The days of dioramas and book reports may be long gone. (Is it wrong that I’m a little sad about that?) Yet the expectation that students read and express their understanding of what they’ve read remains as strong as ever. So what’s a teacher to do? More specifically, what’s a creative teacher to do, when she doesn’t want to rely on worksheets? Get creative, of course! I’ve compiled 9 Fun Book Projects for you. They’re quick and easy to prepare, and best of all, they’re engaging – for both your students and you. No more slogging through piles of “Why I Liked This Book!” Take a look: Write a different ending -- What if the main character didn’t make it in the end? Or the dogs had lived? Or the culprit was the best friend? Your students’ imaginations can really wander with this assignment. Maybe their alternate ending will be even better than the original! Offer to let students draw their new ending as a bonus. Give a book talk --- Book talks are a wonderful way for students to demonstrate their understanding of books that they have read while practicing their writing and speaking skills. They're a great book project because they combine so many skills...and students love listening to one another. Oh, and the added bonus is that students can learn about books that they're interested in reading as they listen to the book talks. If you'd like to give them a try, then check out this FREE BOOK TALK GUIDE. It includes an overview of book talks, pre-write, final copy, and tips and tricks for presenting a book talk. Find it HERE. Write a sequel -- If you have the time, your students may want to extend their alternative endings into a whole second book (or at least a few pages or a chapter). After all, who hasn’t reached the end of a great read and wished for more? This will be a challenge, as students will have to build on the original plot lines and character outlines. Refer them to some famous book series for inspiration. Write a letter to the author -- Take a page from Beverly Cleary’s classic Dear Mr. Henshaw and have students write a thoughtful letter, with questions for the author of their current reading selection (or a favorite book). Most authors love to write (of course!) and appreciate opportunities to interact directly with their readers. Address letters (or e-mails) to the publisher, or see if the author has contact information on his or her website. It never hurts for students to practice their letter-writing and envelope-addressing skills, either – at least as long as snail mail is still around. Your students will be thrilled to get a response, too. Great news! I've put together three stationary templates that students can use when drafting their letters. They're a special FREEBIE just for you! Click here to check them out...and download them for free! Choose a response --- Here's an idea that students love...give them choices! It's amazing how giving students the ability to select the response or project that they would like to complete instantly increases their engagement. With that in mind, I created a series of "This or That" reading responses. Each This or That Reading Prompt includes instruction at the top of the worksheet and then 2 reading response choices for students to showcase their learning. After reviewing the choices, students can choose to do the "This" prompt or the "That" prompt. You can easily turn this into a book project by having students complete 5 (or so) different prompts while reading the book and submit them all as a final project when they finish reading the book. Learn more HERE. Set it to music -- Have your students capture a pivotal scene from the book in a song set to familiar music. It can be a ballad, a pop song, a rap – whatever speaks to them or best works with the scene. Encourage students who select this option to put on a concert. For students who are shy to perform, give them the option of recording their song privately, so you can play it without them having to get up in front of the class. Doodle it --- This is my FAVORITE type of book project! That's because it combines reflection, thinking and DOODLING! You can instantly take book reports and book projects to a whole new level with a Doodle Book Review! First, students complete a planning guide. Then, they design a Doodle Book Review! Check it out HERE! There's even this cinema-themed version that your students are sure to love. Find it HERE. Create a File Folder --- I first developed this book project idea many years ago as a summer reading project. Then, I altered it slightly so that it could be completed during anytime of the school year with any book. With this project, students compile critical information from the book they read including the plot, characters, setting, and a reflection in a manila file folder. The file folder book report includes detailed instructions so that students can complete it all independently. The end result is a compact project that students love! Oh, and you can store the file folders by your classroom library for students to reference when picking out a book! Find more details HERE. Blog about it -- If you have a classroom webpage, it can be fairly simple to create a live (and private) blog that students can use to discuss and debate the merits of their favorite books. This option might work best for students who have read the same book. Make sure you establish expectations for a civil online conversation. You can get in on the convo, too! Focusing on nonfiction in your classroom? Try one of these book report alternatives: Ø Create a scrapbook with images and facts about the book topic. Ø Write interview questions for the main character (if reading a biography, for example). Extend this assignment by allowing students to dress up as the character and record their responses to the interview questions. Ø Write a diary that one of the story’s main characters might have kept before, during, or after the book’s events. Make sure students emphasize what the character is thinking and feeling to give it an authentic feel. Ø Write a news story about the main event in the book (for example, the sinking of the Titanic). This is a good opportunity to practice this very specific form of writing. You’ll want to review inverted pyramid style and how to use quotes if you go this route. BONUS: Wait! I have one more idea. Here's a new spin on the classic book report mobile! Why not have students report out on the plot, setting, characters, and theme on fun pieces of paper clothing? Then students can hang their work from a hanger that says, "Try this book on for size!" This project includes a set of first draft materials and final copy elements so that students can create a high quality project! Here's some links for some of the project ideas above: ➧ File Folder Book Project (any book!) ➧ Doodle and Do Book Review (doodle book project) ➧ This or That Reading Response Prompts ➧ Book Talk (freebie) ➧ Letter to the Author Stationary Templates (FREE!) ➧ Clothes Hanger Book Report I hope that you've found some fun book project ideas to try in your classroom! Happy reading! Mary Beth
Griddle and Harry
Learn the parts of the brain for kids with a fun brain activity and FREE printable brain worksheets! Clever human body activities for kids!
