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12 creative book report ideas your students will love

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.

ela book report ideas

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.

ela book report ideas

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.  

ela book report ideas

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 !

ela book report ideas

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 .

ela book report ideas

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!

ela book report ideas

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!

ela book report ideas

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!

ela book report 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!

ela book report ideas

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 .

ela book report ideas

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 .

ela book report ideas

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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42 Creative Book Report Ideas for Students

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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.

Attributes: 1-3 4-5 6-8

Resource Link:  https://www.weareteachers.com/creative-book-report-ideas/

  • BookWidgets Teacher Blog

ela book report ideas

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

ela book report ideas

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

ela book report ideas

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

ela book report ideas

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

ela book report ideas

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

ela book report ideas

5. Books & sleepovers

ela book report ideas

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.

Creative book report - glasses drawing

2. Bookworm

Creative book report - bookworm worksheet

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.

Creative book report with 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.

Creative book report - Comic book

5. Character portrait

Creative book report - 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.

Creative book report - bookworm

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.

Creative book report - book cover

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.

Creative book report - family tree

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.

Creative book report - Facebook profile

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.

Creative book report - family tree

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.

Creative book report - Mirror selfie

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.

Creative book report - Letter to the author

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.

Creative book report - Conversation with a character

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.

Creative book report - movie vs 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.

Creative book report - Emoji summary

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!

Creative book report - Collection

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

Have fun, share this with fellow teachers and keep on rocking your classroom!

Join hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and get the best content on technology in education.

BookWidgets enables teachers to create fun and interactive lessons for tablets, smartphones, and computers.

ela book report ideas

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How to Write a Book Report

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Book Report Fundamentals

Preparing to write, an overview of the book report format, how to write the main body of a book report, how to write a conclusion to a book report, reading comprehension and book reports, book report resources for teachers .

Book reports remain a key educational assessment tool from elementary school through college. Sitting down to close read and critique texts for their content and form is a lifelong skill, one that benefits all of us well beyond our school years. With the help of this guide, you’ll develop your reading comprehension and note-taking skills. You’ll also find resources to guide you through the process of writing a book report, step-by-step, from choosing a book and reading actively to revising your work. Resources for teachers are also included, from creative assignment ideas to sample rubrics.

Book reports follow general rules for composition, yet are distinct from other types of writing assignments. Central to book reports are plot summaries, analyses of characters and themes, and concluding opinions. This format differs from an argumentative essay or critical research paper, in which impartiality and objectivity is encouraged. Differences also exist between book reports and book reviews, who do not share the same intent and audience. Here, you’ll learn the basics of what a book report is and is not.

What Is a Book Report?

"Book Report" ( ThoughtCo )

This article, written by a professor emeritus of rhetoric and English, describes the defining characteristics of book reports and offers observations on how they are composed.

"Writing a Book Report" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab outlines the steps in writing a book report, from keeping track of major characters as you read to providing adequate summary material.

"How to Write a Book Report" ( Your Dictionary )

This article provides another helpful guide to writing a book report, offering suggestions on taking notes and writing an outline before drafting. 

"How to Write a Successful Book Report" ( ThoughtCo )

Another post from ThoughtCo., this article highlights the ten steps for book report success. It was written by an academic advisor and college enrollment counselor.

What’s the Difference Between a Book Report and an Essay?

"Differences Between a Book Report & Essay Writing" ( Classroom)

In this article from the education resource Classroom,  you'll learn the differences and similarities between book reports and essay writing.

"Differences Between a Book Report and Essay Writing" (SeattlePi.com)

In this post from a Seattle newspaper's website, memoirist Christopher Cascio highlights how book report and essay writing differ.

"The Difference Between Essays and Reports" (Solent Online Learning)

This PDF from Southampton Solent University includes a chart demonstrating the differences between essays and reports. Though it is geared toward university students, it will help students of all levels understand the differing purposes of reports and analytical essays.

What’s the Difference Between a Book Report and a Book Review?

"How to Write a Book Review and a Book Report" (Concordia Univ.)

The library at Concordia University offers this helpful guide to writing book report and book reviews. It defines differences between the two, then presents components that both forms share.

"Book Reviews" (Univ. of North Carolina)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s writing guide shows the step-by-step process of writing book reviews, offering a contrast to the composition of book reports.

Active reading and thoughtful preparation before you begin your book report are necessary components of crafting a successful piece of writing. Here, you’ll find tips and resources to help you learn how to select the right book, decide which format is best for your report, and outline your main points.

Selecting and Finding a Book

"30 Best Books for Elementary Readers" (Education.com)

This article from Education.com lists 30 engaging books for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. It was written by Esme Raji Codell, a teacher, author, and children's literature specialist.

"How to Choose a Good Book for a Report (Middle School)" (WikiHow)

This WikiHow article offers suggestions for middle schoolers on how to choose the right book for a report, from getting started early on the search process to making sure you understand the assignment's requirements.

"Best Book-Report Books for Middle Schoolers" (Common Sense Media)

Common Sense Media has compiled this list of 25 of the best books for middle school book reports. For younger students, the article suggests you check out the site's "50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12."

"50 Books to Read in High School" (Lexington Public Library)

The Lexington, Kentucky Public Library has prepared this list to inspire high school students to choose the right book. It includes both classics and more modern favorites.

The Online Computer Library Center's catalogue helps you locate books in libraries near you, having itemized the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries.

Formats of Book Reports

"Format for Writing a Book Report" ( Your Dictionary )

Here, Your Dictionary supplies guidelines for the basic book report format. It describes what you'll want to include in the heading, and what information to include in the introductory paragraph. Be sure to check these guidelines against your teacher's requirements.

"The Good Old Book Report" (Scholastic)

Nancy Barile’s blog post for Scholastic lists the questions students from middle through high school should address in their book reports.

How to Write an Outline

"Writer’s Web: Creating Outlines" (Univ. of Richmond)

The University of Richmond’s Writing Center shows how you can make use of micro and macro outlines to organize your argument.

"Why and How to Create a Useful Outline" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab demonstrates how outlines can help you organize your report, then teaches you how to create outlines.

"Creating an Outline" (EasyBib)

EasyBib, a website that generates bibliographies, offers sample outlines and tips for creating your own. The article encourages you to think about transitions and grouping your notes.

"How to Write an Outline: 4 Ways to Organize Your Thoughts" (Grammarly)

This blog post from a professional writer explains the advantages of using an outline, and presents different ways to gather your thoughts before writing.

In this section, you’ll find resources that offer an overview of how to write a book report, including first steps in preparing the introduction. A good book report's introduction hooks the reader with strong opening sentences and provides a preview of where the report is going.

"Step-by-Step Outline for a Book Report" ( Classroom )

This article from Classroom furnishes students with a guide to the stages of writing a book report, from writing the rough draft to revising.

