Cereal Box Book Reports

In 3rd grade we spend a lot of time talking about books, reading good books, and learning skills and tools we need to become better readers. One skill good readers do is summarize what we have read. So to celebrate Love to Read month and to make things more exciting, we have an assignment that all students are expected to do. It's the Cereal Box Book Report!

The Cereal Box Book Report is a non-traditional book report. Students will read a just-right realistic fiction chapter book of their own choosing. After reading the book, students will share main information from the book using a cereal box. (Yes- a REAL cereal box) Students will have to come up with a type of cereal (and name it) based on their book. For example, if I am reading The Tale of Desperaux, I could call my cereal Desper-Os. The cereal could be oat shaped ears (since Desperaux has large ears), and I could have marshmallows in the shapes of spools of thread, books, and chandeliers (since those nouns play prominent roles in the book).

I would then need to design a box showing the name of my cereal and what the cereal is like. Spend time looking at traditional cereal box designs to get inspired. What catches your eye? Colorful text? Pictures of the actual cereal? A character endorsement? Students will need to show their neatness, creativity, and understanding of the book.

Next, students will need to use the provided templates to share more information about the book. Students will share a summary (including the ending--this is not a book buzz), information about the main characters, and knowledge of the summary. These papers need to be attached to the sides of the box.
On the back of the box, students will need to design an activity for the back of the box. It can be a game, word search, or a puzzle. Use imagination! It has to be related to the book, most importantly.

They will then create a commercial (book talk) about their book. Promoting it and trying to get other students interested in reading their book just like a TV commercial gets us interested in buying a product.

Here are some examples of some cereal box reports that I found online to help you get a visual of what I'm looking for:

Source- Google Search.

Source: Google Search



Source: Google Search



Source: Google Search.

Source: Google Search

An idea for the back of the box. A puzzle!
Source: Google Search

If students need any supplies such as a cereal box, paper, scissors, etc., please ask me on Monday.
Do not wait until the day they are due.

Other than giving time to read the book in class, students will not be given class time to work on their cereal box.

PLEASE SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS AND TEMPLATES IN THE FRIDAY FOLDER COMING HOME ON 2/4/11.
If you need copies of the templates or directions again you can print them off of the 3rd grade website.
(See the GREAT LINKS 4 YOU tab on blog)
Cereal boxes are due at school on February 23rd. We will be presenting commercials on the 24th and 25th.
After you have seen the instructions and you still have questions, please do not hesitate to ask me.
I can't wait to see all of the projects!

Mrs. Snyder