Book Smarts
Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) may have more trouble with traditional book report school assignments than their non-ADD peers. Here are 17 creative projects to test how well they understand a book.
How can you draw on the interests and strengths of all students in the classroom? By allowing those with ADHD (or the entire class) to choose from a menu of projects related to a book they have read.
Let ADD/ADHD Students Act Out the Book:
Act out a phone conversation between two or more characters in the book.
Perform an original song related to the story.
Be a TV interviewer, and audio- or videotape an interview with a character in the book.
Play a prosecuting attorney. Put one of the characters on trial for a crime. Prepare your case, giving your arguments and supporting them with facts.
Let Them Draw, Design, or Write Out Scenes from the Book
Draw a map or diagram of the story’s setting.
[The Big List of ADHD School Resources from ADDitude]
Design a poster advertising the book.
Create a book with pictures or symbols on one side and a list of important events or a summary on the other.
Create a picture postcard of the setting. On the back, write to a friend as if you were the main character in the book, and describe the setting and events happening there.
Make a T-shirt for your main character that represents attributes of the character’s personality.
Write a letter to a friend, telling her or him about the most exciting parts of the book.
Develop a new ending or a sequel.
[Free Handout: Solving Challenges in the Classroom]
Write a letter to the main character, suggesting what might have happened if he had acted differently.
Design a book jacket.
Let Them Make Puzzles, Games, and Scrapbooks
Create a literary scrapbook about a character in the book, pictures, award certificates, and report cards.
Build a board game based on the book.
Present memory basket, with items representing events or themes in the story.
A crossword puzzle using words and characters from the story.
[Free Resource: How Teachers Can Manage Common ADHD Behaviors]
More Creative Solutions for ADHD Students
Fun & Games: Help ADD/ADHD Children Learn From Play
Four Fun Activities: Teach ADD/ADHD Kids How to Count, Multiply, and Become More Comfortable with Numbers
When Traditional School Fail: Homeschooling May Be a Better Option for ADD/ADHD Students
Adapted with permission from sandrarief.com and How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD, Second Edition, copyright 2005, and The ADD/ADHD Checklist, Second Edition, copyright 2008, by Sandra F. Rief.
