Oral Book Reports: Keys to a Successful Presentation

So, one of your recent assignments was a report on the book read. Hope you have coped with it successfully. And now, your task is to make an oral presentation.

On the one hand, there seems to be nothing complicated about preparing an oral book report. It is just a public performance based on the task you have already completed.

On the other hand, acting in front of the audience is extremely difficult for some students, which means they run the risk of failing their oral book reports.

If you are one of those students, let us present you some secrets of a successful oral book report. First, we will discuss what an oral book report should consist of.

Format of an oral book report

1. Start with introducing the book to the audience. Give its title, author’s name, date of publication, genre.
2. Pass to the main characters of the book. The following things about the characters should be mentioned: name, gender, age, personality, relations between characters.
3. Now, provide details about the setting in your oral book report. Let us remind you that here you should tell when and where the story described in the book takes place.
4. Explain the conflict of the book. What are major issues? How do characters change throughout the story?

Tips on how to make a successful oral book report

• You have to be sure in every word of your oral book report. It is impossible if you have not read the book or you do not get it.
• Make note cards with the most important points to be included into your oral book report. However, do not read from these cards, just look up from time to time.
• Try to illustrate your oral book report. Find some pictures related to the book or, at least, the writer’s portrait.

Here, you can also read about an oral book report rubric.