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Read, Tell, and Sell: CCSS through student book promotions

Common Core Connections

Assignments that ask students to design promotional materials for books require a skill set that moves from comprehension of the book to synthesis. Making meaning by creating something new (such as book talks, book trailers, or “shelf-talkers”) not only requires that students have a thorough understanding of key ideas and details (Reading Standards 1-3), but also that they can compress a longer work down to its critical pieces and excite an audience. Furthermore, they must:

• Analyze the text for a central theme
• Draw from the beginning, the middle, and the end—and tell just enough (but not too much)
• Summarize without sounding as if they are giving a summary
• Write a narrative script (Writing Standard 3)
• Apply public speaking skills to keep an audience engaged (Speaking and Listening Standard 4)

Depending upon the assignment, students might need to find or create visuals and images that generate interest (Speaking and Listening Standard 5). If it is a group assignment, they need to work collaboratively (Speaking and Listening Standard 1), take on different roles, and hold each other accountable. Students must also view and listen to the work of others and evaluate it. This provides practice for Speaking and Listening Standards 2 and 3.

This infographic is a concise way to show colleagues, parents, or administrators how creating book trailers and book talks aligns with the Common Core State Standards.