"Your Roadmap to a Better Book Report" ( Time4Writing )

Time4Writing offers tips for outlining your book report, and describes all of the information that the introduction, body, and conclusion should include.

"How to Start a Book Report" ( ThoughtCo)

This ThoughtCo. post, another by academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, demonstrates how to write a pithy introduction to your book report.

"How to Write an Introduction for a Book Report" ( Classroom )

This brief but helpful post from Classroom  details what makes a good book report introduction, down to the level of individual sentences.

The body paragraphs of your book report accomplish several goals: they describe the plot, delve more deeply into the characters and themes that make the book unique, and include quotations and examples from the book. Below are some resources to help you succeed in summarizing and analyzing your chosen text.

Plot Summary and Description

"How Do You Write a Plot Summary?" ( Reference )

This short article presents the goals of writing a plot summary, and suggests a word limit. It emphasizes that you should stick to the main points and avoid including too many specific details, such as what a particular character wears.

"How to Write a Plot for a Book Report" ( The Pen & The Pad )

In this article from a resource website for writers, Patricia Harrelson outlines what information to include in a plot summary for a book report. 

"How to Write a Book Summary" (WikiHow)

Using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as an example, this WikiHow article demonstrates how to write a plot summary one step at a time.

Analyzing Characters and Themes

"How to Write a Character Analysis Book Report" ( The Pen & The Pad )

Kristine Tucker shows how to write a book report focusing on character. You can take her suggestions as they are, or consider  incorporating them into the more traditional book report format.

"How to Write a Character Analysis" (YouTube)

The SixMinuteScholar Channel utilizes analysis of the film  Finding Nemo to show you how to delve deeply into character, prioritizing inference over judgment.

"How to Define Theme" ( The Editor's Blog )

Fiction editor Beth Hill contributes an extended definition of theme. She also provides examples of common themes, such as "life is fragile."

"How to Find the Theme of a Book or Short Story" ( ThoughtCo )

This blog post from ThoughtCo. clarifies the definition of theme in relation to symbolism, plot, and moral. It also offers examples of themes in literature, such as love, death, and good vs. evil.

Selecting and Integrating Quotations

"How to Choose and Use Quotations" (Santa Barbara City College)

This guide from a college writing center will help you choose which quotations to use in your book report, and how to blend quotations with your own words.

"Guidelines for Incorporating Quotes" (Ashford Univ.)

This PDF from Ashford University's Writing Center introduces the ICE method for incorporating quotations: introduce, cite, explain.

"Quote Integration" (YouTube)

This video from The Write Way YouTube channel illustrates how to integrate quotations into writing, and also explains how to cite those quotations.

"Using Literary Quotations" (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison)

This guide from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Writing Center helps you emphasize your analysis of a quotation, and explains how to incorporate quotations into your text.

Conclusions to any type of paper are notoriously tricky to write. Here, you’ll learn some creative ways to tie up loose ends in your report and express your own opinion of the book you read. This open space for sharing opinions that are not grounded in critical research is an element that often distinguishes book reports from other types of writing.

"How to Write a Conclusion for a Book Report" ( Classroom )

This brief article from the education resource  Classroom illustrates the essential points you should make in a book report conclusion.

"Conclusions" (Univ. of North Carolina)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center lays out strategies for writing effective conclusions. Though the article is geared toward analytical essay conclusions, the tips offered here will also help you write a strong book report.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Pat Bellanca’s article for Harvard University’s Writing Center presents ways to conclude essays, along with tips. Again, these are suggestions for concluding analytical essays that can also be used to tie up a book report's loose ends.

Reading closely and in an engaged manner is the strong foundation upon which all good book reports are built. The resources below will give you a picture of what active reading looks like, and offer strategies to assess and improve your reading comprehension. Further, you’ll learn how to take notes—or “annotate” your text—making it easier to find important information as you write.

How to Be an Active Reader

"Active Reading Strategies: Remember and Analyze What You Read" (Princeton Univ.)

Princeton University’s McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning recommends ten strategies for active reading, and includes sample diagrams.

"Active Reading" (Open Univ.)

The Open University offers these techniques for reading actively alongside video examples. The author emphasizes that you should read for comprehension—not simply to finish the book as quickly as possible.

"7 Active Reading Strategies for Students" ( ThoughtCo )

In this post, Grace Fleming outlines seven methods for active reading. Her suggestions include identifying unfamiliar words and finding the main idea. 

"5 Active Reading Strategies for Textbook Assignments" (YouTube)

Thomas Frank’s seven-minute video demonstrates how you can retain the most important information from long and dense reading material.

Assessing Your Reading Comprehension

"Macmillan Readers Level Test" (MacMillan)

Take this online, interactive test from a publishing company to find out your reading level. You'll be asked a number of questions related to grammar and vocabulary.

"Reading Comprehension Practice Test" (ACCUPLACER)

ACCUPLACER is a placement test from The College Board. This 20-question practice test will help you see what information you retain after reading short passages.

"Reading Comprehension" ( English Maven )

The English Maven site has aggregated exercises and tests at various reading levels so you can quiz your reading comprehension skills.

How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension

"5 Tips for Improving Reading Comprehension" ( ThoughtCo )

ThoughtCo. recommends five tips to increase your reading comprehension ability, including reading with tools such as highlighters, and developing new vocabulary.

"How to Improve Reading Comprehension: 8 Expert Tips" (PrepScholar)

This blog post from PrepScholar provides ideas for improving your reading comprehension, from expanding your vocabulary to discussing texts with friends.

CrashCourse video: "Reading Assignments" (YouTube)

This CrashCourse video equips you with tools to read more effectively. It will help you determine how much material you need to read, and what strategies you can use to absorb what you read.

"Improving Reading Comprehension" ( Education Corner )

From a pre-reading survey through post-reading review, Education Corner  walks you through steps to improve reading comprehension.

Methods of In-text Annotation

"The Writing Process: Annotating a Text" (Hunter College)

This article from Hunter College’s Rockowitz Writing Center outlines how to take notes on a text and provides samples of annotation.

"How To Annotate Text While Reading" (YouTube)

This video from the SchoolHabits YouTube channel presents eleven annotation techniques you can use for better reading comprehension.

"5 Ways To Annotate Your Books" ( Book Riot )

This article from the Book Riot  blog highlights five efficient annotation methods that will save you time and protect your books from becoming cluttered with unnecessary markings.

"How Do You Annotate Your Books?" ( Epic Reads )

This post from Epic Reads highlights how different annotation methods work for different people, and showcases classic methods from sticky notes to keeping a reading notebook.

