August 26, 2008
Dear children,
Your reading journal is a place for you, me, and your friends to talk about books, reading, authors, and the craft of writing. You'll think about the books you read in letters to me and friends; and we'll write letters back to you. Our letters will become a record of the thinking, learning, and reading we did together this year.
The letters you write should be at least a page long. As the year progresses the requirement for length will increase. In your letters you will tell me about your thinking as you read. You might write about:
* text to self connections
* text to text connections
* text to world connections
* character analysis
* what you felt when you read a book and why (tone, mood)
* what you noticed about how the author wrote
* why you think the author wrote the way he/she did
* what you liked and didn't like and why
* how you are reading the book and why
* what a book said and meant to you (theme)
* what surprised you
* you might also ask questions or for help
Date your letters in the upper right-hand corner. Use a greeting and closing, just as you would in any friendly letter. This is an important requirement to remember because I will not accept letters that do not include the five elements of a friendly letter. Begin each letter this way: I am reading __________ by _________. I am currently on page ____ of ____ pages. Remember to capitalize the author's first and last name, and important words in the title. Also remember to underline the title.
I can't wait for your letters – for the chance to learn from you, learn with you, and help you learn more. Happy reading!
Enthusiastically,
Ms. Gray
Student Example:
Reading Response for Flipped
March 23, 2006
Dear Ms. Gray,
I’m head-over heels about the book, Flipped. It was an amazing book that shows how many changes people make during our life as a teenager.
I think that if Flipped had a sequel, Bryce and Julianne will have a talk about what had happened so Bryce and Julianne can become friends. They might even go on a date once. I don’t know.
The message the author was trying to explain is that people change once in a while and that we should look at people through the proper light.
I think my favorite character in the story would have to be Julianna because she can decide what she wants and then she can stick to the specific thing.
I thought the book was touching because it moved me and made me feel the way they felt also.
Sincerely,
Betty S.
Scoring Guide:
Six Super Strategies: Response to Literature
_____ (14pts) Questions are related to the text and show inquiry to achieve deeper meaning.
______ (14pts) Visualizations are related to the text and are not a duplicate of the illustrations include in the text.
______ (15pts) Connections include self-to-text, text-to-text, or text-to-world and are significant to the text.
______ (15 pts) Inferences are thoughtfully written by using prior knowledge and new information in the text.
______ (14 pts) Predictions are insightful guesses based on information in the text.
______ (14 pts) Conclusions are a summarization of the text as a whole, including author’s purpose
______ (14 pts) Responses include important statements that reflect the concepts in the text and are written in complete detailed sentences.