OK, so you’ve got a nonfiction text you need your class to study this year. But you don’t want to assign ANOTHER book report.
Your students think book reports are boring. Or you’re sick of grading work that clearly shows they didn’t understand the assignment. (Been there…) Or you really want to help your students grow in creativity.
Whatever the reason, it’s time to think up some alternatives to those boring book reports.
I’ve heard countless ideas from other teachers, and have even found a nice PDF of “50 Alternatives to the Book Report” by Diana Mitchell.
There are some pretty good ideas there! But I decided to give you a quick list of my top favorite alternatives to boring book reports. Some are from other ELA teachers, some are from that PDF I mentioned, and some are ideas of my own.
Ready to replace that boring book report with a fun assignment?? 😄
Create a Recipe Based on the Nonfiction Text
Yes, a real recipe. This idea comes from a teacher who has her students pick out (or create) a recipe based on the nonfiction text they read.
It could be a dish that the text talks about or simply something popular in the time period the story is set in.
Worried that a recipe is too easy and doesn’t help the students analyze the text? Fair enough… But with that recipe, students also have to write at least 1 paragraph about why they chose that recipe and how it connects to the book.
It’s a real assignment but with a fun twist!!
Create a Google Site
This is a great one for your more tech-savvy students.
These are simple sites you can make with Google’s website creator tool. All your students have to do is create a Google Workspace account, then add their research and photos to the site.
With research time and design time combined, I would say this assignment should take students the same amount of time that it takes them to write a book report.
Assign a One-Pager Instead of a Boring Book Report
Just because one-pagers are shorter than a full essay doesn’t mean they’re any easier.
Students have to really understand the text in order to succinctly fill out a one-pager with the right information from the book.
You can use this $4 one-pager template pack from Teachers Pay Teachers, or you can look online for free templates you can use.
One-pagers are great replacements for book reports because it shifts the focus from meeting a word count to actually sharing insightful information and answers. And that’s the goal, isn’t it??
Social Worker’s Report on the Character’s Home
OK this one is definitely a unique idea.
If your nonfiction book features a family, have your students write up a social worker’s report about their home.
Honestly, this kind of assignment could work for fiction stories, too. (And perhaps those would be even more interesting!)
TV or Radio Interview With the Main Character
Have your students come up with questions for the main character in the book. Then have them write down how they think those characters would respond.
This is such a fascinating assignment because students have to really think about the book and how the character thinks and behaves. It forces them to analyze the main character’s motivations and how their life circumstances affect their opinions and goals.
Definitely recommend trying this idea out with your class!
Poem, Drawing, or Song
Got a class with more creatives? Then why not have them write a poem or song instead of boring book reports?
Creative writing requires just as much analytical brain power as essays do. Just make sure students know that the poem or song has to pertain to a scene in the book or to the main character’s motivations.
If you have some students who prefer drawing, then maybe have them draw a scene from the book with a paragraph or two about what’s going on in that scene.
Write an Epilogue
What do your students think happened after the book ended? Have them write their own epilogue to the book.
Make sure they answer certain questions like: What happened to the main character next? How did the book’s ending affect their future? What’s their next objective?
Or, if the main character dies in the book, consider having them write a prologue. (Or an epilogue featuring side characters and how the main character impacted THEIR future…)
Host a Mini Play
Break students up into groups and have them act out part of the book. This is a fun one because you can assign certain portions to different groups. Then they can take a portion of the class to figure out who plays what and write their lines. (Or you can have them do this outside of class as homework.)
If your students absolutely loathe group projects, then maybe have each student write a dramatized script for a scene in the book.
They’ll have to analyze that scene and understand what’s really going on in order to create a dramatized script out of it.
Goodbye, Boring Book Reports!
So there you have it—a list of fun, practical alternatives to boring book reports.
Which one will you try first? 😀
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