add activities and personalize to your heart's content! Here's how I personalized mine:

Create a versatile table activity

First, I went to Insert > Table and added a small 1-column table on the side of the page.

I'm going to have my students color the table in with their favorite motivational colors, but you could also have your students write in words that describe their feelings from the week. It's all about tailoring this versatile table to your students' needs.

I clicked on Insert and searched for a small arrow icon, which I added to the page. This gives students a helpful visual cue about where to color.

Add an interactive speech bubble

To add a fun interactive element, I inserted a speech bubble shape and changed the fill to white with a black outline.

This way, students can write their responses inside the bubble. You could even have your students come up with their own prompts to give them ownership of their SEL time.

Add a step-by-step activity

On the final page, I created a step-by-step activity. I inserted a few boxes using the shapes tool, changed the fill to white, and outlined them in black. Then, I resized the boxes to fit several on the page. I headed back to the icons and inserted a few more arrows so students can fill out the steps in order.

6. Download and print!

Once you're done customizing your activity book, you can download and print it for your students to enjoy.

I hope this tutorial has inspired you to create your own growth mindset activity book using Microsoft templates. Head over to create.microsoft.com and start designing! Your students will love the engaging and personalized activities you create for them.

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AI race heats up as OpenAI, Google and Mistral release new models

Launches within 12 hours of one another, and more activity expected in industry over summer

OpenAI, Google , and the French artificial intelligence startup Mistral have all released new versions of their frontier AI models within 12 hours of one another, as the industry prepares for a burst of activity over the summer.

The unprecedented flurry of releases come as the sector readies for the expected launch of the next major version of GPT, the system that underpins OpenAI’s hit chatbot Chat-GPT.

The first came only hours after Nick Clegg appeared on stage at an event in London , where he confirmed reports that the third version of Meta’s own AI model, Llama, would be published in a matter of weeks.

Seven hours after Clegg left the stage, Google’s Gemini Pro 1.5, his competitor’s most advanced large language model, was released to the general public, with a free tier limited to 50 requests a day.

An hour later, OpenAI released its own frontier model, the final version of GPT-4 Turbo. GPT-4 Turbo and Gemini Pro 1.5 are “multimodal” systems, able to accept more than just text. Each can take image input, while Gemini can also accept audio and video.

In the early hours of the morning in France , Mistral, an AI startup founded by a number of Clegg’s former colleagues in Meta’s AI team, released its frontier model, Mixtral 8x22B. Unlike its two American competitors, Mixtral was released through a simple download link to a 281GB file: the company, like Meta, takes an “open source” approach, and publishes its AI systems free for anyone to download and build upon.

That approach has been criticised as potentially dangerous, since it leaves the developer unable to intervene and stop its systems being used for harmful ends, nor to pull models offline if vulnerabilities or biases are discovered and need to be fixed. Others, including Meta, defend it as ultimately leading to better outcomes than systems “kept in the clammy hands of a small number of very, very large, well-heeled companies in California”.

Meta’s Llama 3 is expected to be released initially in its smaller, less powerful versions, according to a report from The Information , building up to a release of the company’s most advanced frontier model this summer. However, it may face stiff competition: OpenAI is believed to be planning a similar timeframe for its next GPT model, GPT-5, with the company’s chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, telling the Financial Times it would be coming “soon” .

However, experts have queried whether the “large language model” approach shared by all frontier AI systems might be hitting its limits. “We hear a lot of people saying: ‘Oh my God, we’re going to get [artificial general intelligence] within the next year,” said Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, responding to a claim from the xAI founder, Elon Musk . “It’s just not happening. We have AI systems that can pass the bar exam, but they can’t clear up your dinner table and fill up the dishwasher. We have systems that manipulate language, and fool us into thinking that they are smart, but cannot understand the world.”

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Instead, LeCun suggested, researchers needed to work on what he called “objective-driven” AI with the ability to reason and plan about the world, rather than just work on words alone.

That approach might generate AI systems with truly superhuman abilities, LeCun said. That “is more of a vision than anything else”, he added, “but it’s making exponential progress, so I’m pretty confident that we’ll get there”.

• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Technology sector

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Meta’s Nick Clegg plays down AI’s threat to global democracy

Why I wrote an AI transparency statement for my book, and think other authors should too

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Chinese mourners turn to AI to remember and ‘revive’ loved ones

Google fined €250m in France for breaching intellectual property deal

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'Go to both': Murfreesboro keeps BoroPride LGBTQ+ festival and adds Ruco Pride Celebration

Inaugural ruco pride celebration set for june 29 at oaklands manson grounds.

Settlement will promote pride events and report on book banning

Ruco pride will gather for premier of 'we're here' filmed in murfreesboro, straight white woman advocates for lgbtq+ people, rucopride will include drag performers, kids play area, ruco pride includes monthly activities.

Murfreesboro will have two LGBTQ+ groups celebrating pride events in 2024 after the government unsuccessfully sought to ban BoroPride.

BoroPride organizers plan to continue the annual festival in the fall. Also, the inaugural RuCo Pride Celebration will provide a another festival 3-9 p.m. June 29 on the exterior grounds of Oaklands Mansion, an historic home at 900 N. Maney Ave. in the downtown Murfreesboro area.

"Go to both," said Norman Hanks , who's been involved with each group. "It's not a competition."

