Alternative Book Reports
If If the book you are reading does no= t have a test, you may choose one of the following activities to present instead.<= o:p>
1) If a journey was involve= d, draw a map with explanatory notes of significant points of interest.
2) Write a letter from one character to another character.
3) Write a new conclusion/W= rite a new beginning.
4) Participate with three o= r four classmates in a television talk show about the book.
5) With another student, do= a pretend interview with the author or with one of the characters.
6) Draw comic-book pages as= a summary of your book.
7) Make a travel brochure i= nviting tourists to visit the setting of the book. What
types of activities would t= here be for them to attend?
8) Write a letter to the ma= in character of the book. Write the letter he or she sends.
9) Make three or more puppe= ts of the characters in the book. Prepare a short
puppet show to tell the sto= ry to the class.
10) Make ID cards which bel= ong to the main characters. Be sure to make the cards
look like the cards for that particular state. Include a picture and all information
found on and ID card. Don't= forget the signature!!
11) Rewrite the story as a = picture book. Use simple vocabulary so that it may be
enjoyed by younger students= .
12) Make a mobile showing p= ictures or symbols of happenings in the book.
13) Write a song or poem fo= r your story. (extra marks if presented in class)
14) Create a radio ad for y= our book. Write out the script and tape record it as it
would be presented. Don't f= orget background music!
15) Design an advertising c= ampaign to promote the sale of the book you read.
Include each of the followi= ng: a poster, a radio or TV commercial, a magazine or
newspaper ad, a bumper stic= ker, and a button.
16) Create a board game bas= ed on events and characters in the book you read. By
playing your game, members = of the class should learn what happened in the
book. Your game must includ= e the following: a game board, a rule sheet and
clear directions, events and characters from the story.
17) Make models of three ob= jects which were important in the book you read. On a
card attached to each model= , tell why that object was important in the book.
18) Complete a series of fi= ve drawings that show five of the major events in the plot
of the book you read. Write captions for each drawing so that the illustrations can
be understood by someone wh= o did not read the book.
19) Plan a party for the ch= aracters in the book you read. In order to do this, complete
each of the following tasks= : (a) Design an invitation to the party which would
appeal to all of the charac= ters. (b) Imagine that you are five of the characters in
the book and tell what each= would wear to the party. (c) Tell what food you
would serve and why. (d) Te= ll what games or entertainment you will provide and
why your choices are approp= riate. (e) Tell how three of the characters will act at
the party. (f) What kind of= a party is this? (birthday, housewarming, un-birthday,
20) Tape an interview with = one of the characters in the book you read. Pretend that
this character is being int= erviewed by a magazine or newspaper reporter. You
may do this project with a = partner, but be sure to write a script before taping.
You may choose to do a "live" version of this.
21) Imagine that you have b= een given the task of conducting a tour of the town in
which the book you read is = set. Make a tape describing the homes of your
characters and the places w= here important events in the book took place. You
may want to use a musical background for your tape.
22) Make a paper doll liken= ess of one of the characters in the book you read. Design
at least threes costumes fo= r this character. Next, write a paragraph commenting
on each outfit; tell what t= he clothing reflects about the character, the historical
period and events in the bo= ok.
23) After reading a non-fic= tion book, become a teacher. Prepare a lesson that will
teach something you learned= from the book. It could be a "how-to" lesson or one
on content. Plan carefully = to present all necessary information in a logical order.
You don't want to confuse y= our students! Present your lesson to your students.
How did you do? If you taug= ht a "how-to" lesson, look at the final product to see
if your instructions to the= class were clear. If your lesson introduced something
new, you might give a short= quiz to see how well you taught the lesson.
24) Choose an interesting c= haracter from your book. Consider the character's
personality, likes and disl= ikes. Decide on a gift for him or her... something he or
she would really like and u= se. Design a greeting card to go along with your gift.
In the greeting, explain to= your friend from the book why you selected the gift.
25) Design a poster to adve= rtise your book. Be creative...use detail...elaborate.= ..use
color! Can you make it 3-D = or movable?
26) Create a sculpture of a character. Use any combination of soap, wood, cl= ay,
sticks, wire, stones, old t= oy pieces, or any other object. An explanation of how
this character fits into th= e book should accompany the sculpture.
27) Create life-sized model= s of two of your favorite characters and dress them as
they are dressed in the boo= k. Crouch down behind your character and describe
yourself as the character. = Tell what your role is in the book and how you relate to
the other character you hav= e made.
28) Wri= te a diary that one of the story's main characters might have kept before,
during, or after the book's= events. Remember that the character's thoughts and
feelings are very important= in a diary.
29) Make several sketches o= f some of the scenes in the book and label them.
30) After reading a book of= history or historical fiction, make an illustrated timeline
showing events of the story= and draw a map showing the location(s) where the story takes place.
31) Your original idea must= have teacher approval.