These book bento instructions include a mentor bento
Now that the semester is almost over, are you in need of a quick way to alternatively assess student reading? If so, try book bentos!
I’ve made it super easy to give book bentos a try.
I created a Google Slides presentation with basic instructions and tips to help your students create successful bentos.
Included in the four-slide presentation, you will also find a mentor book bento (with object descriptions) that I created for students using The Diary of Anne Frank.
I’ve posted this resource on Teachers Pay Teachers for $2. I hope you find it useful and super easy to use tomorrow or whenever it fits into your plans over the next couple of weeks.
Updated 3/7/2022: Also, I’ve added a very basic book bento rubric as a separate product. Please find it here on TpT.
Books bentos are a process. No surprise there.
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I tried book bentos for the first time with my students during fall 2020. It was a little rough, I’ll admit. However, I kept at it, and since then, I can honestly say that the quality of book bentos from each cycle of readers has steadily improved.
What’s more, students seem to enjoy making book bentos. The projects demonstrate student understanding and while bentos may not involve traditional academic writing practice, they definitely do engage students more and encourage them to think “outside the essay box.”
Have you tried book bentos yet? Now might be the time to jump in!
Leave a comment with your book bento experiences. I’d be especially interested in your thoughts on how to make book bentos more rigorous and demonstrative of critical thinking. For example, should key quotes from the text be included in the assignment to further support the chosen objects? Leave a comment below or on my contact page.
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So creative!
Thank you! Yes, these are really fun!
You are welcome. Enjoy!