Wednesday, May 27, 2009

How to do the book report?

Mr. Doyle I am in your 190 class. I am not sure how the book report is suppose to be is there a standard way we need to follow?


Yes, to do the book report, simple answer in complete sentences all the questions on pages 11 and 12 in your syllabus. Here it is for your reference:

Use this format for the book report. You may use the program "Microsoft Word" to write your report.

The book report should be about 4 to 6 pages long and be written in a simple, concise, clear style. It may be shorter if your ideas are complete and longer if you are not too wordy. Don't simply copy pages out of the book or quotes from the cover as some students have in the past. I prefer the work to be typed, double-spaced with writing on only one side of the paper, but your neat handwriting or printing in black or blue ink is acceptable.

You should thoroughly answer these questions:
1. What is the name of the book? Who is the author? Who is the publisher? How many pages are in the book? These questions should be answered in one or two complete sentences. You don't need to rewrite the question; simply number the answer.

2. What kind of book is it? Fiction? Non-fiction? Biography? Argumentation? This is a couple of sentences long. Say what makes it "fiction" or "non-fiction".

3. How many days did it take you to read this book? This is about one sentence.

4. Who are the top three or four characters? Tell me about them. Why are they important? List them and say a little about each one. This could be about a half a page to over a page long.

5. Tell me what the book is about. Summarize the plot. Use your own words and ideas to describe the story. If the book is a collection of short stories, pick the three best and explain their plots. If the book is not fiction, explain the main idea and the supporting details or arguments. If it is organized historically, give a list of the important events in the text. This could run from one and a half page to several pages. Don't make it too long or too short; you don't need to explain every little detail in the plot).

6. Now give me some analysis of the book. Tell me why you liked or did not like it. Was it too hard or easy to understand? Was the vocabulary too hard? Would you recommend it to a friend? Did you see a movie or video of the book? How is it different form the real book? How would you judge the author? Was the story something you could relate to or was it not connected to your real life? This could be one to several pages. Don't forget this part. Most students do well on the summary of the book (question#5) but only write a few sentences for this question. Do a good analysis.