How to Make a Hanging Book Report
STACY ZEIGER
CLASS
Hanging book reports provide an alternative to traditional book reports. Instead of writing a paper outlining the plot, characters and other elements of the book, students include that information on shapes that hang from a clothes hanger or other device. Hanging book reports may include short paragraphs summarizing the different elements of the book or take a more creative approach, using symbols and pictures to provide an analysis of the book.
- Clothes hanger
- Index cards
- Yarn
- Scissors
- Construction paper or card stock
- Single hole punch
1 Events Ladder
2 Punch a hole
Punch a hole in the top and bottom of 11 index cards.
3 Tie the index cards together with short pieces of yarn
Tie the index cards together with short pieces of yarn.
4 Write the title
Write the title of the book on the first index card.
5 List the 10 most important events most of the story in order
List the 10 most important events of the story in order from first to last on the remaining index cards, sticking to a single sentence to describe each event.
6 Decorate each card with a picture or symbol
Decorate each card with a picture or symbol to represent the event.
7 Tie the yarn
Tie the yarn at the top of the first index card to a paper clip to make a hook for hanging it on the ceiling.
8 Character Report
Trace a gingerbread man cookie cutter onto a piece of card stock or construction paper. Trace enough gingerbread men to represent the major characters in the book.
Cut out the gingerbread men and punch a hole in the top of each one.
Color one side of each gingerbread man to represent a character in the book. Include important facial features and any styles of clothing or accessories mentioned in the story. For example, if a character enjoy music, add a pair of headphones.
Write a basic description of the character on the back of each gingerbread man.
Tie a piece of yarn in the hole of each gingerbread man and attach them to a clothes hanger.
9 Book Summary
Cut out shapes from construction paper or card stock to represent the plot, characters, setting, theme, author and personal opinion of a book.
Write what element of the story the shape represents on each side of the shape.
Explain the plot, characters, setting, theme, author and personal opinion of the book on the opposite side of each shape.
Punch a hole in the top of each shape.
Tie a different length of yarn to each shape and attach them to a hanger so that the shapes fall at different levels.
- You may add index cards to the events ladder and use them to summarize each of the chapters of a book instead of the top 10 events.
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