Book Talk Assignment and Rubric
Submitted by: Jan Creasey
Here is the assignment and rubric I use for a Booktalk speech assignment.
One of the best ways to find a new book to read is by word of mouth. Sometimes we get excited about reading if a friend tells us about a book that they really liked.
Your job is to choose a book that you enjoyed reading. Deliver a 1-3 minute Book Talk to the class so that they can hear why you enjoyed this book. Look at the list below to give you some ideas about the kind of details to include in your book talk. Read the BookTalk Rubric on the next page so that you will know the grading procedure.
Plot (The action of the story)
• the story includes a number (2, 3, 4 . . .) of suspenseful and surprising events
• the story includes some / many predictable events
• certain parts of the story are confusing / hard to believe
• the climax (most important event) changes the story in an interesting way . . . in a believable way . . . in an unbelievable way . . .
• there are a number (2, 3, 4 . . .) of important events which lead to the ending
• the ending is surprising . . . predictable . . . unbelievable . . .
Characters (The people . . . and sometimes animals . . . in the story)
• the main character changes from _____ to ______ by the end
• certain forces or circumstances make the character(s) act the way they do
• a certain character acts believably/ unbelievably when . . .
• _____ is the main character’s outstanding personality trait
• the main character does the right thing when . . .
• I can identify with the main character when . . .
Setting (The time and place of the story)
• the setting helps make the story exciting
• the setting has an important effect on the main character
• the setting increased my knowledge of a certain time period in history by . . .
• the setting creates a new and exciting world
• the setting in this book offers nothing new and exciting
• the setting could have played a more important role in this story
Theme (The author’s statement or lesson about life)
• ambition . . . courage . . . greed . . . happiness . . . jealousy . . . is the theme
• the moral “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, “Haste makes waste”, “Hard work pays off”, is developed in this book
• this book showed me what it is like to be . . .
Book Talk Rubric
Date: _____________________________
Title of Book: _______________________
Number of Pages: _________
Author of Book: _____________________
Genre: __________________
Other Books by this Author:
____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Rehearsal/Practice at home
Parent Signature: _______________________ 4 0
Has a copy of the book in hand 4 0
Uses an intro that attracts audience attention
4 3 2 1 0
Maintain eye contact with the audience 4 3 2 1 0
Demonstrate enthusiasm for the book 4 3 2 1 0
Reading aloud from an interesting passage 4 3 2 1 0
Tells enough to be interesting without giving book away
4 3 2 1 0
Uses a conclusion that is makes us want to read the book
4 3 2 1 0
Stay within the time limits 4 0
Comments:
Final Score: 4 3 2 1 0