homework help?

Question

My little brother is in grade 8 and having difficulty with the english writting aspect of his english class, writting responses to books he's read. Does anyone know of any websites that might help.
he'd rather not get a tutor, so i'm trying to help him, the only problem is i've been out of school for about 8 years and everything has changes quite a bit.

thanks in advance.

Answer 1

You are a great older sibling to want to help your little brother, but I am glad you are not helping him yourself if this is an example of your own writing skills. :o)

Since he is in 8th grade, writing a response to a book is pretty simple. He should include:

Title
Author
If he liked or disliked the story and why
Theme
Summary of Plot
Characterization
Setting (place, time, weather, etc.)
Use of symbolism, metaphor, similes, etc.
and:
Anything that stood out to him personally and meant something. This might be a character, event, symbol, or anything.

A paragraph on each of those that shows he read and understood the material and aspects of the book will be a good start. He should use proper grammar, and paragraph structure.

If you would like someone to tutor him by e-mail, you can e-mail his work to me and I will make editting remarks and suggestions. My rule is that he do what he can first.... do his best... get SOMETHING on paper.... and then we can talk.

I homeschooled my children and know how to gradually improve writing skills. If he listens and applies what I tell him, his writing and English skills will begin to improve pretty quickly. But all things do take some time.

I have a BA in Romance Languages (emphasis in Spanish), and a minor in Language Arts..... so I think I can handle 8th grade book reports. :o)

Best Wishes,

Sue

Answer 2

My advice would be to take notes AS he is reading. Often, a person's memory makes it challenging to recall information they just read. Especially if you have poor short-term memory (like me). Depending on the type of books he is reading, he can write down main characters as they appear, what their roles are in the story, the main events (or important events), or anything that seems like it will be important. Then, when he is finished reading, he can refer back to his notes and review what he just read, in short.

I just attached a bunch of random websites that you may find a little helpful, some more than others...

GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

http://www.edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_33_42.html

This is a site that has a book report guide geared to 7th and 8th graders.