Book Reports Over Sports Figures

Rationale: Allowing students to choose a book over a prominent sports figure will  reinforce oral and written skills for retelling events, articulating what is learned, remembering and noting details, strengthen sequencing skills, and provide students information and insight into athletic figures in history.    

Students in grades: 6-8 can complete this project with certain changes made to reflect the maturity of the students.

Objectives:

• After selecting and reading a book independently, students will create a paper bag book report using an ordinary paper bag. Students should choose five-seven items to place in the bag to represent significant events or characters from the book. For example," A Biography of Wilma Rudolph" might include pills to explain that as a child she was sick, running shoes, three colored gold dots (to represent the three gold medals she won), a medal, an Olympic symbol, and/or a guitar to represent Nashville, TN, her native town.  Students, after filling and decorating their bags, present them to the class. Each student should explain how the items he or she has chosen relate to the book. This makes for a fun oral presentation which exceeds the traditional book report for both the presenter and the audience.

Lesson Concepts and Materials:

• Independent book selection, independent reading, analysis of plot, character and/ or theme, oral presentation
• Paper bags (large to lunch-size)

Procedures:

1. Each student chooses and reads a book.

2. Students analyze their books' characters, plots, themes, etc.

3. Teacher explains the bag book reports. (A teacher-made sample works great!)

4. Students devise written plans for their bag book reports, detailing five to seven items for the inside as well as layouts for each part of the outside. (Teacher may want to require title, author, and publisher on the front; an internal conflict on the left side; an external conflict on the right side; or a favorite scene on the back, for example.)

5. Provide time in class for students to complete their book report projects so they can see others working and have guided practice at fulfilling the promise of their written plans.

6. Students present their projects, in detail, to the class - first explaining the outside of their bags and then explaining each of the items inside. (Questions from the class come naturally.)

7. Students can assess each other using a teacher-devised scoring rubric for both the bag and the presentation.

Assessment:

Peer assessment of oral presentation; guided self-assessment of bag (inside and out) using a teacher-devised checklist/ scoring rubric.

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