Book Talk Assignment
Presented to class May 21-22

For your Book Talk, you will give a 3-minute presentation on the book you’ve read. The purpose of a book talk is to convince the listener to read the book that you are recommending. This book talk is essentially a persuasive speech to convince the listeners that they should read this specific book.

Book Requirements:
1. The book you choose needs to be at least 150 pages and age/maturity level appropriate.

2. You must choose a book that hasn’t been adapted into a movie.

3. You cannot pick a book that we have read in class together.

Elements of a Book Talk:

  1. Attention Grabber- Quote from the book
  2. Information about the book (You’ll give a summary of the plot but do not tell the ending.)
  3. Analysis of the book

How do I get started?

  1. Choose a book that you want to talk about. READ IT! Your goal is to persuade your audience to read the book. If you don’t like it, you won’t be able to convince your audience to like it either.
  2. Complete the Book Talk Builder (on the back) to organize your information.
  3. Memorize your talk. You may use note cards but do NOT plan on reading off of the cards. The cards are there to help you remember your main points.
  4. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Book Talk Day!

  1. Bring your book with you. Do not ask to go to the library to see if it available. Be prepared!
  2. Give your presentation. You should not talk for more than three minutes.
  3. Be ready to answer questions about your book from your classmates.

Extra tips

  1. Read the book (duh!). If it is a book you’ve previously read, reread it to familiarize yourself with the book again.
  2. Be familiar with your talk and practice it.
  3. Keep it fresh. Think of new ways to introduce your book and keep your audience interested. Your talk shouldn’t be like anyone else’s.
  4. Use your own words! If you copy the book jacket, flap or another summary of the book, you are plagiarizing. You will receive a zero for your book talk.
  5. Use specific examples and details from the book. For example, saying, “This is a good book” can be applied to any book. What makes this book good?
  6. Pay attention to the rubric. It’s what I’ll be using to grade you.

Writing Response:
Write a 1-page response to the ending of the book you read. In one paragraph, write a summary of the ending of the book. Explain how the book ends. In the second paragraph, analyze the ending using the following questions: Did you think it ended well? Were you not satisfied or were you angry at the ending? Would you change anything? This will be part of the speech grade but will not be read during the speech. It will be handed in before the speech is complete.

This is a guided outline. You will not say this word for word but you do need all of the parts from of the outline. Be sure to elaborate on these points. Doing only the minimum (filling in the blanks) will result in a grade no higher than a 60%.

Attention Grabber (quote): ______

The title of my book is______by______.The genre is______.

This story takes place in______.

Some of the characters (3) are:______who ______, ______who ______, and ______who ______.

This story is about______

Now I will read you my favorite part: “______.”

I chose to read this part because ______.

I would recommend this book to ______because ______.

The cover art of the book represents the book by ______.

* All book talks will be recorded and watched later by me in order to grade your book talk.

Book Talk Grading Rubric

Attention Grabber/quote
Title, Author, Genre / _____/5 pts
_____/5 pts
Setting (time, place, customs) / _____/5 pts
Main Character(s) / _____/5 pts
Plot Summary (don’t give away the ending!) / _____/10 pts
Excerpt (something memorable; setting, character, exciting moment…) and explanation / _____5pts
Recommendation and explanation / ______/5 pts
Book & explanation of cover / ______/5pts
Time (2-4 minutes) / _____/5pts
Speech Skills (Did you look at audience? Did you speak clearly and fluently?) / ______/5pts
Response about the ending (1 typed page) / ______/45pts

_____/100