Many teachers ask their students to write a report in a book. It is often difficult to know what to talk about and what to exclude from the report. This article will provide you with a simple guide to writing clear and efficient summaries for your report, whatever class you are attending.
Steps
Step 1. Choose an appropriate book
Make sure it's not too simple or too difficult. Often it is the teacher who assigns one or gives a list to choose from. The most important criterion in choosing concerns the right level of reading difficulty. Then, if possible, choose a topic that interests you, which will make it much easier and more fun.
Step 2. Make sure you know what the teacher wants
How long does it have to be? What should it contain? Follow the guidelines.
Step 3. Read the first chapter
Once you've finished reading, write a short summary of the chapter describing the characters, setting, and storyline. More effort at the beginning will greatly facilitate the final work.
Step 4. Do this for the rest of the book
For each chapter, write a brief summary of it. Make sure you talk about what's going on and the characters. What did they do and why? What happened? What did you discover new about the characters? It may be helpful to keep a list of each new character with a brief description. You can work on it as you read.
Step 5. Summarize the chapter summaries
Once you've finished reading, reread your chapter summaries and think about the most important characters and plot points. The length and level of detail of your report depend on the instructions the teacher gave you. Follow them and write a clear report. Think you are a teacher who has to explain the book to someone who has never heard of it.
Step 6. Congratulate yourself
You did!
Advice
- What makes a summary good and interesting is to include the main plot of the story, the actions of the characters and the meaning the author intended to convey. What was the author's message? What have you learned from this story? Why did the characters behave that way?
- Try to write chapter summaries without going too far, but make sure you include all the necessary information. Keep in mind the length required by the teacher (1 page, 500 words, etc.).
- Try to think about how you would tell the story to someone who doesn't know it.
- This process is very easy if you read and summarize one chapter a day. Reading and writing the summary right away is better, because you still have it fresh in your mind.
- Parents can supervise their children's work by quickly reading through all chapter summaries. If you are unable to understand one, ask your child to rewrite it.
