NEW SPEAKING ASSIGNMENT-BOOKTALKS!

Each student in the class will be giving a booktalk to the class. Choose a new book to read (not the one you did your book review on). Remember everyone has read the Wimpy Kid and BONE books so don't do those. Try to pick a book you think not many others have read or know about. Choose a book you really like. It could be a book you are in the middle of now. You don't even have to be finished your book in order to do a booktalk.

What is a booktalk?

A booktalk is like a movie trailer for books. The purpose of a booktalk is to "sell" the book. You want to give enough of the plot 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 booktalk is to grab the audience's interest and make them want to read the book. It's always a good idea to end the booktalk with a cliffhanger.

How do booktalks differ from book reviews?

In a book review, the reviewer is judging the book. The book is recommended or not. Criticism is often given in book reviews. A summary of the plot may be included. In a booktalk, you assume that the person giving the booktalk recommends the book.

Taken from http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/faq.htm

We will have a sign up spot in the classroom for you to pick a time to do your booktalk. Think about this over the next few days.