Starting conversations about books and reading on Day One of school is a great way to build a community of readers. Let students write and share book reviews with classmates to deepen this conversation.
Lesson Suggestion:
Have students pick a book they read this summer (or perhaps a book that you used as a read aloud during the first few days of school.)
Let them log in to Bookopolis, add the book to My Books, and write a Book Review.
Model a quality book review by writing about one of your favorite books. A quality book review answers these questions:
- In 1-2 sentences, what was the book about? (Remember: no spoilers!)
- What did you love about this book? What was your favorite part?
- Who else would you recommend this book to? (Kids who like funny books, any 3rd grader, boys who love animal stories, etc.)
Carve out 20 minutes to have students read each other’s book reviews. Show them on a screen and review as a class or let students check out friends’ reviews on their own device.
Pro Tip: Here’s a 1 minute tutorial on how to see reviews for your whole class.