BOOK REPORT: DUE NOVEMBER 21

ST

Part One: Book Summary in FIRST PERSON
Students will use our Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then outline to draft their report. Students will use their outline to
create one paragraph per section to retell their story in FIRST person (first person: telling a story from a characters point
of view; using words such as I me myself etc). The book summary should be told from the main characters point
of view.
First Paragraph: Somebody
Students will write one paragraph (3-8 sentences) about the main character (the somebody).
Second Paragraph: Wanted
Students will write one paragraph (3-8 sentences) explaining what the main character wants in the beginning of
the story.
Third Paragraph: But
Students will write one paragraph (3-8 sentences) explaining the main characters problem (the but).
Fourth Paragraph: So
Students will write one paragraph (3-8 sentences) explaining the steps the main character took to solve the
problem.
Fifth Paragraph: Then
Students will write one paragraph (3-8 sentences) explaining how the story ended for the main character.

Part Two: Presentation
Students will come to school dressed* as their main character. They will present** their report to the class by reading
the report they wrote off of note cards, a sheet of paper, or from memory.
*If your student does not want to dress up, they may create a detailed 3-D puppet that resembles the main character.
They will use the puppet to make their presentation to the class.
**In third grade, it is expected that student will be able to present a report in a loud voice that using expression. I do
not want to see someone quietly reading a paper for five minutes. Please practice the presentation at home. Students
should speak in a loud voice and be entertaining!

I am including an example report that may help guide you through the process.



SAMPLE REPORT
Hi, my name is Harriet and I am a spy! You may think Im an adult since Im so good at spying, but Im
actually an 11 year old girl from NYC (thats short for New York City). I dont have many friends, but the ones
I have would probably describe me as fun, creative, and sneakyoh yeah, theyd also say Im an AMAZING
writer. When I grow up, thats what Im going to do. My nanny, Golly, says if I keep spying and writing things
down every day that I can grow up to write whatever I want! Unfortunately, lifes not always easy for a spy.
All my life Ive wanted to write. I want to grow up to be a famous writer; that is why I choose to spy. I
write every single day. In the beginning, I had a hard time thinking of what to write about, but then I was
given a great idea: spying. When I spy I write down all of the details in my spy journal. That way, Im writing
every single day! The only way for me to get what I want, is to practice writing a LOT.
Unfortunately, my writing has gotten me into some serious trouble. I mean SERIOUS,
CATASTROPHIC trouble. You see, I dont have a lot of friends. I have two friends: Sport and Janie, and
one dayI lost them all. I bet youre wondering how a girl as awesome as me loses friends. Ill tell youshe
messed up big time! You remember how I told you I have a spy journal that I write everything I see down in
every day? Wellone day a girl in my class, Marion, stole my spy journal and read all of my private spying notes
to EVERYONE in class, including my friends. It turns out, people did not appreciate my spying notes. I called
my best friend, Sport, poor. I said Janie was odd. I also said a lot of other mean things, and when the kids at
school read them, they all turned against me! They even made a spy catcher club and chased me around to
torture me. I even had someone throw paint on me at school. My journal caused me a HUGE problem.
I couldnt put up with the spy catchers much longer, it totally stinks not having friends. So, I came up
with a plan. Instead of writing mean things that I notice while spying, I decided to go in a different direction.
My parents came into the school and helped me get a spot on the school newspaper. Every week, the paper
would publish MY writing, and I could write about things I spied! I decided to write about the awesome
things I saw my old friends doing. I wrote as many nice things as I could about the other kids in class, and I
even wrote an apology for the paper. I did my very best to make up for the horrible things Id written in my
journal, even though nobody was supposed to read that stuff.
Guess what, MY PLAN WORKED! After my friends read the apology and the nice things that I said
about them, they forgave me! My best friends, Sport and Janie, came back. I went back to my writing, and
the head of the Spy Catchers Club, Marion, went back to bothering other people. I went through a lot
because of my spying, but it is all fixed now. Ill keep on writing for the paper, and, hopefully, youll hear about
me again as a famous grown-up writer in NYC! If you want more details about my life, check out my book:
Harriet the Spy.

**NOTICE THE STORY IS WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON. THIS MEANS IT IS WRITTEN FROM THE
MAIN CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW. WHEN YOUR STUDENT WRITES, THEY SHOULD MAKE
SURE THEY ARE WRITING AS THEIR MAIN CHARACTER. THIS REPORT IS A SPEECH BY THE
MAIN CHARACTER IN THE BOOK EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM IN THE STORY.