The goal for the new Rutherford County Pride group is to hold monthly gatherings and "bring each other together on a regular basis," said Hanks, who recently accepted promotion to serve as the executive director for Nourish Food Bank in Murfreesboro.

Hanks is also among the BoroPride supporters pleased they were able to continue the annual festival in 2023 after the event started in 2016. BoroPride organizers with the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Murfreesboro government to ensure the annual LGBTQ+ festival still happened in October in 2023 at Tennessee Miller Coliseum.

The Murfreesboro City Council settled the lawsuit in early 2024 by repealing a controversial community decency standards ordinance that the plaintiffs said violated their First Amendment Rights. The city also agreed to pay $500,000 to the plaintiffs.

'I gotta believe!': BoroPride pleased with revised festival plan, MTSU public records show

Hanks and others who have participated with BoroPride were upset fall 2022 when Murfreesboro City Manager Craig Tindall sent a letter to festival organizers saying he would reject future permits for the annual LGBTQ+ event and drag show to use city property.

Tindall's letter accused BoroPride organizers of exposing “children to a harmful prurient interest.”

The Murfreesboro City Council by June 2023 approved the community decency standards ordinance that ended up getting repealed. Only Vice Mayor Bill Shacklett opposed and expressed concerns the policy would lead to library book bans .

Book banning: Library supporters upset by board pulling 4 books say they're 'fighting against censorship'

The Tennessee Equality Project Foundation received $185,000 from the settlement, said Chris Sanders, the executive director of the organization that advocates equal rights for LGBTQ people.

"These funds will help us put on BoroPride and expand our educational programming related to advocacy around the state," Sanders said. "We will, for example, soon be releasing an extensive report on book bans in Tennessee, including Rutherford County. We have recently provided seed money for a new Pride celebration in Coffee County, and we will be increasing our support for other regional Pride celebrations. We are exploring several projects to strengthen the networks, programs, and capacity of the LGBTQ community."

'Is that what we want?' Library book freedom may be issue with Murfreesboro community decency standards ordinance

Now that legal issues have been resolved, Hanks wants to build on monthly events of Rutherford County Pride that provide a safe place for LGBTQ+ people to be themselves.

The upcoming 6 p.m. April 26 free event will be a "Red Carpet Premier" at Premier 6 Theatre for the showing the first of three episodes of the HBO Max documentary series, "We're Here," filmed in Murfreesboro. The show includes drag performers making appearances in various communities where people have sought to deny First Amendment rights.

Three of the shows drag performers made an appearance in August in front of the Murfreesboro City Council.

The theater for the April event has about 70 seats. Hanks encourages people to sign up in advance through his group's Facebook page, Rutherford County Pride, or through the website, rucopride.com.

'We're Here' comes to Murfreesboro: HBO drag reality show spotlights Murfreesboro over city's anti-BoroPride actions

The film crew for "We're Here" also interviewed Ruco Pride co-founder Missy Lay, a Murfreesboro resident who's also an event organizer for the group.

Lay describes herself as a straight white woman who's a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ people.

"It was almost a calling for me," said Lay, who transformed her past views of LGBTQ+ people "to be a spark (for) change."

Lay went from being a conservative, young Republican, "uber religious" college student who rejected having a gay roommate to becoming the advocate she is today.

"Now I exist to make things right," Lay said. "If you are a follower of Christ, he says to love one another. There’s no conditions."

LGBTQ+ people can sometimes struggle "to exist in their own skin with who they are," Lay said.

"You need to let them exist," Lay said. "To me, the most inclusive group in the world are the gay people. Everyone deserves the love. That is the closest thing to Jesus that I have seen."

LGBTQ+ issues: Murfreesboro pride group says they're 'about love and acceptance,' amid controversy

Hanks expects his Veronica Paige Velour persona to perform in the upcoming Ruco Pride festival in June along with the reigning BoroPride King and Queen and two to three other local drag performers.

About two to three bands also will perform at the event.

The RucoPride festival will have vendors, including one that promotes local services safe for LGBTQ+ people, a beer tent, and a kids play area with face painting, balloon animals and story-time, Hanks and Lay said.

Rutherford County Pride wants RucoPride to be "just a fun thing for people" and "build each other up," Hanks said.

'Homosexuality' is now legal: Murfreesboro city leaders update outdated code in response to lawsuit

The goal of Ruco Pride is to create a safe gathering place for LGBTQ+ "people in our community who don't necessarily feel safe," Lay said.

RuCo Pride, for example, supports a monthly drag show that Veronica Paige Velour hosts in the Smyrna area, as well as other activities announced on the group's Rutherford County Pride Facebook page or through the rucopride.com website, Lay said.

The group's monthly activities also have included Friendsgiving that served a traditional Thanksgiving meal, a coffee house night and a bowling night, Hanks said.

"We have something every month," Hanks said. "We're here to support everyone."

The Tennessee Equality Project also has regular meetings in Rutherford County.

'We are relieved': BoroPride wins court order to protect LGBTQ+ festival from government

Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden. To support his work with The Daily News Journal,  sign up for a digital subscription.

To learn more about Ruco Pride

• Website: rucopride.com.
• Facebook group page: Rutherford County Pride

Sources: Ruco Pride cofounders Norman Hanks and Missy Lay