I teach 6th grade ELA learning support, and we are reading the novel, "Refugee". Once we came to the end of the novel, I had students create a book review podcast using GarageBand. To start the project, they got to choose from one of the three characters in the book to write a review on. After choosing a character, students were required to write a script. I provided them with a template I created. In the script, they had to include a summary of the character's story, themes/topics that made an impact on them, and whether or not they would recommend the book. After writing the script, they recorded their podcasts using the scripts they wrote. Finally, students had the freedom to get creative and add intro/outro songs, enhance different parts of the podcast with sound effects, etc.
Overall, students loved this activity! The hardest part for them was writing the script. However, you can create a template that provides a lot of structure or less structure depending on the needs of your students. I highly recommend completing a book review podcast at the end of any novels you read in class!
May 09, 2025
A book review podcast is such a good idea. It certainly deepens knowledge of the literature and also provides a tool for reflection on what the students have learned as well as the analysis they have made. Thanks for the post.
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