Oral Book Review

This lesson plan was written by Lisa Kihn, elementary teacher of Language Arts, Reading and Math at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, CO, and a former Teachers Network web mentor.

I require the students in my class to do one Oral Book Review each quarter on a book that they have been reading independently. This is appropriate for middle level students.

Students are required to write brief notes on a notecard which they refer to during their presentation. They should practice in advance so that they are not “reading” from their card and can maintain good eye contact with their audience. The review should include the following information:

1. Title, author of book, and genre
2. Where others in the class can find the book (class library, school library, etc.)
3. Setting (where and when the story takes place)
4. Main characters (describe each main character in detail)
5. Summary (include the main problem, what steps are taken to solve the main problem, and how it all turns out)
6. Likes (what you liked about the story)
7. Dislikes (what you disliked about the story)
8. Compare or contrast the book with another book
9. Compare or contrast a character in the story with another character or person
10. Rate the book and give your reason for the rating (choose the scale)

Extra Credit – Bring in a visual to include in your presentation.

This can be graded on a ten point scale.