Reading+Response

Reading Response Journal

You are responsible for one journal entry each week. You may use free time in class to work on the entry, if you have it. If you have not finished at the end of the week, your entry is homework. Each journal entry should be at least one full journal page, single spaced. Use only gray/black pencil or blue or black pen. The format of your journal entry should be like a letter to the teacher. It should include the date, a greeting, the title and author of your book, and a closing. When you write in your journal, you are responding to your book, not simply retelling the teacher what happened in the story. Use the questions as suggestions for things to write. You should choose at least 3 questions to answer, but you may not answer more than 5 in one entry. As always, the more explanation you give, the higher score you will receive. The word **BECAUSE** should appear in your entries as many times as possible. Here is the scoring rubric for your entries:
 * || Check Plus

100 || Check

88 || Check Minus

76 || Date, greeting, title, author, closing || Letter format, missing date, title, or author. || Not letter format or missing date, title, and author. || __ Plot __ My favorite part of the story was… The most exciting/boring part of the story was… The most interesting twist was … I was surprised when …. __ Character __ My favorite character is _ because … My least favorite character is _ because … If I could be a character in this book I would be … I couldn’t believe when _ did … __ Setting __ The setting reminds me of … I would/would not like to be _ because… The description of the setting is … __ Mood __ The mood of this book is … I felt _ when because … __ Theme __ I think this book’s message is because … I agree/disagree with the message because … __ Connections __ This story reminds me of … (Text to text, self, or world issue) __ Questions __ I wonder why … I don’t understand why … A question I would ask a character is … A question I would ask the author is … __ Inferences __ I predict that … because … I think this character … I figured out that … because… This character is good/bad because … This choice was good/bad because … __ Determining Importance __ The most important event so far is … I think _ __is the most important character because …__ Sensory Images __ When I read ___ part, I imagined … I could see/smell/hear/taste/feel _ because …
 * Content || Use many reading strategies and add __lots__ of thoughts, ideas, feelings, and **becauses**! || Some use of reading strategies, some plot retelling. A couple of **becauses**. || Mostly retelling the story. ||
 * Format || Letter format,
 * Length || One full journal page or more || 2/3 of a journal page – 1 journal page || Less than 2/3 of a journal page ||
 * Suggested Questions/Ideas to respond to: **
 * Elements of Literature **
 * Reading Strategies **

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