This page was revised on September 21, 2007 by S. McKenna

Mrs. McKenna's Book Reports

This page contains information about monthly book requirements and many of the formats that we will use this year. I will continue to add to this site as I introduce and/or add new and varied forms for your responses to the literature selections that you will be reading. Book reports will be due on the secondThursday of every month beginning in October (with a few exceptions). Students should allow two to three weeks for reading the book (depending on individual reading pace) and a minimum of one week to prepare the report.

The key to success is planning ahead and not leaving it all to a few days before the due date. The schedule for the 2007-08 school year follows.

To help students establish the regular practice of daily reading, At-Home Reading is an expectation as part of weekly homework. Students must read a minimum of 4 nights a week, 20 minutes per session every week. A record of this reading should be kept on the "At-Home Reading " sheet. Completed sheets are due each Friday and new sheets are then distributed. For your convenience, I you can download a copy of this form by clicking on the following link:
At Home Reading (pdf file)
At-Home Reading (Word file)

Reading Log (Word file)

Please note--February's due date has changed from my original notice.
Revised date is below.

Month to Read & Due Date	Genre
September--due 10/11/07	Newbery Winners
October--due 11/15/07	Biography
November--due 12/13/07	Fantasy
January--due date 2/14/08	Research Report--much of this work will be completed in school
February--due date 3/13/08	Realistic Fiction OR Historical Fiction
March--due date 4/10/08	Poetry
April--due date 5/8/08	Mystery
May--due date 6/5/08 This date is the first Thursday of the month.	Genre of Choice

Format Directions:
Newbery Book Report Oral Presentation-Biography Newspaper Book Report
December January February
March April May June Standards Addressed:

MS-ELA E1 Reading

E1aThe student reads at least twenty-five books or book equivalents each year. The material should include traditional and contemporary literature (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as magazines, newspapers, textbooks and on-line materials. Such reading should represent a diverse collection of material from at least three different literary forms and from at least five different writers.

MS-ELA E2 Writing

E2bThe student produces a response to literature that:
• engages the reader through establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing reader interest;
• advances a judgment that is interpretive, analytic, evaluative, or reflective;
• supports a judgment through references to the text, references to other works, authors, or non-print media, or references to personal knowledge;
• demonstrates an understanding of the literary work;
• anticipates and answers a readers questions;
• provides a sense of closure to the writing.

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An Award Winning Book Report

Everyone will get a taste of outstanding literature selections. Our first book report must be based on a Newbery book--either the first place winner or an honor book for this prestigious award. Mrs. McKenna will pass out the format instructions, rubric, and the medal-shaped paper for completing each of the pages.
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A listing of Newbery titles can be found at the
American Library Association website.

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A First Person Oral Book Report

Read a Biography about a historical figure from the periods we will be studying in Social Studies.

The time periods from which you may choose are:

Age of Exploration
Colonization
American Revolution
Westward Expansion
Civil War

Props & Costumes
are required

Your presentation will be videotaped to add to your portfolio and also create a living time line.

Become that person
Tell why he or she is famous; what contributions he/she made to our country.

The following information sheets can be downloaded.
They are in pdf format, so you will need to have Acrobat Reader on your computer to open. If you do not have it, you can download that free program here.

Biography Oral Report
Directions and Assessment List
This sheet explains the task and its components.
The rubric will be used to evaluate your oral presentation.
(Be sure to do a self-rating.)
Biography Note Form
Use this organizer to take notes and plan your report.
This is the only written component that is required for this assignment.

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A Newspaper Book Report

This book report will be completed in the format of a newspaper to include the following:

Required articles: summary, character profile, and "wanted" article
Features: advice column, editorial, book review and comics
Fillers: At least two of the following--advertisements, crossword puzzle, obiturary, sports, travel, classified, lost and found, weather... (any other human interest items of your choice)

You will use these requirements to design and lay out your newspaper. Place the articles and features on a poster board or construction paper where you think they will fit best. In order to make the overall appearance more attractive and show off your writing, use contrasting colors (do not place white paper onto a white poster board). Try to lay out your newpaper so it will fit on 1/2 sheet of posterboard. If you use a full sheet, place the articles in such a way that the board can be folded in half (so I can more easily carry home for reviewing/grading).

These are pdf files of the directions and rubric for this task.
Newspaper Book Report Task Sheet
Newpaper Book Report Rubric

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A Black History Research Report

In preparation for Black History Month (February), we will research this topic and write a formal five-paragraph research paper. Before you panic, be assured that I will "walk you through" the steps and we will devote a lot of class time to getting you started and completing this report.
The final report will be due by the end of January. Your research packet will include the following:

Note cards using an organized system to collect facts; I will provide instruction/guidance
Rough draft to be completed on the word processor (we will use laptop lab); Revisions/editing marks must be evident on revised copy
Final copy--fully edited/revised; with a cover page and bibliography; visuals incorporated into the report

These are pdf files of the directions for this task.
Black History Report Task Sheet

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Read in May (Due June) ~ Genre of Choice: Book Talk

Book Talks provide a forum for students to share books that they have read. The basic structure is to introduce the book, give a brief summary, choose a passage or section to read aloud to the audience and close by giving your personal recommendations/opinions of the book.

This report will be a great opportunity to learn about some terrific books as we make selections for our reading throughout the year.

You can open the following files for more information on this format.

How to Give A Book Talk
Book Talk Assessment Checklist

hey are in pdf format, so you will need to have Acrobat Reader on your computer to open. If you do not have it, you can download that free program here.

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A Storyboard Book Report

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Get out the crayons and colored pencils! The storyboard book report gives you a chance to show what you know in an artistic format.

Storyboard Task Sheet
Explains the task and its components
Graphic Organizer1
Organizer to plan frames 1 through 5 of the storyboard
Graphic Organizer2
Organizer to plan frames 6 through 8 of the storyboard
Storyboard Assessment List
Rubric that will be used to evaluate the end product
Be sure to do a self-rating.

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February Format ~ An Historical Book Report

This month's format was not available as a document that could be uploaded to this website.
I will add this one at a future date.

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March Format ~ A Poetic Book Report

This month's format was not available as a document that could be uploaded to this website.
I will add this one at a future date.

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April Format ~ A Mysterious Book Report

Whodunit? It's a mystery!
What better report for the genre of mystery novels!
This month you will try to trick your friends with clever, convincing
alternate endings that YOU create about your novel.
You will also be reading classmates' reports and guessing which of the three endings is one the author REALLY wrote.
If you write authentic, plausible endings,
you may be able to stump your friends (and the teacher)!

Assessment Checklist
This MUST be completed and turned in with your report!!

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May Format ~ A Book Talk

See the December information.

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Background graphics from