Students at every grade level can benefit from writing book reports, which sharpen critical reading skills. Here, we've aggregated sources to help you plan book report assignments and develop rubrics for written and oral book reports. You’ll also find alternative book report assessment ideas that move beyond the traditional formats.

Teaching Elementary School Students How to Write Book Reports

"Book Reports" ( Unique Teaching Resources )

These reading templates courtesy of Unique Teaching Resources make great visual aids for elementary school students writing their first book reports.

"Elementary Level Book Report Template" ( Teach Beside Me )

This   printable book report template from a teacher-turned-homeschooler is simple, classic, and effective. It asks basic questions, such as "who are the main characters?" and "how did you feel about the main characters?"

"Book Reports" ( ABC Teach )

ABC Teach ’s resource directory includes printables for book reports on various subjects at different grade levels, such as a middle school biography book report form and a "retelling a story" elementary book report template.

"Reading Worksheets" ( Busy Teacher's Cafe )

This page from Busy Teachers’ Cafe contains book report templates alongside reading comprehension and other language arts worksheets.

Teaching Middle School and High School Students How to Write Book Reports

"How to Write a Book Report: Middle and High School Level" ( Fact Monster)

Fact Monster ’s Homework Center discusses each section of a book report, and explains how to evaluate and analyze books based on genre for students in middle and high school.

"Middle School Outline Template for Book Report" (Trinity Catholic School)

This PDF outline template breaks the book report down into manageable sections for seventh and eighth graders by asking for specific information in each paragraph.

"Forms for Writing a Book Report for High School" ( Classroom )

In this article for Classroom,  Elizabeth Thomas describes what content high schoolers should focus on when writing their book reports.

"Forms for Writing a Book Report for High School" ( The Pen & The Pad )

Kori Morgan outlines techniques for adapting the book report assignment to the high school level in this post for The Pen & The Pad .

"High School Book Lists and Report Guidelines" (Highland Hall Waldorf School)

These sample report formats, grading paradigms, and tips are collected by Highland Hall Waldorf School. Attached are book lists by high school grade level.

Sample Rubrics

"Book Review Rubric Editable" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This free resource from Teachers Pay Teachers allows you to edit your book report rubric to the specifications of your assignment and the grade level you teach.

"Book Review Rubric" (Winton Woods)

This PDF rubric from a city school district includes directions to take the assignment long-term, with follow-up exercises through school quarters.

"Multimedia Book Report Rubric" ( Midlink Magazine )

Perfect for oral book reports, this PDF rubric from North Carolina State University's Midlink Magazine  will help you evaluate your students’ spoken presentations.

Creative Book Report Assignments

"25 Book Report Alternatives" (Scholastic)

This article from the Scholastic website lists creative alternatives to the standard book report for pre-kindergarteners through high schoolers.

"Fresh Ideas for Creative Book Reports" ( Education World )

Education World offers nearly 50 alternative book report ideas in this article, from a book report sandwich to a character trait diagram.

"A Dozen Ways to Make Amazingly Creative Book Reports" ( We Are Teachers )

This post from We Are Teachers puts the spotlight on integrating visual arts into literary study through multimedia book report ideas.

"More Ideas Than You’ll Ever Use for Book Reports" (Teachnet.com)

This list from Teachnet.com includes over 300 ideas for book report assignments, from "interviewing" a character to preparing a travel brochure to the location in which the book is set.

"Fifty Alternatives to the Book Report" (National Council of Teachers of English)

In this PDF resource from the NCTE's  English Journal,  Diana Mitchell offers assignment ideas ranging from character astrology signs to a character alphabet.

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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!

Book Report Ideas Creative Ideas for Book Reports

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)?

Book Report Ideas Creative Ideas for Book Reports

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 Ideas Creative Ideas for Book Reports

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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ELA Brave and True by Marilyn Yung

Book bentos: my first attempt

ela book report ideas

Book bento resources I used plus what I’ll do differently next time

To conclude first quarter, my independent reading class usually produces some kind of summative project for a book they read during the previous eight weeks. This fall, instead of the usual book report, I came across the “book bento” idea in a private Facebook group. It basically takes the look of a bento , a common Japanese to-go meal, and applies it to a book. Instead of an arrangement of individual food portions, it’s an arrangement comprised of a book surrounded by tangible objects that connect to the book.

Find this Instagram account, @bookbento for lots of examples from Read It Forward of Penguin Random House . Here are three:

ela book report ideas

Unfamiliar with bentos?

A bento is “single-portion boxed meal that is usually composed of staple carbs (rice or noodles), meat or fish, and an assortment of pickled or cooked vegetables,” writes Samantha Cubbison of Japan Objects.com. Bentos boxes, the partitioned box that holds the food portions, come in all shapes, sizes, and materials and are known for the way they attractively present and transport food. Read here for more about bento box history and its evolution through the years.

Remember in The Breakfast Club , when Molly Ringwald’s character had that fancy sushi lunch? She was eating from a bento box.

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club eats out of a bento box.

Here’s a typical bento meal. Notice how the box holds the foods in precise, geometric arrangements.

Bentos display food beautifully

Three reasons I tried book bentos

Since I had been wanting a new creative project to try, I decided to give book bentos a “go” for three reasons. Here they are:

  • The project would require minimal prep.
  • Students could complete it on their own outside of class.
  • It would give them a break from the traditional typed essay.

As I prepared for the project, some online sleuthing led me to an article by Joyce Valenza , assistant professor of teaching at Rutgers University.

A Japanese bento meal

Her post on the School Library Journal’s “Never Ending Search” blog contains several links, such as one to this awesome Hyper Doc created by Lisa Highfill and Rachel Kloos.

I added the Hyper Doc to my Google Drive and showed it to my students. I did make a few clarifications as I explained the assignment, but it was sufficient to use “as is” for my first book bento attempt.

Valenza’s post also offers a list of seven tips that inspired the instructions for my assignment, which I eventually uploaded to Google Classroom for my kids.

The instructions for my assignment:

  • Make a book bento for one of the books you read during first quarter.
  • Arrange and take a balanced, well-composed square photo of your book surrounded by 6-8 objects that connect to ideas and/or details from the book.
  • Your background should also connect or at least “make sense” for your book. Be sure to explain how it connects.
  • Write a review of your book on Goodreads.com. You’ll need to create an account.
  • Open the Novels Class Book Bentos Google Slides Presentation (see photo below) that will eventually contain all of our book bentos and accompanying writing.
  • Add your book bento photo and two to three slides after it. On one or two of these slides (depending on how much space you need), you’ll explain your connections to your objects and background with two to three sentences each. On one of the slides, you’ll include your book review.

Update on 3/27/2022: I’ve added two inexpensive book bento products to my TpT store. They are Book Bento Instructions (four Google Slides with easy directions and a mentor) and a Book Bento rubric.

ela book report ideas

Wanna try book bentos? My slides will make it easy! Click here to see the resource in my Site Shop.

