When I first started into homeschooling, and especially as I began following various homeschooling blogs and Facebook pages, I was pretty amused at the things I found were controversial in the homeschooling community. I once got wrapped up in a pretty heated discussion about whether or not kids should be taught cursive. I won’t tell you what side of the argument I was on, but I will confess to being very much in the minority! I came out of it a little bruised, (in only the most virtual sense,) but no less convinced of my position on the subject.
The truth is, we all have our opinions about the best way to teach our children and encourage their love for learning, and I think a little healthy debate and disagreement on the details of it all can be a very good thing, so long as we are careful not to take our differences of opinion too personally. Disagreements about the “right way to homeschool” can do much to open our eyes to new ideas and methods, or else confirm to us the rightness of our own homeschooling choices, both of which can be helpful to our homeschool.
I say all of that because I discovered early in my days of homeschooling that doing book reports was actually one of those sometimes controversial subjects among homeschoolers. I do everything in my power to encourage my children toward good books, but are book reports a good way of testing a child’s reading retention and comprehension, or are they really just needless busywork that discourages reading?
It’s all in the eye of the beholder. But in case you’re interested, here are a few reasons why I’m firmly settled in the No Book Reports camp…
I say that mostly because I did a few book reports in school on books I never even read. Or at least books I never completed. (More about that in a second.)
It isn’t hard to skim through a book and get enough of the gist of it to write a fairly sensible book report. I can’t tell you the kids I knew in school who never read an assigned book. Cliffs Notes were invaluable when I was in high school, but today all a kid needs is access to a computer or smartphone and in a couple of minutes they can find out all they need to know about a book, including characters, plot, summary, etc.
Getting away with something like that in your homeschool may be more difficult. Maybe. But just because a child can produce a decent synopsis of a book doesn’t really mean they comprehended it. It doesn’t even mean they finished reading it!
Doesn’t an oral summary, (call it an oral book report if you want,) accomplish the same thing? Why ask my child to spend an hour writing a book report when they could do the same thing orally in 3 or 4 minutes?
Not that I’m opposed to writing assignments to coincide with their reading! That’s not the case at all. But I do believe writing assignments can be far more interesting than a plain ol’ book report.
Personally, I like writing assignments like character analyses and thought-provoking questions about various events or themes of the book. To me, they reflect better my child’s comprehension of what they just read.
Not that every assignment I give my children has to thrill them down to their socks. I realize some aspects of school just aren’t so fun no matter how you try to wrap them up and present them to your children.
But I also see a huge difference in my kids’ response when I come up with a more interesting book-related assignment than a mere book report, like when I have them write a letter to Liberty from the Rush Revere series, or write a set of entries from Gertrude’s, (Hamlet’s mother’s,) diary. It’s just a more creative approach to writing about the book. And it’s way, WAY more interesting than a boring ol’ summary, which is all most book reports end up being.
But, believe it or not, I (gasp) don’t even give reading-related writing assignments much of the time. My kids will learn more throughout their lives from personal reading than they will ever learn from me as their teacher, so I want them reading as much as possible. I never want to turn reading into a drudgery for them by always tying it to written work. Especially where my little guys are concerned, if they start out associating books with work, they’re less likely to develop a real love for reading.
Granted, as homeschoolers we have the freedom and flexibility to give our kids as much time as they need to read a book, but I’m not sure that always happens as it should. Especially when people follow a stricter, more scheduled curriculum, and book reports are part of the daily plans, reading can be rushed so the report can be finished and the student can move on to the next assignment.
And here lies the reason I did book reports on books I never finished reading: I am and have always been a slow reader. Always. And, no, I don’t have a reading disability. In fact, I’ve always read very well and with very good comprehension.
But I read slowly. Chalk it up to a love for language, but I have always appreciated books not only for what they say, but for the way they say it, so much so that I read to myself only slightly faster than I read out loud. And considering some of the articles I’ve read recently dealing with the disservice we’ve done our children in teaching them to speed-read and the awful way it hampers comprehension, I’m actually pretty glad it’s something I never mastered!
