Responding in your Reading Log…
As you read, write your personal response in your reading log. State your feelings, thoughts, reactions, and questions about situations, ideas, actions, characters, settings, symbols, plot, theme, and any other elements of the book. You can't be wrong in your responses, so take some risks and be honest. Write about what you like or dislike, what seems confusing or unusual to you. Tell what you think something means. Make predictions about what might happen later. Relate your personal experiences, which connect with the plot, characters, or setting. Let me hear your voice.
- I really like/dislike this idea because...
- This character reminds me of somebody I know because...
- This character reminds me of myself because...
- This character is like (name of character) in (title of book) because...
- I think this setting is important because...
- This scene reminds me of a similar scene in (title of book) because...
- I like/dislike this writing because....
- This part is very realistic/unrealistic because....
- I think the relationship between ______and ______ is interesting because...
- This section makes me think about, because...
- I like/dislike (name of character) because...
- This situation reminds me of a similar situation in my own life. It happened when...
- The character I most admire is ________ because...
- If I were (name of character) at this point, I would...
- Any questions you might have after reading – Be sure to explain them.
- Did I learn anything from this part of the book? Can I take anything from it to improve myself?
- Can I make any predictions on what may happen next? Why do I think these things will happen? What details in the section support my prediction.
- Write about what your feelings are after reading the opening chapter(s) of the book. How do your feelings change (or do they) after reading half the book? Do you feel any differently after finishing the book? Would you read the book again?
- What emotions did the book invoke: laughter, tears, smiles, anger? Or, was the book just boring and meaningless? Record some of your reactions.
- Sometimes books touch you, reminding you of your own life, as part of the larger human experience. Are there connections between the book and your own life? Or, does the book remind you of an event (or events) that happened to someone you know? Does the book remind you of what happened in another book you've read?
- Would you like to be one of the characters (acquire a personality trait)? Which of the characters would you become, if you could? Why? If there's something about the character that you'd want to change, what is it?
- If you were the author, would you have changed the name of a character, or altered the location of a scene? What does the name mean to you? Do you have a negative connotation associated with the name (or the place)? What would you name the character instead? What would you use as a setting?
- Does the book leave you with questions you would like to ask? What are they? Would you like to direct your questions at a particular character? What questions would you like to ask the author of the book? Are they questions that you may be able to answer by reading more about the author's life and/or works?
- Are you confused about what happened (or didn't happen) in the book? What events or characters do you not understand? Does the use of language in the book confuse you? How did your confusion affect how you liked the book? Is there anything that the author could have done to make what happened (or didn't happen) more clear?
- Is there an idea in the book that makes you stop and think, or prompts questions? Identify the idea and explain your responses.
- What are your favorite lines/quotes? Copy them into your reading log and explain why these passages caught your attention.
- How have you changed after reading the book? What did you learn that you never knew before?
- Who else should read this book? Should anyone not be encouraged to read this book? Why? Would you recommend the book to a friend or fellow classmate?
- Would you like to read more books by this author? Have you already read other books by the author? Why or why not?
- Write about the characters? Which one is your favorite? Is there a character you hate/detest/despise? Why? What traits could you change about the characters that would change how you think about them? Do you think that any of the characters represent real people? Does anything about a particular character seem to be related to the author's true personality--who the writer is?
After you have asked yourself these questions, decide which would make the best entry from your response journal. You may certainly use other ideas of your own. Just make sure you include more than just a summary of what is happening. Support your summaries with what you are feeling as you read your book. Doing this will help you get the MOST from your book.
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