I tried to make it interactive, but…

Most book bento projects, including the one outlined by Valenza, suggest adding interactivity to the assignment. This can be done with a website such as Thinglink, Piktochart , and others mentioned in Valenza’s post. And this was in my original plan because I love the dynamic that Thinglink added to my own Anne Frank book bento shown at the top of this post. Unfortunately, however, some of my students had trouble creating their free Thinglink accounts. In addition, because I had used all my views on my own free version, I was unable to access theirs.

Watch my video to see my bento and Thinglink in action:

Google Slides to the rescue

So instead, I decided to create and share a Google Slides Presentation for the entire class to edit. Basically, students would create a slide for their photo in the presentation, and then add two to three slides on which they would describe their connections and their book review. Here’s the title screen of my presentation:

The title slide for a Google Slides presentation about book bentos

What I’ll do differently next time

  • Increase rigor by requiring students to cite textual evidence to support their connections. I’ll require this next time for at least some of the items. Because I decided to do book bentos late in the quarter, I felt students would have been hard-pressed to return to their books to search for precise lines to support the use of their items. Of course, if they read on a digital version of their book, this wouldn’t be an issue since they could easily search for keywords.
  • Rule out Photoshop! I never saw this one coming. I actually had students finding images online (see the first bento below), duplicating them, and then dropping them into their composition filled with other items they found online. Yes, maybe it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but just once, I would LOVE for kids to look away from their screens and do an assignment with their hands. Next time I’ll specify that they must find actual tangible objects.
  • Put more emphasis on mimicking the bento box’s design and placement. Objects should be arranged geometrically with balance and neatness. Items shouldn’t be angled or scattered into the arrangement.
  • Figure out the interactivity portion of the assignment . Whether I use ThingLink.com or another similar app, this should make the project more fun and complete.
  • Ban flash photography. The glare! The glare!
  • Keep photos square. Challenge students to arrange their objects into a square shape so their photos can be easily uploaded to Instagram and other apps without cropping.
  • Give students a heads up. Tell students about the project at the start of the quarter so they have opportunity to think about connections as they read and also have more time to locate objects.
  • Schedule a photo-taking day. I might consider scheduling a couple of class periods for photographing the book bentos. I set two due dates for the project: one for the photo and one for the connections and book review, which concluded the assignment. Several students were late with their photo. In their haste to get it turned in, a few resorted to Photoshopping photos they found online or just throwing together a few props at the last minute. If we dedicated class time to take the photos, higher quality compositions might be the result.

Some final book bentos created by my students appear below.

A book bento for A Small White Scar by K. A. Nuzom

Overall, I’m pleased with the book bento project. It’s a fun way to make visual connections with literature to document what we learn and think about as we reflect on a book and its characters, theme, setting, and other elements.

If you’re looking to put a twist on your next “book report” assignment, think about trying book bentos! And if you have a book bento tip for me or other readers, feel free to chime in!

And now for the follow-up!

ela book report ideas

Read my most recent post on these awesome projects: Book Bentos: Five Tips to Make Them Even Better. I’ve learned a few things from doing book bentos twice now with my independent reading class and wrote this post to keep you updated.

Thanks for reading!

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I also ran into the same restriction problems when using the free version of Thinglink. I thought I would share my Google Slide version with you that I tried to make interactive. Students are creating their #BookBentos this week. Hopefully the results match my expectations. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1f2E07x1tgJ-ctQCqeZ2g5l_0JsK0FxPsuA91chWozKE/edit?usp=sharing

Wow! I love this! Thank you so much for chiming in and for sharing this with us! I’d love to hear how your Ss’ bentos turn out! Good job on this. This took time and thought and it’s an excellent alternative to ThingLink.

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Book Report Ideas

20 Ways of Looking at the Book These activities address multiple intelligences and a range of student ability levels.

21 Literary Temporary Tattoos Every Book Lover Needs These images can serve as models for student response to reading. Students could design a tattoo for a character and then write an essay explaining or justifying their choices.

91 Ways to Respond to Literature Multiple intelligences, varied ability levels, traditional to cutting-edge: you'll find book report ideas here! This list was originally compiled by Anne J. Arvidson.

Baseball Book Reports Printable handouts with a baseball theme for young readers. Students write a "scouting report" for fiction or nonfiction; and they create a trading card for a book (model included). Adobe Reader required; 4 pages.

Better Book Reports and Better Book Reports: 25 More Ideas! Teacher-tested ideas to help kids respond to their reading with enthusiasm.

Beyond the Book Report A list of 35 ways to respond to reading. Many of the suggestions integrate technology into student presentations. Although this list is designed for middle school, many of the suggestions will work with both younger and older students.

Beyond the Book Report: Ways to Respond to Literature Using New York Times Models A list of 13 alternatives to traditional book analysis.

Book Party: Creating Festivals to Honor Works of Literature Suggested for middle and high school students and based on Bloomsday, this complete lesson plan includes journaling, vocabulary, reading and discussion, small group work, individual work, assessment, and related standards.

Book Report Form These printable forms help elementary students report on their reading. Forms are available for biographies, fairy tales, mysteries, sports, and other books. Scroll down to find a reading interests survey for upper elementary.

Book Talks Students are required to read a novel of their choice. Students will then demonstrate an understanding of that novel by creating a book talk. In the book talk, students will be required to give an overview of the book, read two passages, and give an overall critique of the book. Students will create a Photostory for the presentation.

Books Alive! Students use PowerPoint to create book reports and post them on the Web.

A Bookish Proposal Students examine uncommon places where books are sold and create proposals to sell and/or display particular books in local venues. Students read an article from the New York Times in conjunction with this project.

Bringing History Alive: Letters from the Past Book Report This handout guides students through the process of analyzing a book set in the past and comparing a character's life to the reader's. Includes a Venn diagram. Adobe Reader required for access; 1 page.

A Character Life Box Students collect props and clues to create a "life box" and a poem about their character. Using props adds a visual and physical dimension to their learning while using words engages mental facilities, making this a whole brain activity. Students must communicate their clues and interpret others clues to reveal character’s identities. This lesson is designed to develop skills of character analysis in grades 5-8. It has potential, however, as a book report/project.

Creating a Book Review using Google Books Students will choose a book to review, read the book, research other reviews of the same book, and then use Google Docs to create their own review. They will share this review with the teacher on Google Docs, and after receiving approval, they will post the review on Google Books.

Digital Booktalk Students can view or — even better — create a book trailer, like a movie trailer. Click on "UB the Director" for a unit plan.

Get Down and Book-ie! Students reflect on their favorite books and share them with classmates through presentations and posters. Lesson includes reading comprehension questions, vocabulary words, and cross-curricular project ideas.

