wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Dd will be doing her first book report. I do not assign them but extremely rarely, I just want to be sure they know how to do them. What key points would you expect in it? How long would you expect a book report from a 4th grader would be? If it matters, its on Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 In 4th grade I would provide a form with prompts to help get things going. Something along these lines: Title Author Main Character(s) What happened to the main character? What did you like about the book? What did you dislike about the book? Would you recommend the book? Why or Why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thank you! I am going to have my son do a book report. I looked at a few forms, but they seemed to require things that I was unsure he could do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnrmom Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Last year my son was in 4th grade and had to do a ton of book reports (he was in ps). The book report consisted of a cover page he had to fill out with title, author, main characters, setting, time, did you like it, why or why/not, and maybe a few other questions. Then he had to write three paragraphs about the book. A beginning, middle and end type of deal. Each paragraph was probably only 3-4 sentences long. He is now in 5th grade, and I plan on having him do one written book report along this same style, and then another book report however he wants. He can give an oral presentation, draw pictures, act it out, whatever he comes up with. (I think knowing how to do this is essentially a good skill, but his 4th grade teacher required 18 book reports in 4th grade. Yes, you read that right. 18. To get an A you had to do 6 every quarter. It was insanity. By the end of the year I went in and told her we were done with book reports and we would take the C.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 In 4th grade I would provide a form with prompts to help get things going. Something along these lines: Title Author Main Character(s) What happened to the main character? What did you like about the book? What did you dislike about the book? Would you recommend the book? Why or Why not? This is what I was thinking. I just wanted to be sure it was 4th grade appropriate. We are going to really delve into protagonist and antagonist tomorrow and the book report will be assigned friday and worked on over the weekend for homework. Do you think I should have her include that info? Or would that be to much for 4th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I have my 4th grader (and her 5th grade friend who I also teach) do book summaries instead of "book reports". Summarizing is a really important and surprisingly difficult thing to do. I started out by having them use a template that I created. I'll copy and paste it below. I tell my kids that writing is like cooking. When I first try a new dish, I like to follow a recipe... but after I figure out how to make the dish, I like to change it... adding some extra spices or whatever. This template is a recipe: Book Summary The __(1)____ "______(2)_______" by _______(3)_________ takes place in _____(4)_____ during ______(5)_______. It tells the story of ____(6)_______, a _____(7)______, who is trying to______(8)____. At the beginning of the story, _________(9)__________. Then ________(10)____. After that, ___________(11)______. Finally, _____(12)_____. As the story ends, ________(13)_______. For the most part, ___________(14)____________. 1. Write the type of story are you summarizing (eg. short story, science fiction novel, biography). 2. Write the title. Capitalize and use quotation marks 3. Write the author's name. Capitalize! 4. Write where the story takes place 5. Write the time period the story takes place 6. Write the protagonist's name 7. Write an appositive phrase telling who the character is (eg "a ten year old girl from New York City") 8. Write the main conflict of the story (eg "who wants to escape from slavery" or "who is trying to find her mother." or "who dresses up as a boy in order to be a soldier in the army.") 9. Write one sentence describing the beginning of the story. Use words that tell the mood of the story. 10. In one sentence, tell what happened next. 11. In one sentence, tell what happened next. 12. Write the climax of the story. Try to capture excitement by using strong verbs. 13. Tell the very end of the story -- the resolution. 14. Write a sentence describing whether you liked/disliked the story and why. Write who you would recommend it to. (eg "I loved this story because I felt very close to the main character. The writing was engaging and I felt like I was really there. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the civil war from the perspective of an ambitious young girl.") Example: The fantasy novel "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett takes place in the city of Ankh-Morpark on Discworld during the year of the prawn. It tells the story of Moist Von Lipwig, a condemned criminal, who has been given the opportunity of a new life re-opening the decrepit city postal service. At the beginning of the story, Moist is executed, but awakens to find that the city's despotic ruler is offering him a new life as the Postmaster General. With a golem and a staff of two insane men, he cunningly manages to clean up and reopen the Post Office . Eventually, his post office comes to the attention of the mobsters who scurrilously run the clacks towers and he proposes a race. As the story ends, Moist manages to show how evil the mobsters are and prove the reliability of the mail service. Without reservation, I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in reading a funny, well-written story about a cunning man with a daunting task ahead of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mereminerals Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Momling, thank you so much for posting that here. I have been wanting to get my 5th grade dd to do a book report, and was at a lost on what to do. This is a wonderful jumping off point. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Our grammar program (CHC) starts them in 4th with a 3-paragraph book report. Loose guideline: 1st para is intro, including title, author, basic info about the book; 2nd para is a plot summary, using sequencing words and ideas like conflict & climax; 3rd para I'd call book summary - this is where my 9yo struggled most, because she wanted to make another plot summary, but really it's more about reacting to the book, would you recommend it & why, and wrapping up the whole report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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