Booktalk Rubric

Category / 1 / 2 / 3
Appropriate book / Student chose a book that s/he has read many times before or which is far below the appropriate reading level. / Student chose a book s/he has read once before that is close to his/her reading level. / Student chose a book that s/he has never read before and which is at appropriate reading level.
Understanding / The student has trouble recalling the book. Although details are included, they are vague. No connection to the text is shared. / The information shared is accurate. There are some specific details included. A connection to the text is shared. / The information shared is interesting and accurate. There are several specific details included. An appropriate connection is made.
Organization / The booktalk retells the entire text. / The booktalk begins by retelling one or two details of the text. The booktalk concludes with a restatement of the title, author and genre. / The booktalk begins with a hook and then retells one or two parts of the text. The booktalk concludes with a restatement of the title, author, genre and a reason for reading the book.
Presentation / The booktalker reads the notes and appears uncomfortable. The booktalker does not look at or try to involve the audience.
(less than 2 minutes) / The booktalker relies heavily on notes. The speaker appears uncomfortable at times. The booktalker looks at and speaks to a few people in the audience.
(less than 3 minutes) / The booktalker has practiced. The speaker is relatively confident. The speaker speaks to many members of the audience.

Total Points:______A= 11-12 points B= 10 points C= 9 points

Students scoring below 9 points will be offered an opportunity to redeliver to the teacher.

Booktalk Task

Task / Congratulations! You will be sharing the Newbery novel you have read as your self-selected book. You will create a book talk for your classmates. Your goal is to get your peers hooked, or interested in reading the book you recommend in your book talk. You have an awesome responsibility. Ready to motivate others to read?
Book Talk / A book talk is a 3-5 minute talk about a book you want to motivate others to read. It is similar to a movie trailer but for books. The purpose of a book talk is to "sell" the book. You want to give enough information about the text to interest the listeners but you are not giving a summary of the book. You don't want to give away the important parts of the book. You certainly never want to give away the ending. You want to highlight the interesting points. You may want to read certain passages to your listeners. The main purpose of a book talk is to grab the audience's interest and make them want to read the book. It's always a good idea to end the book talk with a cliffhanger. The book talker presents the book talk orally has the book, and a visual prop.
Essential Question / How can I get people in my class hooked a good book?
Product / Your mission is to create an exciting book talk.
To begin, you must:
●  First, think about what gets you excited about reading. Is it the characters? Or is it the setting, an exciting plot, interesting themes, or a personal connection you have with the story?
●  Second, review the book you read. You will have to reread parts to prepare.
●  Third, take notes about characters, conflict, climax, and theme. Decide what you want to share with your peers.
●  Fourth, prepare an exciting script for your booktalk by:
1.  Start by giving the title and author of the book you read.
2.  Talk about what made this book so special for you! On a scale of 1–5, your book choice shouldn’t rate less than an 3.
3.  Open strong. Think about starting a booktalk by asking your audience a question related to the story. “Do you like to laugh out loud?” Or start by giving your thoughts about a character you loved: “This is the bravest little dog I ever met.”
4.  Find a hook. Grab the attention of your readers by talking or reading about one standout part of the story.
5.  Don’t tell too much. Don’t give away the ending or other special parts of the story, and don’t retell the story. Get your listeners interested, but always leave your audience wanting to go out and read the book!
6.  Leaving your listeners with a compelling reason for checking out the book you recommended.
●  Fifth, deliver your book talk to your audience. Remember to:
1.  Speak loudly and clearly.
2.  Make frequent eye contact with your audience.
3.  Speak with enthusiasm. Remember it’s your job to hook your reader.
Assessment / You will be graded using the Book Talk Rubric.
Book Talks will happen January 3-10 during language arts class