Going Beyond the Book Report With Literature Exhibits In this lesson from the New York Times, students consider the ways author Orhan Pamuk uses objects as inspiration in his new novel The Museum of Innocence and create museum exhibits to reflect the themes, characters, and plotlines of works they are currently studying in class.

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Book Reports 2.0

What is a book report.

That term is used pretty loosely. Some people mean a detailed synopsis. Others want an in-depth analysis on one or more literary devices. Some people actually mean a critic's review of the book. There are even those who want EVERYTHING. Storyboard That wants to bring all of the different kinds of book reports together in a much more engaging medium. Make that dreaded book report something fun with different types of projects! Incorporate student choice and let your students pick the way they want to create a report on a book!

Writing a Synopsis

The basis for understanding any piece of literature is to know what is going on. Being able to retell or summarize a story is especially important for students in the younger grades to make sure they can comprehend what they are reading. However, there are very complex plots and subplots in many pieces of high school literature as well, and a synopsis can be highly useful for discussing and understanding the structure of the story.

The Giver Plot Diagram Storyboard

There are many ways to sum up the plot of a story, depending on length, complexity, and type of story. For a more detailed look, check out the following articles:

  • Chapter Summaries
  • Parts of a Story
  • Plot Diagram
  • Five Act Structure
  • Parodies, Satire, and Modern Adaptation
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Writing a Literary Analysis

When reading literature, we want students to pick up on various literary devices and elements in addition to understanding the plot of the story. Literary devices enrich plot, character development, description, the reader's connection to the story, and so much more.

Here are a few of the literary devices and literary elements that we love:

  • Figurative Language
  • Foreshadowing
  • Literary Conflict
  • Physiognomy
  • Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
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Literary Elements in Robert Frost Poem Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Writing a Critic's Review

Everybody has an opinion. The Common Core wants students to be able to critically analyze the writing of others for style, technique, arguments, and so much more. Spitting back facts or the events in a story does not necessarily mean a student actually understands deeper meanings or can parse out authors' strategies and goals.

Whether you want your students to be wary of rhetorical strategies, the quality of writing, personal opinion on the story, or validity of argument or historical accuracy, we have you covered:

  • Teaching Rhetoric with Ethos, Pathos, Logos
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The Declaration of Independence - What the Words Mean to Me

Book Posters

Posters , especially movie posters , are a great way for students to showcase symbols and themes in a story. There are so many ways to put together a poster for a book, but students will be able to pick the most important elements of a story and represent them visually.

The Odyssey Movie Poster

Printable Projects

For even more levels of creativity and customization, students can take advantage of the larger paper and poster-sized layouts to create incredible book reports.

  • Book Jackets : Combine a summary, reviews, and a visual interpretation on a book jacket!
  • Dioramas : Create dioramas to illustrate key scenes from a story or a story as a whole!
  • Postcards and Letters : What would one character write to another? How would the protagonist explain the story to someone who wasn't there? Through a letter, of course!
  • Newspapers : How would the events of an important scene look if it was reported in a newspaper?
  • Scrapbooks : Combine visuals and writing by creating scrapbook pages to analyze characters and historical figures, among other things.
  • Social Media Pages : The ultimate way to analyze a character. What would their social media pages look like?

Related Activities

Refugee Book Jacket Project

How to Create Engaging Book Reports with Different Types of Projects

Introduce the concept of book reports.

Explain the different types of book reports that exist, such as detailed synopses, literary analysis, critic's reviews, and more. Emphasize the importance of understanding the story and exploring literary devices.

Encourage student choice

Allow students to select the type of project they want to create for their book report. Provide a variety of options to cater to different interests and learning styles.

Teach students the importance of summarizing a story to understand its key elements. Provide guidance on how to write a synopsis, considering factors like length, complexity, and type of story. Share resources like chapter summaries, plot diagrams, and articles on understanding story structure.

Writing a literary analysis

Help students develop their analytical skills by focusing on literary devices and elements in addition to understanding the plot. Introduce various literary devices, such as figurative language, allusion, foreshadowing, and flashbacks. Teach students how these devices enhance the plot, character development, and reader engagement.

Exploring themes, symbols, and motifs

Encourage students to delve deeper into the thematic aspects of a book. Guide them in identifying and analyzing recurring themes, symbols, and motifs that contribute to the overall meaning and message of the story.

Presenting the book report

Provide students with an opportunity to present their book reports in the medium they chose. Create a supportive and interactive environment where students can share their projects with their classmates. Encourage discussions and reflections on different interpretations and insights gained from each project.

Frequently Asked Questions about Book Reports

What are the essential elements of a book report worksheet.

A book report worksheet should include the title and author of the book, a brief summary of the plot, an analysis of the main characters, a discussion of the book's themes, and an evaluation of the book's strengths and weaknesses. It should also include space for the student to write their opinions and reactions to the book.

Can book reports be done in groups?

Group book reports can be a fun and engaging way to encourage teamwork and collaboration. However, it is important to ensure that each member of the group contributes equally to the project. It may be helpful to assign specific tasks or roles to each group member to ensure that everyone is involved.

Are book report worksheets appropriate for all grade levels?

Book report worksheets can be adapted to suit the needs and abilities of students at any grade level. Younger students may require simpler worksheets that focus on basic story elements, while older students may need more complex worksheets that challenge them to think critically and analyze the book on a deeper level.

How long should a book report worksheet be?

The length of a book report worksheet will vary depending on the age and grade level of the student. Generally, a book report worksheet should be long enough to adequately cover the required elements of the assignment, but not so long that it becomes tedious or overwhelming for the student.

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Creative perspectives on education and classroom management, more ideas than you’ll ever use for book reports.

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11 Comments

WOW THATS BIG

Great ideas, but many in the lower half are repeating the first half of the list.

We’ll take a look at editing out some obvious duplicates. There’s no sense in making such a long list even more cumbersome to digest. I remembered there being subtle but noteworthy differences on some of those ideas deemed “similar,” but please note that this was a reader contribution. Feel free to send in or comment with your own suggestions. Thank you for the feedback!

HOW AM I GONNA PICK ONE!

I go to Ockerman as well(; I’m in 7th grade and i had Mrs. Raider last year. I Love you Mrs. Raider and Mrs. Moore(: <3. xD.

hey Mrs.Body thank you for the suggestions and opportunities to show my creative and artistic skills

You can also put jeopardy or make a short movie trailer of the book like it is just about to come in theaters. Also you can do a news broadcast of a seen that is happening in the book

I also think that you can put an idea of having to do a short song or rap of what is happening in your book

woah that is a huge list!!! i might do either 14 or 64!

I really like these ideas!!! They gave me a 120% on my final grade! I know get to graduate!!! Thanks BOB!

