1. Tips on Custom Writing an Excellent Book Report
Chances are, that if you completed your high school education, you have already been exposed to the art of writing a book report; but there are probably equal chances that you may have difficulty with respect to some of the important details required to craft an excellent report. Fear not, because we have compiled some tips that, if followed to any degree, may help you in your level of competence in developing a report that will give satisfaction to you as well as your instructor.
There are at least four important steps that should be followed if you are to succeed in writing not just any report, but an excellent, well-crafted book report. These steps are:
(1) choose the right book;
(2) read the book thoroughly;
(3) create an outline for your report;
(4) create your draft followed by the final report.
As with most situations with regard to writing, following specific steps are paramount if you are to expect to succeed in this endeavor, which, as you may already know, could be daunting, to say the least.
First, unless your instructor has provided you with a specific book from which a report should be completed, choosing the best book can make a difference as your choice should be commensurate with your ability to understand the book and create your own interpretation of the author's ideas. It is important that you choose a book that mirrors your own passion or interests; otherwise, you will most likely not enjoy reading or writing about the material. Choosing the best topic will provide you with an opportunity to provide both positive and negative aspects of the subject because the author will have a captive audience: you.
2.
Writing a Book Report
Book reports can take on many different forms. Three types of effective book reports are plot summaries, character analyses, and theme analyses. Writing a book report helps you practice giving your opinion about different aspects of a book, such as the author's use of description or dialogue. No matter what type of book report you decide to write, however, there are a few basic elements you need to include in order to convey why the book you read was interesting. Always include the following elements in any book report:
the type of book report you are writing
the title of the book
the author of the book
the time when the story takes place
the location where the story takes place
the names and a brief description of each of the characters you will be discussing
many quotations and examples from the book to support your opinions
A Plot Summary
When you are writing a plot summary for your book report you don't want to simply retell the story. You need to explain what your opinion is of the story and why you feel the plot is so compelling, or unrealistic, or sappy. It is the way you analyze the plot that will make this a good report. Make sure that you use plenty of examples from the book to support your opinions. Try starting the report with a sentence similar to the following:
The plot of I Married a Sea Captain, by Monica Hubbard, is interesting because it gives the reader a realistic sense of what it was like to be the wife of a whaling captain and live on Nantucket during the 19th century.
A Character Analysis
If you choose to write a character analysis, you can explore the physical and personality traits of different characters and the way their actions affect the plot of the book.
Explore the way a character dresses and what impression that leaves with the reader.
What positive characteristics does the character possess?
Does the character have a "fatal flaw" that gets him/her into trouble frequently?
Try taking examples of dialogue and analyzing the way a character speaks. Discuss the words he/she chooses and the way his/her words affect other characters.
Finally, tie all of your observations together by explaining the way the characters make the plot move forward.
Try starting the report with a sentence similar to the following:
In the novel Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White, Templeton the rat may seem like an unnecessary character but his constant quest for food moves the plot forward in many ways.
Themes
Exploring the themes (or big ideas that run throughout the story) in a book can be a great way to write a book report because picking a theme that you care about can make the report easier to write. Try bringing some of your thoughts and feelings as a reader into the report as a way to show the power of a theme. Before you discuss your own thoughts, however, be sure to establish what the theme is and how it appears in the story.
Explain exactly what theme you will be exploring in your book report.
Use as many examples and quotations from the book as possible to prove that the theme is important to the story.
Make sure that you talk about each example or quotation you've included. Make a direct connection between the theme and the example from the book.
After you have established the theme and thoroughly examined the way it affects the book, include a few sentences about the impact the theme had upon you and why it made the book more or less enjoyable to read.
Try starting the report with a sentence similar to the following:
In the novel Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor, the theme of racial prejudice is a major catalyst in the story.
No matter what type of book report you decide to write, make sure that your writing is clear and expressive and that you include examples from the book to support your opinions. Book reports may seem disconnected from your other school work, but they help you learn to summarize, compare and contrast, make predictions and connections, and consider different perspectives – skills you'll need throughout your life.
The second step, and perhaps one of the most important of all, is to thoroughly read the book from cover to cover; get to know the book, what the author is trying to express and how the author chooses to express his or her feelings or experiences with regard to the topic. If it's a book that you plan to keep, get a pencil to make annotations on the pages that express the more important aspects of the author's expressions, his or her feelings, or even how you feel about what is being expressed. And, if you have the time, read the book again; you will be surprised when you suddenly become aware about an idea that you may have missed during the first reading. The more you read, the more you will feel apt to design your own interpretations.
The third step is developing an outline. This is an important, integral part of the art of writing a book report. An outline will help you organize your thoughts, based on any number of factors, such as your instructor's desires, your own prejudices concerning some of the key elements in the book. An excellent outline should include such ideas as the setting for the book, the time period in which the story is being told, the main characters and how they interact with each other within the literature and, perhaps most important, the plot: what is the author trying to express in his own craft? You can organize the plot in terms of key points without becoming bogged down with every detail, which can easily become your own demise; therefore, the plot, although important, should be succinct, well organized, and it should express the main theme for the book and even answer a question: why did this author choose to write this book?
If your choice is non-fiction rather than fiction, the plot will obviously be more concrete and tangible, leaving less room for imagination; however, the plot, regardless of the theme, is the hub from which the entire report will spawn, providing the spokes that give a sense of purpose for the book and why it was written. Either way, fiction or non-fiction, the idea is to recognize the main idea or ideas from which you will be able to cultivate an excellent report, a mirror that reflects your impression of the book's purpose.
The third step is to write a rough draft - meaning just what it says: rough. Here is where you are able to make errors, jot down more notes, place phrases within the text to remind you about specific ideas that might need attention later, even if it means going back to the book for clarification. Consider the rough draft as an artist would view a canvas - you can always add or remove ideas, depending upon what you consider to be important. The rough draft is also the place to check for grammar, spelling and syntax errors that can be corrected later. Worry not about neatness, for this is merely a sneak preview of what your craft will become when you are ready to put your ideas on paper. Relax, think, and write. Then, think again.
The last, and, yes, the most important step is to write the final draft. This is the time you will take all of the ideas you jotted down within your rough draft to present a well written, clearly presented final draft to your instructor. Always type the report; never turn in a hand written report. If you have access to an excellent word processor with a spell checker as well as a tool for grammar, use it.
After you have completed your final draft, always - always read it, not once, not twice, but at least three times. With the computers available in today's technological world, there is no reason for errors. This, the final report, will be your canvas, which is a representation of your interpretation of the book you read. It's your work; make it so.
2006-08-11 05:45:35
·
answer #1
·
answered by landkm 4
·
0⤊
1⤋