In elementary school teachers would hand us a book and tell us a book report was due in one week and I would go into a panic! I knew I couldn’t complete the book that quickly and I was afraid to say so for fear I would either look really dumb or really lazy, so I would do the best I could and then skim the rest of the book well enough to scribble down a decent book report. In one English class in high school I had to read a certain number of books from a list of 100 classics. Fortunately I could choose my own, so I went with plays because I knew they were the only books on the list I could finish in time and I didn’t want to be dishonest by saying I read books when I really only skimmed them. (It’s NOT the same thing!) While, granted, I read some very good plays that year, I wish I had had time enough to read some of the books on the list as well.
I want my kids to read. But I never, ever want to push them to read quickly. Book reports don’t have to do that, but they certainly can.
It's interesting the things that cause controversy in any realm 😉
Most things aren't worth getting in such a tizzy over.
Homeschool moms definitely have strong opinions on most things, but at the end of the day,
we have to decide what works for our family & stick to it.
And certainly, we all need to stop arguing over things … & think of the example we are setting
for anyone that is observing our conduct.
You are doing a good job, Tanya … appreciate your voice.
Thank you so much, Angie! Your kind words mean more than you'll ever know. 🙂
I used to have to do book reports in high school. NOT fun LOL
Boring, boring, boring, I would say. 😉 Just one of the reasons I have such a hard time assigning them to my children…
Thanks for reading!
In nine years of homeschooling, we've never done a book report. 150 Great Books and 100 More Great Books by Bonnie Helms are options for creating a literature course in higher grades without killing the spirit of reading the book.
My 13 y/o daughter is really enjoying the online Expository Writing I Class at the Well Trained Mind Academy. It's a nice balance of reading, writing, and grammar, along with the factor of an outside teacher and class looking at your work. This adds amazing incentive. We're so impressed with the class that we've already signed her up for Expository Writing II for next year.
I have found many helpful ideas online. Especially where classics are concerned, I can usually find some very interesting and creative ideas for projects and writing assignments. It never hurts to draw off of somebody else's creativity!
And I'll be checking into the things you mentioned. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hmm…Never thought of NOT assigning "normal" book reports (you can tell I went to Public School)….ha! I LOVE the thought of doing a character sketch, or maybe an alternative ending to fiction, etc….much more thought provoking! I have one who LOVES to read and she can shell out one book report after another without any thought given….(hmm). Then I have one who enjoys reading only if at her leisure and her leisure is about one a year if I didn't "encourage". 🙂 Thanks for your refreshing idea!
I was right there with you…I thought book reports were something you were SUPPOSED TO DO, until I started finding my daughter, who LOVES to read and is a pretty good writer, was HATING the book reports so much she dreaded reading. She just wanted to start another book! And I finally figured out that I, too, would rather her just go on reading something else.
And, believe me, I know some kids need more "encouragement" than others. My oldest will read books as fast as I give them to her: My next two, not so much. But I'm doing all I can to stoke that love of reading. I try to keep in mind that even I didn't care all that much for reading when I was younger. Now I'm not happy if I don't have at least 2 or 3 books going at all times!
Anyway, so glad you stopped in today, Angela!
New to the homeschooling community, I was unaware of the book report controversy. I've thought only briefly about book reports, as my oldest is only 5 and we have just begun our homeschooling journey. I do already have her tell me what the story is about, and while I am reading, she will draw what is happening in the story. So far, this works well enough.
I agree with your idea about not doing book reports, and to be honest I really don't want to read boring book reports. You've definitely given me something to refer to later. I love the idea of having them write letters and diary entries as the characters in the book. It's far more creative and I'd love to see what my kids can come up with. Thanks for posting this!
Thank YOU for reading, Jenny! The more-creative writing assignments have been much more fun for all of us. And a narration-style review of books has given me a very good idea of their comprehension, without them having to write a boring paper.