This is an amazing list! I don’t know which idea to choose!

Here’s an idea:

Act out the entire book in a two hour movie!

Thanks! BILLY

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Book Reports: Easy Ways to Renovate the Traditional ELA Book Report

Let's renovate the traditional book report by using 1 of these 5 engaging ideas for students to demonstrate their learning.

It is time we renovate the traditional book report.  English Language Arts has been a part of school curriculums for many years. However, this doesn’t mean that how we teach language arts can’t evolve.  

Today let’s look at one staple of ELA curriculums – the book report – and ways that we can update it to better fit the needs of our classrooms and students. In the ELA classroom, students read books. This is a good and important part of the curriculum. It is then necessary to have students demonstrate that they have read assigned books as well as respond to what they have read.  

The traditional book report fulfills these needs. It also is rather dull and can easily be plagiarized.  Because of this, finding a quality alternate assignment is invaluable. These alternate assignments might take the form of class presentations, art projects, letters, or advertisements, to name a few options.  

Making them both academically rigorous as well as engaging is very necessary, but it can also be challenging.  If you are looking for something to fill this need in your classroom, I want to give you some options.

Option One: Middle School Emergency Sub Plans

ela book report ideas

Don’t feel panicked when it comes time to put something together for a substitute teacher! These FREE Middle School ELA Emergency Sub Plans have a mix of reading, writing, speaking/listening, and media literacy activities that are perfect for reviewing previously learned concepts. This resource contains a Retell, Relate, Reflect, Review assignment, a book report resource, which is a great way to get students thinking about their reading and digging deeper into their thinking.

This assignment can be used with any novel you would assign a traditional book report. In it, students respond with detailed responses in paragraph form. It includes easy-to-understand instructions and a detailed rubric. Additionally, this assignment can be used multiple times throughout the year without becoming stale. Students are asked to retell, relate, reflect on and review their novel. Find this free resource in my Shopify store . 

Option Two: Book Flatlay Project

ela book report ideas

Writing is an integral part of ELA curriculums, and being able to respond in writing is an important skill for all students. That being said, not all reports need to be strictly in written format. Incorporating art can be not only fun but also a great way to engage students who are visual learners.  

This Book Flatlay project is a great option for this. In it, students showcase what they think about and what they have learned from an assigned novel. Students will learn how to create a book flatlay image and then justify their prop choices by finding evidence in the text to support their ideas.  

It is a great assignment option for all types of novel assignments – from an independent reading novel to a literature circle book or a whole class novel. Learn more about the Book Flatlay Project on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

Option Three: 12 Genre Book Reports

ela book report ideas

Encouraging students to read a wide variety of genres is a great way to introduce students to types of literature they may not be familiar with. Try assigning a different genre for students to read each month. This forces students to read outside of their go-to genre(s). It is helpful if you ask your school librarian to pull a box of books for each genre so that students can find them easily. I also provide students with book lists sorted by genre to help them research possible titles before they go to the library. 

I created a resource that includes 12 different genre-based assignments, including both fiction and non-fiction books. Response formats include oral presentations, choice boards, comparison/contrast activities, writing, and student-created lessons. The assignment type rotates throughout the year to help your students achieve mastery while still providing students with choice.  

With my 12 Genre Book Reports assignment, students will showcase their creativity while meeting your curriculum standards and demonstrate their knowledge through written and oral work. Teachers are provided with levelled rubrics, digital and PDF formats, and a suggested teaching schedule. 

Learn more about the 12 Genre Book Reports on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

ela book report ideas

Option Four: Book Unboxing Assignment

ela book report ideas

Students love social media and YouTube culture. Use their knowledge and excitement to promote reading in your classroom. Students select 3 – 5 books they have read and unbox them for the class. Students can present this information in a video format or a live presentation. This can be used with any fiction or non-fiction book. Learn the step-by-step method for getting students to create their own unboxing videos in this blog post . Learn more about the Book Unboxing Assignment on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

Option Five: Independent Reading Journal

ela book report ideas

When I first started teaching, I assigned a book report each month. Then I decided to switch this up and have a major creative assignment due once a quatre on average. To hold students accountable for their reading between major creative assignments, I had them complete a weekly reading journal entry. 

Students can write about their thoughts and feelings about the text they’re reading. I have students select 1 journal entry a month for me to formally assess, and I check the other three for completion. Some months you can decide which of the 4 entries gets marked.

This assignment uses tracking forms, journaling, goal setting, and student conferencing to give your students structure and direction to their reading.  This helps them keep on track with firm goals in mind and encourages deeper and critical thinking.   Learn more about the Independent Reading Journal on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

Reading and novels are an important and time-tested mainstay of ELA curriculums. Requiring students to respond to their reading is part of this. However, t he way we ask students to respond does not have to be unchanging. Whether you use one of the ideas in this blog post or your own, engaging students in quality alternatives to the traditional book report will benefit everyone involved.

Have you ever used graphic organizers in class to help students organize what they read? This collection of 6 different Reading Strategy Graphic Organizers will help students engage, connect and think critically about their reading and help you renovate the traditional ELA book report. You can find them on Teachers Pay Teachers USD  and  Shopify CAD .

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Cereal Box Book Reports – A Fun Alternative!

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If you’ve never tried Cereal Box Book Reports, I suggest you give it a try! Teachers are always looking for unique ways to assess their students’ comprehension of fiction books and novels they have read. Many teachers find traditional book report alternatives to be extremely helpful in getting students excited about reading. Sometimes, however, students crave s omething a little bit different . Enter Cereal Box Book Reports!

Cereal Box Book Reports

A few years ago, I started using  Cereal Box Book Reports  as a Reading  project. My students LOVED making them, I noticed a big difference in their engagement in the book report process, and they were so excited to share their final projects. We even left the finished products on display in the classroom!

CEREAL BOX BOOK REPORTS

ela book report ideas

I suggest having a parent helper work with you to cover all the cereal boxes with white bulletin board paper before you introduce the projects. It saves a TON of work!

Before we began the project, I gave each student a scoring rubric so they knew exactly what was expected. We went over the rubric together. 

Then, I explained that cereal names must correlate to the novel they had chosen to read. These two projects were for the books  Charlotte’s Web  and  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone .

My students loved having the freedom to choose their own novel (pre-approved) and get creative in matching the theme of their cereal box book report to the book! 

While creating their reports, students wrote the book summaries on one side panel of the cereal box.  They identified and described the setting and main characters on the other side panel.

On the back of the cereal box book report, students created a fun game or activity related to the book. Some made a word search, while others designed mazes, word scrambles, or riddles. 

The title, name of the author, and book ratings were added to the top of the cereal box book reports.

ela book report ideas

You can either create your own rubric and project directions for your own students, or if you would like to save time, check out my popular, ready-to-print Cereal Box Book Report Packet !

