Write a Response to Literature in a Book Report Format
A book report shares your understanding of a book with a reader. It should show that you have carefully read a book and come up with your own understanding of its meaning.
The book report that you are about to write will have five paragraphs. The first paragraph will introduce the title of the
book, name of the author and the plot of the book. It should also
contain a main idea. In a book report, the main idea states your understanding of the book. For example, you might introduce the main idea of your book report by writing:
"The Secret Garden is a book about what people need to grow and live."
The second, third and fourth paragraphs will show examples to support the main idea. The fifth paragraph will conclude your book report by summarizing the points you have made.
ELA Standard 2.2
Before you write a book report,
- Write the title of the book, the name of the author and the date the book was written. Think about what you want to say about the book. Spend a few minutes "free writing" about it. How do you "free write"? Just take a pen and a notebook and start writing your thoughts about the book. Keep writing for five minutes without stopping. Don't worry about spelling, neatness, or punctuation. The aim of free writing is to get your ideas flowing. If you get stuck, try answering some of these questions:
- Why do you think the author wrote the story?
- Which characters interested you and why?
- What is the most important moment in the story and why?
- How did the author tell the story? Did he or she use a lot of description? Did he or she use dialogue? Do you think the author told the story well?
Now read what you wrote. You might want to circle the sentences that you think are most important. Try to organize your ideas into an outline.
Using a two-column graphic organizer like the one below, write down your main idea, three supporting details, and your concluding thought.
- The first paragraph should contain the title of the book, the name of the author and a very short summary of the book. Your first paragraph should also contain one sentence that tells your main idea about the book. The rest of your essay will explain this main idea in detail.
- The second, third and fourth paragraphs should contain supporting details that support your main idea. For example, suppose you are writing about The Secret Garden and your main idea is that the book shows what people need to grow and live. You should use your middle paragraphs to discuss parts of the book that show what people need to grow and live. Each paragraph should discuss one detail or example from the book that supports your main idea. Use the notes you wrote while free-writing to help you find good examples and details. Also, skim through the book to find parts that will support your main idea.
- Using quotes from the book is also a great way to support your main idea. Just remember to put all quotes from the book in quotation marks and to write the page number. For example, you might write:
On page 62 of The Secret Garden, Mary tells her Uncle, "I want a bit of earth, sir."
- Your concluding thought should summarize the points of your main idea and supporting details. You might also think of a final detail to add or point to make.
Now that you've made an outline for your book report, it's time to write a first draft! Use your outline to write one paragraph at a time. Each paragraph should contain a main idea, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence.
Try to make clear links between your paragraphs. This way they will flow together well. Your teacher can show you good techniques to make sure that each paragraph fits well with the paragraph that came before.
Don't worry about any spelling or grammar mistakes. Since this is a first draft, you don't even need to make sure that your handwriting is neat!
Read your book report. You might even read it aloud to a friend or teacher. You and your friend or teacher should decide:
- Does your first paragraph introduce your reader to the book, its title, author and plot? Does it share your main idea? Is your main idea clear?
- Do the next three paragraphs support your main idea? Do they help the reader understand your main idea more fully than if they just read the first paragraph? Does each paragraph discuss one example from the book? Do you use quotes from the book?
- Does your last paragraph summarize the main idea and supporting details? Do they leave the reader with a clear idea of your message?
- Give your book report a title. Your title should tell the reader what the book report is about. You might use the book's title as part of your title. For example, one title could be: "The Secret Garden: A Book About Growing."
Rewrite your book report so that it fully answers these questions.
You should also edit your work by checking your spelling and punctuation. Look up any words that you are unsure of in the dictionary.
Now copy out the final version of your book report in your best handwriting or print it out on a computer. Read through your final draft twice. The first time, check that the book report is exactly the way you want it. The second time you read, check that there are no spelling or punctuation errors. Be sure to put your name, the date, and title on the first page. Now, you can share your book report with your friends! You can read your friends' book reports too.