RUBRIC
DETAIL POINTS
EARNED
POSSIBLE
POINTS

WRITING: GRAMMAR
Students are expected to create a five paragraph report. I will look for complete sentences,
spelling, and proper use of other punctuation.



20

WRITING: LEGIBILITY
Students are expected to write their reports in legible handwriting. This is a turned in report,
so it should be easy to read. Typing is allowed.



10

POINT OF VIEW
The report should be written in first person point of view.



10

FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
Paragraphs should follow the Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then format. Paragraphs
should include enough details to explain each part of the required somebody format.





20

PRESENTATION
Students should present their report in a voice that is loud enough to be heard in the back of
the room. Students should use expression as they present.




20

PREPARED
Students should come with an extra copy of their report, if they plan to read it. I will collect
the written report to follow as they present. Students should also turn in the Somebody,
Wanted, But, So, Then planning guide with their report.




10

COSTUME/PUPPET
The visual representation of the main character should be accurate with the description
provided by the book. I am looking for an effort to recreate the main character as closely as
possible!





10
TOTAL POINTS EARNED
90-100 = 4
75-89= 3
50-74=2
0-49=1


100

SUGGESTED TIMELINE
This is a HARD project that will take a significant amount of time. Students must read their entire chapter book, fill in
their planning guide, write/type a FIVE PARAGRAPH report in first person, create a costume, and make a presentation to
the class. Please do not wait to start on this project. Set reading goals, and stick to them.

Week 1: You should aim to finish 1/3 of your book this week.
Fill in the somebody part of your planning guide: tell about the main character (character traits,
hobbies, family, friends, other interests)
Fill in the wanted part of your planning guide: tell about the main characters hopes and dreams in this
book, what did they want to do the most
Week 2: You should be 2/3 of the way through your book by the end of this week.
Fill in the but part of your planning guide: tell about the problems your character is having achieving
what they want
Start to fill in the so part of the planning guide: tell me the steps the character has taken so far to try
to solve their problem.
Week 3: You should be working to finish your book by the end of this week.
Finish filling in the so portion of your planning guide: what other steps did your character take to fix
their problem
Fill in the then part of your planning guide after you finish the book: tell how the story ended. Did the
main character get what they wanted? How did they solve their problem?
Week 4: If you have not finished your book, you need to read every night until it is done!
Begin writing your rough draft report. Use the details you recorded on your planning guide to make
paragraphs that are 3-8 sentences long.
o Monday: Write about the somebody. Use as many details as you can to tell about the main
characters personality, their family and friends, their home, what they like to do, etc. Get your
parents to proof read your paragraph.
o Tuesday: Proof read paragraph one, and write your second paragraph. The second paragraph
should tell me what the character wanted to achieve in the story. Tell me why they wanted to
do it and how they were going to try to do it. Tell me if they were excited, nervous, mad, about
doing what they wanted to do. Get a parent to proof read what youve written so far.
o Wednesday: Proof read paragraph one and two. Write your third paragraph. Tell me about the
problem that is stopping the main character from getting what they want. Who is involved in
the problem? How does the problem make the main character feel? How might the problem
stop the main character from getting what they want? Have a parent proof read what you
wrote.

o Thursday: Proof read paragraphs one, two, and three. Write your fourth paragraph about so.
Tell me what action steps the main character took to try to solve their problems. Did each step
work? How did they react when they failed? Did the main character come up with the plans or
someone else? Have a parent proof read what you wrote.
o Friday: Proof read paragraphs one, two, three, and four. Write your final paragraph, and tell me
how the story ends. Did the problem get resolved? Was the main character happy with the
ending? Did any other characters get what they wanted? Did any other characters not get what
they wanted? If I want to know more details, what book can I read to find out more about you?
Have a parent proof read your report.
Week 5: Work this week on publishing your report in your best handwriting, or typing. Create your costume or
puppet. Practice giving your presentation. Family members sitting on the opposite side of the living room or kitchen
are great audience members to practice with! If they cant hear you from the opposite side of the room, youre not
loud enough. They can also tell you if you need to add more expression (if you sound like a robot, or very boring).

WELL PRESENT ON NOVEMBER 21
ST
. THAT IS THE FRIDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING BREAK. WE WILL INVITE PARENTS
TO COME SEE THE REPORTS. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE TRYING YOUR HARDEST.




If you have any questions, please email me mwilson@wcpss.net
I am posting all of the necessary instructions and documents on my webpage. There will be a tab called book report.
Flynn112.weebly.com