taking the boring out of book reports

     I want the students to start doing book reports, but I wanted to experiment with formats that play on student strengths while still forcing (ahem, I mean requiring) them to display their understanding of the book. After generating a list of creative ideas, I ran it by my language-arts mentor, who suggested teaching each idea, then setting the kids loose.
     This semester I focused on movie posters. First, we looked at actual movie posters, discussing key elements and why they are created. Students broke into groups to analyze a poster in detail. Then, we talked about the book "Maui and his Magical Deeds"  and what genre it would fit into. (We decided it would make a great action movie). After laboriously collecting numerous copies of "Maui" from various public libraries, I had student trios use the books to sketch out their movie posters. (Note to self: it's harder to do this with a book that is a) out of print and b) not in your school library).
     I was truly impressed with some of the work generated. While most students took a straightforward approach, I had a few whose design showed a great understanding of the book and an ability to convey these ideas in a visually appealing way. I was also impressed with the composition of some designs. I hope to make an after-school run tomorrow to pick up some nice paper for the students to use for their finalized posters. It will be a good activity for Thursday, when the kids will already be thinking about vacation and not inclined to do any heavy work. ...