Accountability Reading Response Sheet for Any Text
A List Of Reading Response Questions That Work With Most Texts
past Terry Heick
Though I've been busy with TeachThought over the concluding decade or so, my original 'trade' was teaching English (literature, writing, digital media, etc.)
I was recently going through an sometime folder of reading reflection prompts and forms, and found a reading log that I called a 'Self-Guided Reading Response Log' (whatever that means). Information technology's a few years old, but I think using it beginning every bit a way for students to get 'points' in a reading programme we were doing at the time.
I thought it might be useful to share the student-centered approach it takes, and its usefulness across content areas (depending on what you want them to analyze). It's primarily near the craft of writing and elements of style, merely 1, two, 3, v, vi, seven, and several others would work later on reading most annihilation.
Run into also our TeachThought Curricula: 15 Reading Responses To Not-Fiction Texts
How I Used It
Anytime students read whatsoever text, they'd take this form and select a sure number of prompts to reply to. If they had trouble selecting the prompts that were most advisable to their text, I'd assign them by simply circumvoluted the ones I wanted them to focus on.
Ideally, though, they'd eventually learn to cull the ones that fabricated sense to their brain based on their reading of their book. In fact, if they couldn't do so, that was 'data' and helped me see where they were every bit readers.
And that was the indicate. I didn't desire to schoolhouse upwardly' everything single matter they read, but I did desire to aid them sympathize the relationship between reading and writing–between arts and crafts and purpose. I wanted them to think, on their own, I read this, and I picked these questions to use to guide my writing.
And eventually guide their reading, too.
By January, they had it down and would just manus me their responses labeled accordingly. Mr. Heick, I left a reading response on your desk somewhere.I used it that year with 8th-graders and it worked well one time they got used to each prompt, what they meant, and what 'exemplar' models of each looked like.
This was of import–they needed to run across what a 'quality' response looked similar. I modeled a few using think-alouds, shared a few of the better examples from students, etc. I was likewise certain to include some quality responses that weren't necessarily from the wordsmiths in the classroom and was sure to include those that used diagrams, concept maps, and drawings likewise. Once these questions were demystified a bit, it was all downhill.
I'd score the response, as with all writing, out of 4 in one-half-indicate increments. I used a universal rubric to score–i signal each for textual testify, clarity, inventiveness, and overall quality. Piece of cake to form, and piece of cake to differentiate for all reading levels, text forms, etc.
Today, this would probably make more sense equally a Google Form (one of the many ways to use Google Forms in the classroom). No forms to make copies of, nothing to lose, unproblematic to certificate, so if you lot're feeling industrious, let us know in the comments that you've washed and then so we tin use it too. I included a slightly modified version of the questions below.
In summary, these reading response questions are universal, academic, standards-based, differentiation-friendly, and allow for some degree of student choice.
1. Why did you decide to read this cloth?
ii. Compare and dissimilarity this text or media with related text/media.
Be specific–what text or media, what are the similarities and dissimilarities, etc.
iii. What did the author'south purpose seem to be?
What seemed to be the Author'southward Purpose in creating this text? Why practise you think they might've written it? What were they hoping this text would attain? Why do you think and then?
4. What can you say about the theme?
What was the theme? What were some of the theme topics (dearest lost, overcoming adversity, civic responsibleness, etc.)? What is the author'south overall message to their audience? Is there a judgement y'all tin choose from the text that captures that? What supporting details allow you to make this inference?
5. What is the author's position on whatsoever relevant theme or effect?
As a result of this reading, what can y'all infer is the author's position on whatever relevant theme or event? This volition often be a social issue–poverty, honey, war, courage, race, etc. Every bit with almost any reading or writing, this is differentiation-friendly and tin assist students develop expert reading skills–which, in part, involves thinking like an author instead of similar a 'student.'
If you accept a student who reads four grade levels above their current form and is highly motivated, they tin can infer what the author is implying or bold about–well, almost anything. What does E.B. White seem to believe about the role of loyalty in friendship from the reading of "Charlotte's Web"? What well-nigh expiry and loss? Agrarianism? This likely is worthy of a longer post. Hopefully, information technology makes sense enough to begin using in your classroom.
6. Who seems to be the audition?
Who wants or needs to know this information? Does there seem to exist a specific audition the author is trying to reach? Why do you think and then? If non, what makes you call back there is non a specific audience?
TeachThought Curricula: 15 Reading Responses To Not-Fiction Texts
vii.What is the overall tone of the work?
What does the writer'south general attitude towards their audience? How practice the language, content, imagery, and allusions combine to requite the reading a 'feel,' or tone? What details assist you to understand this? What can y'all infer virtually the author's position on important themes or problems because of that tone?
eight. What point of view does the writer write from?
What betoken of view was the book written from? What does the author seem to assume is truthful? Is the author biased in whatever way? Does the author seem to be aware of this bias? Might information technology be washed on purpose to further the theme? Is it satirical? Ironic?
9. What are the nearly relevant supporting details?
What is the relationship between the author's purpose, thesis or theme, and supporting details?
x. How is the book structured?
What structural elements did you discover in the book? How did these elements touch your understanding of the content? Were at that place whatever text features that were super helpful—or just plain annoying? What could they have washed differently, and what effect would that change have had?
11. How would you describe the author's writing manner?
What elements of the author's writing style did yous find? How do these elements impact your understanding or enjoyment of the text?
12. Does the writer accept credibility to write most this subject or topic?
Why or why not? Be specific.
13. What is the general mood of the text?
What is the writer's general attitude toward their topic? What details make you call back so? How would this text brand most people 'feel'? What is the relationship between the tone, mood, and purpose?
fourteen. How is the plot, argument, or information organized?
Cause/effect? Chronological order? Compare/contrast? Question/reply? Lots of options here–be specific, and defend your answer.
xv. What would you modify?
Choose one important office of this reading that the writer could've fabricated a different choice—the construction, arrangement, purpose, audience, label, pacing, supporting details, mood, etc.—and then explicate how they could've done it differently, and what effect it would've had on the reading.
16. Open
Create your own response. Be artistic, playful, and fun. If information technology'south not any of the iii, I'll hand it dorsum.
FICTION Just
17. Index the characters
List the total name of all characters you'd consider of import (be prepared why yous included someone or left them out). For each character, include 1 line from the text characterizing them; also, characterization each character as major/minor, flat/round, and static/dynamic character.
18. Could you connect with whatever of the characters?
Could yous see yourself in this graphic symbol at all, in whatever major or minor way? How did this affect your reading?
19. What were the (significant) characters motivated by?
What were the pregnant characters motivated by? What was the protagonist motivated virtually by? How did this touch on their experience in the story? Was their source of motivation something that you could chronicle to?
xx. What other stories does this remind you of?
21. What practise you think influenced the author in 'conceiving' and writing this volume? Recollect virtually books, movies, social events, etc. What makes y'all recall so?
21 Reading Response Questions For Self-Guided Response (That Work With Near Texts)
Accountability Reading Response Sheet for Any Text
Source: https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/reading-response/