The days of dioramas and book reports may be long gone. (Is it wrong that I’m a little sad about that?) Yet the expectation that students read and express their understanding of what they’ve read remains as strong as ever. So what’s a teacher to do? More specifically, what’s a creative teacher to do, when she doesn’t want to rely on worksheets? Get creative, of course! I’ve compiled 9 Fun Book Projects for you. They’re quick and easy to prepare, and best of all, they’re engaging – for both your students and you. No more slogging through piles of “Why I Liked This Book!” Take a look: Write a different ending -- What if the main character didn’t make it in the end? Or the dogs had lived? Or the culprit was the best friend? Your students’ imaginations can really wander with this assignment. Maybe their alternate ending will be even better than the original! Offer to let students draw their new ending as a bonus. Give a book talk --- Book talks are a wonderful way for students to demonstrate their understanding of books that they have read while practicing their writing and speaking skills. They're a great book project because they combine so many skills...and students love listening to one another. Oh, and the added bonus is that students can learn about books that they're interested in reading as they listen to the book talks. If you'd like to give them a try, then check out this FREE BOOK TALK GUIDE. It includes an overview of book talks, pre-write, final copy, and tips and tricks for presenting a book talk. Find it HERE. Write a sequel -- If you have the time, your students may want to extend their alternative endings into a whole second book (or at least a few pages or a chapter). After all, who hasn’t reached the end of a great read and wished for more? This will be a challenge, as students will have to build on the original plot lines and character outlines. Refer them to some famous book series for inspiration. Write a letter to the author -- Take a page from Beverly Cleary’s classic Dear Mr. Henshaw and have students write a thoughtful letter, with questions for the author of their current reading selection (or a favorite book). Most authors love to write (of course!) and appreciate opportunities to interact directly with their readers. Address letters (or e-mails) to the publisher, or see if the author has contact information on his or her website. It never hurts for students to practice their letter-writing and envelope-addressing skills, either – at least as long as snail mail is still around. Your students will be thrilled to get a response, too. Great news! I've put together three stationary templates that students can use when drafting their letters. They're a special FREEBIE just for you! Click here to check them out...and download them for free! Choose a response --- Here's an idea that students love...give them choices! It's amazing how giving students the ability to select the response or project that they would like to complete instantly increases their engagement. With that in mind, I created a series of "This or That" reading responses. Each This or That Reading Prompt includes instruction at the top of the worksheet and then 2 reading response choices for students to showcase their learning. After reviewing the choices, students can choose to do the "This" prompt or the "That" prompt. You can easily turn this into a book project by having students complete 5 (or so) different prompts while reading the book and submit them all as a final project when they finish reading the book. Learn more HERE. Set it to music -- Have your students capture a pivotal scene from the book in a song set to familiar music. It can be a ballad, a pop song, a rap – whatever speaks to them or best works with the scene. Encourage students who select this option to put on a concert. For students who are shy to perform, give them the option of recording their song privately, so you can play it without them having to get up in front of the class. Doodle it --- This is my FAVORITE type of book project! That's because it combines reflection, thinking and DOODLING! You can instantly take book reports and book projects to a whole new level with a Doodle Book Review! First, students complete a planning guide. Then, they design a Doodle Book Review! Check it out HERE! There's even this cinema-themed version