An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
Official websites use .gov A
.gov website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A
lock (
) or https:// means you've safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
Children's book and a cannon near the Gettysburg NMP Visitor Center
NPS Photo
Create A Paper Bag or Box Book Report
Have students demonstrate their comprehension of the book and field trip, as well as their listening, writing and speaking skills through the creation and presentation of Paper Bag or Box Book Reports.
Here are some ideas to get started, and some adaptations for each book, as well as the age and abilities of your students:
1.) Distribute a paper bag or small cardboard box and markers or other drawing/writing materials for each student.
2.) Follow student instructions below 3.) If time, have each student present their Paper Bag or Box Book Report to the rest of the class, showcasing both their understanding of the story, but also defending their opinions about the book and the field trip.
Instructions
Front of the bag or top of the box:
Draw your own version of the title page for the book you read at Gettysburg. Be sure to include a picture of the main character, action, or idea as well as the title of the book, its author and illustrator; or
Draw the scene from the book that you visited during your Gettysburg field trip: For The Eternal Soldier (Sallie), draw Oak Ridge and the 11th Pennsylvania monument there. For I Am Abraham Lincoln, draw the crowd in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery to hear Lincoln’s speech. For B is for Battle Cry, draw The Angle on Cemetery Ridge, where the battle of Gettysburg concluded on July 3, 1863.
Back of the bag or one side of the box:
Create a short outline for the book you read at Gettysburg. The outline can be five things that happened in the book written out in short sentences, or drawn in comic strip format.
For B is for Battle Cry, try to remember and write or draw five of the alphabet letters and what each stood for.
One side of the bag or another side of the box:
List 5 adjectives that describe the main character or characters in the book.
For B is for Battle Cry, create a 4-line poem like in the book for an important person, place or thing in your life.
Other side of the bag or third side of the box:
Create a mini-review of the book by drawing and filling in one, two, three, four or five stars that demonstrate your rating of the book. Underneath your star review, list what you liked about the book, and one area for improvement.
If star rating prompts are needed, try:
One Star – I didn’t like this book very much.
Two Stars – It was o.k., but I don’t want to read it again.
Three Stars – I think this book was good, but not awesome.
Four Stars – I really liked this book alot, but have an idea to make it better.
Five Stars – I LOVED this book, and can’t wait to read it again.
If the class is using a box, use the extra side for one of the following:
Articulate the main idea or message from the book… the moral of the story.
Research and create a list of three Places to Learn More about the subject.
Create a postcard from Gettysburg to one of the main characters in the book. What would you like to tell them or to ask them?
Inside the bag or bag:
Place 4-8 items inside your bag or box that symbolize key elements of the book. These can be props, or cut-outs, or re-creations. Below are some examples to get everyone thinking:
For The Eternal Soldier (Sallie), they might include representations of Sallie’s soldier hat, or the basket she was in as a puppy, a drawing of a heart for the love and loyalty that she displayed, a bandage for a hurt soldier, the United States flag, or a Play-Doh recreation of the unit’s monument at Gettysburg.
For I Am Abraham Lincoln, they might include a Lincoln top hat, a picture or model of a turtle, a rolled up speech (like the Gettysburg Address), a piece of chalk or a stick to represent the way he practiced writing, a small book, or a penny.
For B is for Battle Cry, they might include a letter written by or to a soldier, a piece of hardtack, any uniform item, a music note or any representation of the people, places and things written about in the book that were most memorable to them.
