Helping Your Child Write a Book Report

Book reports are a great way to encourage your kids to try new books. They might be assigned to write reports on fiction, nonfiction and biographies. You can help them through the book report process with these tips.

1. Encourage your kids to take notes while reading. Give them a stack a sticky notes and a pencil. When they come across an important part of the book, they can flag the page and jot down a note of why it was important. It will help them be actively engaged readers, and they’ll be able to reference important sections quickly when they’re writing.
2. Ask questions about the book. If they can explain the setting, characters and the general plot to you out loud, they’ll have an easier time putting it in writing.
3. Make sure they have a sound reason for why they do or don’t like the book and they can explain it clearly.
4. Offer to proofread drafts of the report. Check to make sure words are spelled correctly and sentences and paragraphs all make sense. If you find a problem, point it out and tell them a certain area is confusing, but don’t tell them how to correct it. Let your kids take another stab at it and if they’re still having problems, then offer some general ideas for ways to fix it.

With these tips, you’ll be able to help your kids successfully read and understand new books and put together a comprehensive book report.

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