HMS Book Review Podcast

Students may select a partner to complete the podcast or it can be created on their own. Students need to select one book that they read during the semester that they would recommend to others to read. Students will go down to the LMC to video their podcast. Remember to speak loud enough to be heard and slow enough to be understood. The following is the script for them to follow:

Podcast Script for 8th Grade Reading

1. INTRODUCTION: (This must start with the sentence “Welcome to HMS Book Reviews” Do Not use your name, make up a name or use initials. End with “Today I am going to be talking about…… stay tuned.”)

Hello and welcome to HMS Book Reviews where students talk about books. I am Fred Lown and I am Sheila Cusack (Use your first name or don’t even use a name at all). Today we are going to be talking about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon. Stay tuned!

(Can insert music or a sound between the intro and the book information.)

2. BOOK INFORMATION: (Communicate the title, author, narrative point of view, pages, and genre in a creative way.)

Have you read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time? by Mark Haddon?

It is written as a personal journal by a 15 year old boy who lives in the small city of Swindon about 45 minutes from London.

The book has 226 pages, but the last chapter is numbered 229.

This book includes illustrations, train schedules, maps, and lists. It also includes math puzzles and riddles for the reader to solve.

3. OVERVIEW: (This should be a concise paragraph (100 words) that focuses on the main conflict(s) facing the main character(s).)

Christopher John Fancis Boone is a high school boy in England with a psychological and emotional disability. He does not like to be touched and he cannot process feelings. However, he is very smart and wants to go to college to study mathematics. While he is preparing for his college exams, he is sidetracked by the unexpected death of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. Christopher decides he is going to solve this mystery. While in the process of investigating Wellington’s death, the trusting relationship he has with his father begins to unravel and many “secrets” about both his father and mother are revealed to the reader.

4. MOTIVATING QUESTIONS: (Include 5-7 questions that entice the listener to read the book.)

Did you know that Christopher is a brilliant mathematician but has difficulty answering a question as simple as, “How are you today, Christopher?”

Did you know Christopher numbers his chapters with prime numbers? (2, 3, 7, 11, 13, etc.)

Did you know that Christopher never lies?

Did you know that Christopher’s hero is the fictional character Sherlock Holmes and his favorite book is The Hound of Baskervilles?

Did you know that Christopher’s mother has disappeared in the story and is presumed dead?

Did you know that when Christopher finds Wellington on his neighbor’s lawn he believes he was murdered?

5. CRITIQUE: (One short paragraph telling why you would recommend this book to your peers.)

This is a book that constantly challenges the reader with problems, puzzles and mysteries. Christopher’s journal is fun to read because he is a teenager with a different way of looking at the world. I strongly recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time to all good readers.

6. RATING: (Rate your book on a 5 star scale where 5 stars is the highest.)

On our 5 star rating system we gave this book 5 stars. It’s a good one!

7. CLOSING: (Thank everyone for listening and sign off with a tag line like “keep reading.”)

Thanks for listening. Tune in for future reviews and keep reading!

(There can be some music at the end of the podcast or a sound.)

Once the video is recorded, students will use windows movie maker to create the podcast. Students will edit the video and add music to it. Finished podcasts will be posted on the web page to be shared with parents and other students.

Students in my room will be using a Flip Video or a Sony Webbie to record their video.