Book Talk Outline

September 2018

Students are about to begin to work on the first of several book talks this year.

They will be assigned various book talk genres (non-fiction, fiction, realistic

fiction, mysteries, humorous, biograhies, etc.) throughout the year. Students will

then meet with Mrs. Reinke, our Media Specialist. She will chose and

recommend a variety of books from the assigned genre for students to read. The

first genre will be realistic fiction, which is part of our current core curriculum.

Mrs. Reinke and I will check to see that the book is of an appropriate reading

ability for each student.

Much of the preparation and practice will need to be done at home. Students will

be given about 1 ½ to 2 weeks to read and prepare for the presentation. There

will be time for 5 or 6 book talks each day, beginning the week of Monday,

September 24

. Students should follow the attached format, which is a sample

of the grading form for the book talks. We will be discussing and reviewing this

process in class. Students should sign up for a presentation day as soon as

possible. The 2:35 recess time is the best time to sign up for a presentation

date.

What Is A Book Talk?

A book talk is a speech telling about a book that the student has read. In this

speech, the student will be expected to provide the following information:

 An Attention Getter - This could be a question to get the audience's

attention, reading from part of the story, dressing up as the main character

and presenting the book talk as that character, etc. Be creative!

 Name of the book and the author

 Setting - Where and when it takes place

 Main characters and a brief description of each

 Problem and/or situation - if it applies. Sometime it will not apply, but let us

know.

 A brief description of the basic plot or story without giving away the

ending (if possible)

 Questions to make the audience curious enough that they may want to read

the book themselves

 A recommendation and why - "I think the book was _________________

because _______________________________..." Be sure to support your

recommendation with many details and specific examples from the

book. Do not provide a 1 – 10 rating scale and consider that to be a

recommendation. The recommendation is one of the most importanmt

aspects of their talk.

The elements that make up a good oral presentation will also be stressed in

class. Students should demonstrate the following skills when presenting their

book talk:

 Look at the audience, not the teacher. (Do not read directly from note cards

all of the time.)

 Speak loudly.

 Speak clearly and smoothly.

 Learn your words and practice pronouncing the words correctly.

 Stand correctly. Do not rock back and forth or sway. The teacher will get

dizzy!

 Speak for at least one minute but for no longer than three

minutes.

 Be prepared! – Students should know what they are going to say. Practice

the speech in front of family and/or friends. Present it in an organized

manner. *Students may use note cards to help them organize their work

and ideas!* But remember, students may not stand and read the entire book

talk from note cards or from a written speech on paper.

Thank you for assisting and supporting your child as they plan for this

presentation. Feel free to contact me is you have any questions.

Mr. Hrymak