Anyway, I wish you the best for the future in your homeschooling journey!
Yep, book reports aren't my kid's favorite things. However, I push it to the year before they start college and use outside sources to teach it like Time4Writing.com . That way they work harder and I'm out of the equation when they are doing something they don't enjoy.
I'm afraid I had to start doing book reports at a VERY young age and, thinking that was the way it was supposed to be done, I started inflicting the same punishment on my oldest daughter when we began homeschooling. It didn't take me long to see the incredible difference in her when I asked her to TELL me about a book and when I told her to write a book report about it. And let me say she is a quite capable writer and she CAN write a book report, but both of us are far happier when she doesn't!
Thank you so much for reading!
I love this! I've been looking for a good reason that we don't do book reports (other than the fact that I'm too lazy to assign them). For the last book, I had my daughter pick out any theme from the book, and learn more about it. She read In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. She chose to learn more about the Chinese zodiac. It worked out great.
Thanks for this encouraging post!!
I love that reproach, Leslie. While I can't always do it perfectly, I like so much to assign reading to fit with other things we're studying. It's amazing how much better they can come to understand a subject by reading fiction related to it. Your idea of having them study something from the book is the same principle, just in reverse.
Love it! Thanks for reading, Leslie.
So, so glad I am not the only one who has not assigned my children book reports (the classic kind)! I too read very slowly. I did very poorly if something was read aloud to me because it was too fast and I couldn't understand what was being read. As such I did NOT pick up books outside of school! It wasn't until I was married and in my late 20's before I realized that there were books out there in the world that had nothing to do with "school"! Seriously!!! I was a nanny and I was to take my charges to the library for their 'reading time' events each week. One week they had moved a book display so that I had to walk by it on my way to the reading time. Oh. My. Goodness. I fell in love! You mean I can actually read about things that interest me? And I can do it for free? I was thrilled to say the least, and now I am an avid reader. I did not want that to happen to my children. I wanted them to love reading. And they do!!!
We do creative writing, like you do, and oral 'reports'. Those things do not put a damper on reading.
Blessings,
Kerri
I relate so well to your story, Kerri. While I read fairly consistently, I honestly didn't develop a real LOVE for reading until I was a married woman, mainly because most of the books I was made to read in school didn't interest me in the least. There were a few exceptions, of course, but very few. Now I adore reading! I usually keep more than one going at a time, but on those occasions when I finish all my books, I am MISERABLE until I can get to the library or bookstore so I can find another!
So glad you stopped by today!
I love your blog, and you do have some *excellent* points on this topic. I agree that many, if not most book reports are as you describe. BUT, for several years, I was in a profession that required a LOT of fast reading and summarizing. The ability to read very quickly (or even to skim very well) and write a comprehensive summary can be a VERY useful skill in the professional world. I would want to be sure that my child had this skill before leaving home (just as I want to be sure she can boil noodles and heat her own dinner!) Having said that, this skill can be developed with newspaper articles (which are much shorter) as easily as it can be with books).
Thanks for a great article, and some great food for thought : )
I don't disagree with you at all, Anna. Reading quickly and being able to summarize can be a valuable skill. I do find that I read things like articles and blog posts FAR more quickly than I do books, mostly because I tend to digest them in a very different way. That is generally true of my children as well. I know for myself I CAN read quickly, but I miss beautiful things when I do so. Like I said in my post, I don't think of skimming as reading, but I don't doubt some people's ability to get a good gist of a book or article by doing it. And since much of the reading kids have to do in school and beyond is not necessarily "beautiful", the ability to skim well can certainly come in handy!
Anyway, so glad you stopped in and took the time to leave a message! And may I add how I love the name of your blog?! Every time I look around there it makes me very, VERY hungry! 🙂
I'll agree with you – about the amazing amount of crazy controversies as well as on not doing traditional book reports. So many other ways to encourage a love of good story, fine language and reading in general. My 4 year old daughter is making me laugh this morning by telling anyone she thinks is wrong that they have "made a mighty mistake!" (from "Dandelion" by Don Freeman)
Don't you love when they do that? Honestly, there are few things that delight me more than hearing my kids quote lines from a book or seeing them act out something we've read. When that happens, you know the book is hitting home with them!
