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Book Float and Popcorn Bag Book Report

published on: 2/28/2003

Contributing Teacher(s): Helen McDaniel,

Subject Area: Communication Arts/English grammar/usage, Communication Arts/Reading/literature,

Grade Range: Upper Elementary (4-5)

Materials Needed: See each of the Performance Activities (2) for a list of materials.

Objective: The following activities will put fun into the making of book reports by allowing the students to use their own creativity.

Essential Question:

Instructional Strategy: Prior Knowledge & Connections

Process Standards: Goal 1.5 comprehend and evaluate written, visual and oral presentations and works
Goal 2.1 plan and make written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences

Content Standards: CA1, CA2, CA3,

G.L.E.:
CA - Wr - 3 - E - 04
(Writing, Write effectively in various forms and types of writing, Audience and purpose, Grade 4.)

Time Allowance: varies

Technological Resources:

Extensions:

Integration:

Differentiation:

Assessment:

Description: Two performance activities that will put fun into making book reports by allowing students to use their own creativity.

Comments:

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Classroom Component:

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Performance Activity One ("Book Float"):

Students will design a "book float" based on a recent book that they have completed. They will decorate the shoe box to go with the book and it will be like a float in a parade. They will use proper capitalization and punctuation. Main idea and summary will be two of the skills used in this activity.

Materials needed by each student:

empty shoe box
construction paper or gift wrap paper
scissors
crayons
pencil
paper
miscellaneous natural materials (rocks, sand, evergreen clippings, etc., as needed)
other miscellaneous materials (craft sticks, etc., as needed)

Procedure:

Each student is asked to choose a recent book they've read and decorate an upside down shoe box to correspond with a scene from the book or the book's general theme (planets, pioneers, biography, horses, etc.) The students need to visualize this as a "float" in a parade—a book parade. Each project will be graded according to the following instructions and requirements:

1. All advertisement on the shoe box should be covered.
   
   
2. The title of the book should be neatly displayed on one side of the "float". This title should be written in correct form with the proper words capitalized and the whole title underlined (for example:  Little House on the Prairie). The author's name should also be written after the title.
   
   
3. A neat and brief summary of the book should be on the other side of the "float".
   
   
4. The student's name should be written neatly on the back of the "float".
   
   
5. Natural materials or student-made decorations should be used to build the scene on the shoe box, not purchased materials like little cars, Indians, etc.
   
   
6. The book about which this float is made should be at least 40 pages long and on an appropriate reading level.

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	Not Attempted	Mostly Completed	As Expected
____1.  Box Is Covered	0	1-5	6-10
	None	Title is There	Neatly Done
____2.  Title on Side Neatly	0	1-8	9-15
	None	Needs Improvement	As Expected
____3.  Neat/Brief Summary	0	1-10	11-20
	Half or Less	Mostly	All Natural or Made
____4.  Natural/Made              Materials	0-5	6-15	16-20
	30-35 pages	36-40 pages	41 or more pages
____5.  Acceptable No. of              Pages	0-5	6-10	11-15
	Late (2 or more days)	Late (1 day)	Completed when due
____6.  Due Date Met	0-4	5-9	10
	Much parent help	Some parent help	Child's own work
____7.  Child's Work	1-4	5-9	10

___________ Total Points              ____________________Parent Signature

___________ Language Grade

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Performance Activity Two (Popcorn Bag Book Report):

Each student will be asked to make a book report on a biography that they have recently read. They will do this by writing a summary of their book on one side of a paper bag and illustrate the other side of it.

Materials needed by each student:

small, white paper lunch bag
crayons or colored pencils

Procedure:

Students will be asked to read a biography of a person of their choice. When finished, each student will be given a small, white lunch bag. On the front side of the bag the student will be asked to use colored pencils or crayons to draw a picture of the famous person, put the title of the book correctly, and the author. Students will need to write a summary of the person's life on the back of the paper bag and put their name. After all of the students have completed their project, students will sit in a circle on the floor. The teacher fills each bag with popcorn. Students may eat the popcorn while each student reads their summary about the biography that they read.

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	Possible	Earned
Front of Bag: Title Given (underlined & correctly capitalized)	10	_______
Author Given (correct capitalized)	10	_______
Picture of Person (drawn & colored)	5	_______
Back of Bag: Summary Given	20	_______
Capitalization & Punctuation Rules Followed	3	_______
Correct Spelling	2	_______
Total	50	_______

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