Cereal Box Book Reports

Take a closer look at the complete cereal box book report project below:

ela book report ideas

Looking for some more fun and creative book report ideas?  I’ve put together a list of  10 Book Report Projects that Kids Love .  Sometimes a fun book project is not enough, especially for those reluctant readers. Based on my experience, here is a helpful list of  25 of the best books for Tweens .

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6 Creative Project Alternatives to the Book Report

Let’s be honest. Book reports can tend to be a bit, well…boring. Although a book report is the traditional way to assess student reading comprehension, they bring to mind Chris Lehmann’s quote, “If you assign a project and get back 30 of the same thing, that’s not a project, that’s a recipe.” When we assign book reports in the ELA classroom, what we get from students often looks like just that, a “recipe.” To get students to become more engaged in reading, we need to get creative. Strong alternatives to the book report will meet curriculum standards while engaging students in the creative process of reading.

I wanted to take a moment to tell you about six of my favorite creative project alternatives to the book report. Each of these project-based assignments will prompt students to dive deeper into the literary elements of any novel or short story.

1. Interrogating the Antagonist

There are always two sides to every story. In this first creative project that I want to suggest, your students will take on the role of the special agent tasked with  interrogating the antagonist of the text that they read. Through their investigation, they will learn more about the reason for this character’s villainy. Perhaps they will gain some sympathy for them, or maybe the opposite will occur. Maybe they will see just how deeply reprehensible this opposing character truly is!

In either case, this process will lead to a deeper understanding of the text and makes for a fun and meaningful alternative to the book report. They must begin preparing for their interrogation by putting together a file on the antagonist. This profile should include a physical description of the antagonist, a brief summary of the events of the plot, and an explanation of how the antagonist’s actions worked against the protagonist’s main goals.

Then, they will develop questions for the interview itself. For this, I like to provide students a  handout with information that will help them ask strong questions, so that the questions yield detailed responses. In an interrogation room, as well as in the classroom, it is the quality of our questions that matter most. Students will complete this assignment by writing a transcript that reflects the interview itself as well as a post-interview reflection.

Interrogate the Antagonist Creative Book Report Alternative

2. Character Editorial

This next creative project similarly prompts students to zero in on the use of characterization of the most recent story they read. Only this time, they will focus on the protagonist—or any other character of similar significance. As the senior writer at the Literary Times, they have been tasked with writing the highly anticipated character editorial on a story that has captivated the nation. An audience of readers awaits their judgment about whether the main character was right or wrong in doing what they did.

To begin, I like to get students to watch this beautiful hand-drawn  introductory video made by John Spencer . This introduces the assignment and helps students assume their journalistic role. I also take this opportunity to teach students about the form of an editorial. They should learn to explain the issue, examine actions, and persuade readers to agree with their way of thinking using logical reasoning, citing specific dialogue and incidents.

6 Creative Project Alternatives to the Book Report Shop This Post

Then, students will need to write a thesis statement that outlines and explains their stance on the character’s actions. They will plan out their editorial and then begin writing it, using text evidence to support their claims. The assignment does not end there, however. A reader who was unhappy with their editorial decides to write a letter to the editor with strong, evidence-based counter-arguments. Students will conclude their assignment by writing from this perspective as well.

Character Editorial Book Report Alternative

3. Dynamic Character Conference

In this assignment, your students will get the opportunity to refine their public speaking skills. As the protagonist of their story, they have been chosen to be the keynote speaker at the Dynamic Character Conference.  This conference is dedicated to sharing the perspectives of characters who have undergone a significant inner change. There will be thousands of attendees there to witness the powerful talks and to be inspired to make changes in their own life.

Students who choose this project will be giving a speech on their personal transformation. Of course, they will need to prepare for the speech first by reflecting on how events, setting, and other characters in their story changed them. I like to give students a  graphic organizer   that they can use to organize their self-examination into a coherent narrative. They will also learn how to structure a strong speech (i.e. hook, body, closing).

Then, I get students to review their own speech and practice its delivery before seeking out peer feedback. I have students work on their enunciation as well as body language, eye contact, pace, etc. This book report alternative will help your students dive deeper into their story in a creative way while also helping them develop their oral speaking skills!

Dynamic Character Conference

4. Writing an Alternate Ending

What if you found out that the author of your favorite novel initially envisioned a completely different ending to the story. Would this impact your perception of the text? With this next book report alternative, your students will need to get extra creative. Here’s the premise. They are a literary historian who has just discovered an original edition of the story in the author’s safe with a completely different ending.

For the alternate ending project, students will write a new ending to their story. As the world-renowned literary professor that they are, they will of course be eager to share their thoughts on how this new ending of the story impacts the characters and the theme of the story. To begin, they will need to examine the theme of the original text and write a thematic statement to express that expresses it succinctly. I like to provide them with a thematic statement handout for this.

Then, they use a planning page to prepare for writing out the alternate ending of the text, as it was found in the author’s safe. They will need to closely examine the author’s voice and think of how they can imitate their distinctive style. After writing out the alternate ending, students will conclude this assignment by completing an analysis of how the new ending impacts the theme and characters in the story.

Writing an Alternate Ending Creative Book Report Alternative

5. An Object as the Narrator

What if Little Red Riding Hood was retold from the perspective of her picnic basket? I am sure it would have a lot of interesting things to say…

For this creative project, your students will flip the narrative viewpoint of their story so that it is written from the perspective of an object in the text. Here’s how the object as the narrator assignment works.

After watching a hand-drawn introductory video , students will brainstorm different objects from the story. They should choose something that has witnessed a great deal of the plot and could offer an interesting take on what transpires. They will then  become the object , so to speak, and reflect on what it would be like to see the events of the story from that perspective. After this, they will write the story from this flipped perspective!

Once the story has been re-written, it is time for students to analyze how the object might interpret the thing as well as how the changed point of view adds suspense or humor. This is one of my favorite creative book report alternatives. It makes for a great read-aloud assignment where students can share their writing.

Point of View of an Object Book Report Project

6. Online Setting Review

The local library is hosting a contest to win a trip inside the setting of any story of your choice. Which setting are you choosing?

In this last book report alternative, students will win a trip to the setting of their story. After learning how to do so, they will write  online reviews of the setting . These reviews will be written from the perspectives of three characters in the text. Students will also need to leave their own comments underneath each travel review, sharing how each one helped them to better understand the setting as well as the character who wrote it.

These reviews  will help your students decide what they should pack for their big trip. They will need to choose two non-traditional items to pack that relate specifically to the text. They will write about their choices, using text evidence to support their decisions. Then, students will need to decide on three places in the setting that they want to visit and provide reasons why they want to go there.