that your students are sure to love. Find it HERE. Create a File Folder --- I first developed this book project idea many years ago as a summer reading project. Then, I altered it slightly so that it could be completed during anytime of the school year with any book. With this project, students compile critical information from the book they read including the plot, characters, setting, and a reflection in a manila file folder. The file folder book report includes detailed instructions so that students can complete it all independently. The end result is a compact project that students love! Oh, and you can store the file folders by your classroom library for students to reference when picking out a book! Find more details HERE. Blog about it -- If you have a classroom webpage, it can be fairly simple to create a live (and private) blog that students can use to discuss and debate the merits of their favorite books. This option might work best for students who have read the same book. Make sure you establish expectations for a civil online conversation. You can get in on the convo, too! Focusing on nonfiction in your classroom? Try one of these book report alternatives: Ø Create a scrapbook with images and facts about the book topic. Ø Write interview questions for the main character (if reading a biography, for example). Extend this assignment by allowing students to dress up as the character and record their responses to the interview questions. Ø Write a diary that one of the story’s main characters might have kept before, during, or after the book’s events. Make sure students emphasize what the character is thinking and feeling to give it an authentic feel. Ø Write a news story about the main event in the book (for example, the sinking of the Titanic). This is a good opportunity to practice this very specific form of writing. You’ll want to review inverted pyramid style and how to use quotes if you go this route. BONUS: Wait! I have one more idea. Here's a new spin on the classic book report mobile! Why not have students report out on the plot, setting, characters, and theme on fun pieces of paper clothing? Then students can hang their work from a hanger that says, "Try this book on for size!" This project includes a set of first draft materials and final copy elements so that students can create a high quality project! Here's some links for some of the project ideas above: ➧ File Folder Book Project (any book!) ➧ Doodle and Do Book Review (doodle book project) ➧ This or That Reading Response Prompts ➧ Book Talk (freebie) ➧ Letter to the Author Stationary Templates (FREE!) ➧ Clothes Hanger Book Report I hope that you've found some fun book project ideas to try in your classroom! Happy reading! Mary Beth
Have some fun coloring this summer with an agamograph, a unique papercraft. It flips the picture when you shift the angle for twice the fun.
A collection of do-it-yourself clever brain teasers and puzzles that kids will love. Who knows? These logical conundrums might even stump parents.
We are currently doing a short study of the human body. We recently finished up our unit on the Brain and Nerves, and here are some of the activities we did and resources we used.
Does your child struggle with auditory attention? Find tons of fun and easy activity ideas to help improve the attention, processing speed and memory.
How to make a gorgeous DIY baby sensory book - perfect for babies and toddlers.
Folded Book Art - Best & Most Clear Tutorial Available: I just absolutely love creating my own folded book art. It's such a fun way of re-using old books and give them another purpose. I've searched and searched the web to find any tutorials on how to do it and i just couldn't find anything. Until one da…
Giving students fun brain breaks in the classroom, can actually improve their learning. Check out these quick brain breaks that you can just grab and go!
Learn about countries for kids with Around the WOrld Country Coloring Pages! These coloring sheets are easy way to explore 19 countries!
A blog focusing on early education, combining Montessori, right brain, and other techniques to make learning fun.
Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.
A list of 20 fun and easy waiting games for kids that you can play anywhere without screens. Stretch your brains while in line, on trips or in restaurants.