Thanks for reading, Abi!
I completely agree that book reports are excruciatingly boring. Homeschool as preparation for college and life-post-college is very much on my mind lately as in my homeschooled family, my younger brother and sister are in college, with another one just graduated and on her way to college, and two more in high school. It strikes me that I know from my own college experience, you'll never be writing a book report there! Instead, I do think it is important for high school level homeschool students to be learning how to do real academic research and put together research papers arguing for a creative thesis–those are the kind of writing skills that are useful in the academic world. And creative writing assignments are a lot of fun, too!
I would certainly rather my children spend their writing time doing fun creative writing or learning writing skills that will be useful to them in the future. Sometimes I think it's just easier for us to assign a book report, though it's not necessarily an assignment that does anything to interest a child or build useful skills for their future.
Thanks so much for reading, Rachel!
I love the heart of this post, Tanya! We can get so worked up about things, can't we? I think it is helpful to listen to the opinions and idea of each other, but not when it causes division and strife.
Very early on, I did have my children write book reports mostly because that is what I was used to in school. I also found that it helped with their writing skills. That being said, I think they learned even more when I let them do "oral" book reports. The discussion got them to do a lot of thinking about the story and the characters.
I think that homeschooling, along with the other issues in life, comes back to the heart. We need to know why we are doing what we are doing with our children and what our intention is for them rather than being concerned about what others are doing. We need to be careful to extend grace to one another regardless of how we do what we do.
Thanks for sharing your perspective on this one. Blessings to you and yours. (Visiting from Cornerstone Confessions.)
We all have our opinions about the "proper" way to homeschool and I don't necessarily think that's bad. We can learn so much from one another, after all. But just as you said, it's so important to be gracious toward those who may not agree and keep in mind we all have the same goals in mind for our children, no matter our approach to reaching those goals.
Thanks so much for stopping in, Heather!
I did not care for book reports in school, but my mother made me do a couple, just so I knew how. Now that I am older, I'm glad to know how to do them, but a lot of them as a child would not be necessary.
For younger children especially I think book reports can be real joy-zappers when it comes to reading. I want my kids to be able to comprehend what they're reading and summarize it in a clear manner, but there are ways to do that that never involve the drudgery of a book report.
So glad you took the time to read and comment!
I never thought of this. We just don't do book reports. This year for history I'm having my daughter read biographies of people during WWII. She has to do a 500-word report on each book she reads. Really this is more or less to let me know what she's read. I guess it's my lazy way of staying on top of it. I figured 500 words wouldn't kill her. Most of my children are avid readers, and a book usually makes the rounds of everyone. Then we have lively discussions about what we've read. I never dreamed of having this much fun discussing books with my children. But, yes, I agree with you book reports are boring, and my poor oldest daughter will probably be my only child to have to suffer through them.
That's pretty much the way it worked with us! My poor oldest daughter had to suffer through the book reports until I finally figured out there were better ways, (at least for our family,) to explore the things she read and learned. Homeschooling is just as much a learning experience for moms as it for their children!
Thanks for dropping by, Jennifer!
I can certainly understand your feelings. I was a skimmer in school as well…lol. I love to read and using a pre-made book report that only allows you to express certain thoughts can certainly be constricting. It's a lot more fun to let kids (and adults) decide how they want to express their feelings about what they read.
Great post! Thanks for linking up at Family Fun Friday!
Thanks so much for the opportunity, Selena! 🙂
I agree with you completely! We also don't do book reports. If anything, an oral report is sometimes done or some old fashioned "narration". Thanks for sharing these thoughts on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! I will be pinning this one 🙂
Narration is really my favorite way to discuss books. I love the way each of us can respond differently to a story, noting and remembering certain details others may have missed.
Anyway, thank you for stopping by!