Book Reports for 21st Century Homeschoolers

Gone are the dull book reports that you may remember from your own school days. Today’s students are putting modern twists on the classic book report format.

The next time you assign book reports to your homeschoolers, suggest one of the following creative approaches. Not only will your kids have more fun, but they’ll also take their brain engagement to the next level.

1. Turn it into creative writing.

Students may rapidly lose interest if you ask for a five-paragraph summary of the book they just read. Writing assignments that are relevant to real-world situations are more likely to hook your learners. They may enjoy writing, TED-Talks, blog posts, or letters that go along with the theme of a book.

2. Highlight favorite lines.

Which part of a book did your child find most interesting or exciting? They can let you know by sharing an exact quotation with you. With older kids, asking for quotations is also a way to assess their understanding of literary devices. Your teen could identify examples from the text that feature alliteration, similes, or character descriptions.

3. Make it an art project.

Some kids are hands-on learners who love to turn their thoughts into art. This crew may want to build a diorama of a story scene or design an advertising poster for the movie adaptation. They could also sketch illustrations or retell the storyline in comic-book format.

4. Pair writing and media.

Today’s kids are tech-savvy, and they live in a media-saturated world. Use that to your advantage the next time you assign a book report. Have kids find media clips that relate to what they just read and write up a short description of how the book and the video tie together.

5. Arrange a timeline of book events.

Many books follow a linear order. Your homeschoolers could comb through a story to pick out the most significant happenings. Then, instead of telling you about these events in paragraph form, they could design timelines that show how the plot progresses.

LightSail offers a wide range of features to complement modern book reports. Not only does the platform put a vast library of engaging texts into your kids’ hands, but it also comes loaded with innovative book report tools. Features like Authentic Writing, Chat, and My Journal offer unique ways for kids to share their thoughts, note key passages, explore ChildSafe media, and produce one-of-a-kind reports.