Teachers and students use book report template to cut down some of the workloads. Teachers assign a lot of book reports to the students to make sure that students read a lot of books. These well-designed book report templates help the students to enjoy the act of reading and can become lifelong learners.
What is a book report?
In elementary and middle school, book reports are given to the students as an assignment. It contains basic questions about the book that is assigned to the students to read. When students answer these questions, it acts as evidence to the teacher that they read the book. Moreover, a comprehensive book report contains the following elements;
- The detail what the book was about
- The names of the main characters
- What the theme of the book is
- Where the events are set
Some book reports also ask critical viewpoints about events and characters to make sure that the students read the book completely. Also, by asking such questions students can understand the book better.
Types of book reports:
Generally, there are two types of book reports;
Simple or short book report:
A simple or short book report is given by the teachers to the students and can be completed in one night like a homework assignment. They just have a few questions that students answer in a few short sentences.
Multi-page book report:
This type of book report takes more than one night to complete. For middle school students, this report consists of two pages. While for high school students, students have to submit five-page reports.
Parts of a simple and multi-page book report:
A simple book report contains a few sections. This report asks students to answer questions in paragraph format. However, all types of book reports ask for the title, author name, and the illustrator’s name (if it is a picture book). The other components are;
- Setting: the place where book events happen.
- Characters: names of the main characters
- Plot: an overview of the main events of the book.
- Comment section: whether the reader likes the book or not.
A simple report book also just asks three questions from the students the beginning, the middle, and end events. Sometimes the climax of the book where the main character’s problems are solved or made complicated also expected to determine by the students.
Teachers also demand from the students to write a multi-page book report. This report can be written by using software like MS Word. Additionally, this report is written out in paragraph form. The best way to write this multi-page report is to divide it into three basic sections;
- Introduction: it contains the title, author, genre, and the reason why you choose the book.
- Main Body: The main body or middle part of the report contains the summary, theme, setting, and characters.
- Conclusion: in the end, provide a short summary of the book and your opinion about the book.
Tips for the teacher to assign the book reports to the students:
During assigning the book reports to the students, teachers have to keep the following tips in mind;
- At first, the teacher should assign one book to read to the whole class. It can cut down the efforts of teachers to understand the submitted reports of the whole class.
- Always use a short book report template and there is no need to create one from scratch.
- You must print out more copies of the book report template than needed because sometimes students lose theirs.
- Before a book report due date, reminds the students at least twice.
- When reading activity includes a lot of book reports then it should be turned in a drawing, diorama, or another project.
Tips for students to fill out book reports:
- Before a book report due date, make up a reading schedule to complete the book. You can also use a calendar to remind yourself.
- Next, make a schedule and assign yourself to complete different steps every day.
- You can also ask for some help from your teacher to get started. Moreover, you can also use completed reports as a reference.
How to write book reports in different ways?
Both students and teachers can use creative ideas to write book reports instead of straightforward reports.
- You can write a book report in the form of a newspaper or blog review. Write the summary of the book without using the plot or the ending headings. State the reasons why you like it or not. Also, provide an up or down rating at the end.
- A book report can be written in the form of a diary. Use journal templates to create a diary. It should be written by one of the main characters. According to the character’s point of view, discuss the different events of the book.
- Choose one of the characters in the book and create an imaginary interview. Then, ask questions;
Where they come from
Why the character did something important to the plot
What the character thinks about the consequences of the events in the book. - The book report can also be written in the form of a newspaper article detailing one of the major events in the book. Answer 5Ws such as who, what, where, when, and why of these events in the article.
What to do after writing the report?
Consider the following steps to finish up the reports;
Read and mark the report
Read the report from start to end to make sure it contains all details. If you find any spelling or punctuation errors then mark them with a brightly colored pen. Young students may ask their parents or students to read through their reports. The teacher should ask their students to submit rough drafts of their reports before the final report is due. This way, they can review their drafts and give them suggestions to change the report before final submission.
Make changes to the report
Any grammatical or spelling that you highlight, fix them. Consider your teacher’s suggestions or the ideas that you wrote down to edit in the report. After making changes to the report, save your file as a separate document.
Review the report
When you are done making changes to the report, it’s time to print out a fresh copy of the report. Once again go through it for spelling errors and grammar mistakes. If you find any sentence that doesn’t make sense fix them in the document file and review them one more time. When you assure that there are no mistakes left, print out it.
Why should provide a book report form?
For elementary school classes, a book report is a popular choice of assignment. With the help of this form, students simply complete the report by filling out the worksheet. It depends on the teachers whether they include standard questions in the sheet or they make a unique sheet containing questions specific to each different book that is assigned.
Furthermore, you can introduce students to an idea of a book report format by using these forms. You also show them what kind of information they have to include in the multi-page reports in higher grades. For teachers who have a large classroom and more assignments to check, a form is also easier to grade.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, a book report template is helpful for the teachers and students because it cuts down some of the workloads. These templates are formatted academically. Moreover, the book report should be comprehensive and includes the author’s background, a summary of the book, and well-reasoned arguments made by the writer of the report.
Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
A book report consists of a page count of 3-4 pages if it falls between 800-1,000 words and has Times New Roman font.
There are 5 parts of a book report;
1- Book’s author
2- Title
3- Characters
4- Setting
5- Plot
