Book Report Guidelines for 4th grade students
Book Selection – student choice. Book must be at your reading level. If you’re not sure, you can
bring the book in to me so I can check it. I am less concerned with the number of pages the book
is in length than I am with the fact that the book must be at your reading level.
Report Format – Use the Green-Yellow-Red format that we teach in Step-Up to Writing. Your
book report will be three paragraphs long with one additional sentence at the beginning and one
additional sentence at the end.
Green means topic sentence. This sentence introduces the book you chose for your
report. It must include the title and author. The title must be underlined. This will be the first
sentence in your report. You will also have a closing green sentence at the end of the report. The
closing green sentence wraps up the story, includes your opinion of the book and why you feel
that way. This is the last sentence in your report.
Yellow means the main idea for each paragraph. You must have three yellow sentences.
Each yellow sentence begins a new paragraph. Your paragraphs will be no more than 5 sentences
long each. Be sure to indent each new paragraph.
The first paragraph must be about the setting and characters.
The second must talk about the conflict or problem in the story.
The third must talk about how the problem is solved.
Red means specific information that gives more details about the main idea sentences.
You should have two or three red sentences for each yellow sentence. You may have as many as
four detail sentences, for a total of 5 sentences in each paragraph.
Following this format, then, your book report will look something like this:
* Green topic sentence with title and author. This sentence is all by itself at the beginning of your
report. Remember to underline the title.
* First paragraph: Yellow main detail sentence about the characters and setting of the story, with
2-4 supporting red detail sentences. Indent this new paragraph.
* Second paragraph: Yellow main detail sentence about a conflict or problem in the story. You
could also just talk about the first half of the book if there is not a problem or a conflict. Have 24 sentences that tell supporting details about this sentence. Do not have more than 4 sentences.
Indent this new paragraph.
* Third paragraph: Yellow main detail sentence about either how the conflict is solved or about
the second half of the book. Again, have 2-4 sentences with supporting details about this
sentence. Indent this new paragraph.
* Closing green sentence that wraps up your book and includes your opinion of the book. This
sentence is all by itself at the end of the report.
Your report will have a total of between 11 and 17 sentences, but no more than that. Use
black ink only. The color guidelines given here are to help you understand what sentences are
needed, but they are not meant to be the color of your ink.
Book reports may be typed or hand-written. If typed, students must type their reports
themselves. Please use double-spacing (like I did in these directions – double spacing between
each line of print but NOT between the paragraphs) and an easily readable font such as Arial or
Times New Roman with either size 12 or 14 type. Put one space after each period. Indent each
new paragraph. Each yellow sentence should begin a new paragraph. Your name should be typed
in the header section as taught in computer class. We’ll be working on that this month. If you
choose to hand-write your report, you may use print or cursive. You do receive points for
neatness!
This book report is due on Friday, October 21st. I will preview any rough drafts and
provide comments and feedback up to Monday, October 17th, but not after that.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me!!! As this is the first report done in
this format for this year, I expect questions. We’ll be reviewing the green-yellow-red format
more over the course of the month. We will use this same format for each book report this year.
There will be some variations depending on the genre of book required for the report. Have fun
stretching your imagination and your writing skills!