Online Setting Review Project

There you have it! I hope that you found these ideas helpful. These creative book report alternatives are sure to inspire your students to dig deeper into their texts. You can get a ready-to-use resource bundle for every assignment mentioned above here.

Looking for more tips and resources for reading instruction? Click here.

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20 One-Pager Examples, Plus Advice for Using Them With Your Students

A single page of notes can be a real game-changer.

Examples of one-pagers.

One-pagers and Sketchnotes have become incredibly popular in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. Rather than just jotting down words on a page, students use one-pagers to visually represent key points and takeaways. They’re fun to create and have a real impact on memory and comprehension. Here’s how to use them, plus lots of terrific one-pager examples to inspire you and your students.

What Are One-Pagers?

The Hunger Games one-pager with illustrations and text

One-pagers invite students to think deeply about a text and produce a single page to represent its most important aspects. They usually include some images, doodles, or other graphic elements, giving them the alternate name Sketchnotes . One-pagers are often full of color and may include more images than words, depending on the student. They’re most commonly used in ELA classrooms but can be helpful in other subjects too.

This note-taking concept was pioneered by AVID , a group that seeks to prepare all students for college. As one-pagers caught on, teachers found that students who used one-pagers made a deeper connection to the text and had better retention of key concepts. AVID’s guidelines encourage students to share their one-pagers with one another, helping to inspire learning in a variety of visual ways.

How To Get Started With One-Pagers

One pager examples using a variety of templates

One problem teachers face when encouraging kids to use one-pagers is that some students don’t feel “artistic” enough. They may also not know where to start. When teaching kids to use Sketchnote one-pagers, provide more direction at first. Start by showing kids one-pager examples (see below). Ask what they notice about these Sketchnotes. Some characteristics they might note:

  • The information and images fill the whole page.
  • They’re colorful and full of illustrations.
  • The illustrations don’t need to be expert, they just help emphasize a connection.
  • Words are carefully chosen to highlight key concepts.

Some kids will take the idea and run with it right off the bat. Others will need a little more help. In this case, offering one-pager templates like these from Spark Creativity can really help.

You can also share these specific directions from AVID , which provide guidance on what to include on each page. Giving students a clear list of what to cover will increase confidence and free them up to be creative. For example, in English Language Arts, you might ask students to:

  • Sketch one visual symbol that represents the text’s main theme.
  • Write out two quotations that show the author’s style.
  • Include a sketch and a sentence representing the setting.
  • Make connections between the text and current events using sketches and text.
  • Examine one or two main characters and their development.
  • Identify three symbols through sketches or text.
  • Include a statement about one thing they connected with in the reading.

One-Pager Examples and Ideas

Here are some outstanding one-pager examples on a variety of texts and topics. Note the incredible array of styles, which you can use to remind kids that there’s no one right way to use Sketchnotes. Encourage them to be creative!

Simple one-pager sketchnotes for DNA, with illustrations of terms like helicase, primase, and ligase (One-Pager Examples)

Simple DNA One-Pager

We like this one-pager example because it shows students that you don’t need to be an expert artist to create something meaningful.

One-pager of notes for the Wordsworth poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, with illustrations of daffodils and notes about personification and memory

Poetry One-Pager

Here’s an example of how a template can provide students with strong guidance to get them started. This one-pager has more words than illustrations, but it’s still colorful and engaging.

Digital one-pager on the importance of setting in The Uprising, with digital images and text (One-Pager Examples)

Digital One-Pager

One-pagers can go digital too! Try a whiteboard tool like Jamboard to make the process easy.

Digital one-pager for The Outsiders with clip art and text (One-Pager Examples)

The Outsiders One-Pagers

Take a look at these two different one-pager examples, one handwritten and one digital—and both effective

Symbols one-pagers with drawings of symbols from texts and handwritten descriptions

Symbols One-Pager

Here’s another terrific way to use a template. Students can sketch the symbol, then add in handwritten notes for more info.

Beowulf one-pager with illustration of man fighting a dragon (One-Pager Examples)

Beowulf One-Pager

This note-taking option really gives artistic students a chance to shine! Just make sure they add enough information (graphic or text) to help them make connections with what they’ve read.

The Great Gatsby one-pager with illustrations of major characters and quotes (One-Pager Examples)

The Great Gatsby One-Pager

Sketching characters from books can bring them to life for readers. Highlight a few quotes that truly express their personalities.

A variety of colorful Power Profiles one-pagers

Power Profiles One-Pager

Students can use one-pagers to demonstrate what they know. They make interesting alternatives to essays or book reports.

A bulletin board of one-pagers on Because of Winn-Dixie all using the same basic template (One-Pager Examples)

Because of Winn-Dixie One-Pagers

Note that although each student used the same basic template (hand-drawn too, so don’t worry about making copies!), they each created something different and meaningful to themselves.

Fahrenheit 451 one-pager with basic illustrations (One-Pagers Examples)

Fahrenheit 451 One-Pager

Encourage students to add at least some images to their Sketchnotes, even if they’re as simple as stick figures or outlines. This engages different parts of the brain than just writing words does, and it deepens recall.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail one-pager with illustrations and handwritten text (One-Pager Examples)

Letter From Birmingham Jail One-Pager

Even when writing text, try to use a variety of colors and styles for emphasis. Just shading a background can draw the eye to something important.

One-pager comparing the geography of India and China

Geography One-Pager

One-pagers are terrific for comparing and contrasting information, like this one comparing how geography affects the lives of people in China and India.

The Running Dream one-pager with a word cloud and illustrations (One-Pager Examples)

The Running Dream One-Pager

We love the idea of adding a word cloud to a one-pager! If you’re making a digital version, try these word cloud generators .

One-pager introducing a person, with interesting facts, hobbies, and more (One-Pager Examples)

Intro One-Pager

One-pagers are such a fun way to do a getting-to-know-you activity on the first day of class.

Vocab one pager using the Frayer model for the word

Frayer Model Vocab One-Pager

The Frayer model graphic organizer is a terrific lead-in to more creative one-pagers, and a nice way to get students more comfortable with the format.

A one-pager analyzing Barack Obama's 2008 Inaugural Address

Inaugural Address One-Pager

The main image choice can set the tone for an entire one-pager analysis.

United States of America one-pager graphic organizer with images, dates, and more

USA One-Pager

Don’t be afraid to try one-pagers in any class, for any topic!

Want to share more one-pager examples or ask for advice? Join the conversation in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, get our free reading comprehension strategies bundle ..

20 One-Pager Examples, Plus Advice for Using Them With Your Students

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    For example, in English Language Arts, you might ask students to: Sketch one visual symbol that represents the text's main theme. Write out two quotations that show the author's style. Include a sketch and a sentence representing the setting. Make connections between the text and current events using sketches and text.