I’m a huge fan of using doodling to help students learn…and today I’m going to share why doodling is important plus easy ways to help students get their "doodle on" in the classroom. Oh, and I’ve put together a sampler with free doodle resources that you’re going to love! It's a FREE PDF filled with tips, links and EXCLUSIVE DOODLE FREEBIES. I've provided the link at the end of the post! Here's the thing, when I was a kid, doodling on our papers was not allowed…and now I spend my days coming up with ways to encourage students TO doodle on their papers! That’s because doodling has been shown to help with memory, stress relief and improved focus. Doodling is NOT about being an artist, it’s about helping our brains process information. Therefore, doodling can be a powerful instructional tool...and here are just a few ways to use doodles to engage, inspire, motivate, and educate students... DOODLE TO ENGAGE - One way to easily incorporate doodling into the classroom is with a doodle anticipatory set (don’t worry, I’ve provided it for you in the free PDF). I call it Doodle Time. As you know, anticipatory sets are brief activities at the start of a lesson that instantly engage students. They can be used to activate students’ prior knowledge, provide continuity from the previous lesson, or expose students to the lesson’s objectives. For this doodle activity, you’ll provide 5 topics either from a previous lesson or as a preview to today’s lesson and then students will create doodles in the doodle frames for each topic. It’s easy, creative, and a perfect way to start a lesson! DOODLE TO LEARN - Check this out, a study found that doodling can improve people’s ability to remember information by nearly 30%! Yikes! If that’s the case, then it only makes sense to get students doodling WHILE they’re learning. I love to do this with Doodle and Do resources – I’ve created tons of Doodle and Do resources about everything from figurative language to nonfiction text structures. Each unit includes super fun sets of doodle notes and then targeted activities for students to show their learning. I hear from teachers around the world every day about how the Doodle and Do resources changed their classroom. So, let that be reminder that doodling while taking notes is a good thing! (Check them all out HERE!) DOODLE TO CELEBRATE - Another way to incorporate doodling into the classroom is to use doodles to celebrate special and important days. You can have students doodle to celebrate the first day of school. Just hand out blank index cards and kids can create doodle postcards about their summer or check out this doodle-style syllabus. It’s perfect for any class…and I’ve provided it FREE for you. And…speaking of the first day of school, here’s a sneak peek of a doodle infographic filled with school stats that I just created! Kids collect facts on a fact hunt and fill in their doodle infographic before creating an infographic of their own. Oh, and speaking of infographics – I love to combine them with doodles and fact hunts in resources like these for Veterans Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day. When you want students to reflect on their learning, why not try a little doodling? Have students doodle a comic of their learning at the end of any unit. Or, encourage students to create a set of doodle notes for the next year of students. You can even have students reflect on any unit of study with a Doodle Unit Review. Or, they can reflect on any book with this Doodle Book Review. Doodling is not only engaging, it’s also a creative way for students to express and reflect on their learning. Also, doodles can be great springboards for conversation…have students discuss what they have sketched after you’ve given them a doodle task. Or have them make it part of a literature discussion with task cards like the “Draw” tasks in this end of the book activity for Wonder, Tuck Everlasting, Freak the Mighty or Walk Two Moons. Since doodling requires handwriting along with connecting images with concepts – helping students’ motor systems connect with the regions of the brain that deal with memory, it only makes sense to give students a chance to doodle every day. It’s easy to do with this set of Daily Vocabulary tasks. I’ve provided a set for you in the doodle sampler. (FYI - I've created a set of 160 words for grades 3-5 and grades 6-8.) They’re great for warm-ups especially since they trigger creativity the moment that students enter your classroom. OK, I know, I’m nuts about doodling, but there’s just something magical about how it takes the most mundane task (like learning how to write with textual evidence) and makes it SO much fun! I promise, the second that you bring doodles into your classroom, engagement will follow! Give doodles a try with the ideas and resources in this FREE DOODLE SAMPLER! Enjoy! Mary Beth Doodle notes is a trademarked term used with permission. Please visit doodlenotes.org for more information.
If you're an occupational therapy practitioner or student looking for cognitive intervention ideas, check out our article covering the all the basics here.
For people who feel overwhelmed with ideas, writing them would help to organize them. Here is when a second brain template in Notion is most helpful.
This FREE handout is a great activity for warm-ups or even early finishers. This handout was inspired by the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Here is the BLANK version. This is a good opti…
If you’re looking for creative movement activities for your classroom or therapy room - don’t miss this!
What Am I riddles. Enjoy our collection of what am i riddles with answers. I've been around for millions of years but i am never more
Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.
This FREE handout is a great activity for warm-ups or even early finishers. This handout was inspired by the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Here is the BLANK version. This is a good opti…
Create countries, states, farms etc that you can mold, shape, paint and label! This topographical salt dough map is easy and so fun to create
Consider these commonplacing examples to try out:
These FREE Human Body Emergent Readers are a fun way for kids to learn about the systems of the body like organs, muscles, bones, and more.
Suspect someone is gaslighting you? Read these tactics of emotional abuse to be sure. Gaslighting happens at work, among friends, and at home.
Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.
Teaching the body systems or human anatomy to your elementary students? Check out my favorite ways to bring your lessons to life!
Interactive books for preschoolers are a great way to get them involved in a book in meaningful ways. Since social emotional learning in preschool is key, I created this wonderful "I Can" interactive book. Preschool children will learn important concepts about what it means to be responsible. This colorful interactive book for kids gets them reflecting on how they can and do contribute each day to their own homes and families. All you need to do to prep the interactive preschool book is print, cut out the cards, and laminate for durability. Your child will likely want to go through it again and again!
The nervous system is a complex network of nerves and cells. Teach your kids all about this body system using free nervous system worksheets.
