How to Keep
a
Ryan Thomas
Materials:
Students will need a spiral
bound notebook specifically designated for a reading response journal.� Students will also need their class notebook
and the designated �Reading Procedures� section to take notes
in.
Time:
Approximately 15 minutes
Objectives:
NCTE Standards
�
6.� Students apply knowledge of language
structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media
techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss
print and non-print texts.
NCSCS Standards
�
Competency Goal
1:� The learner will use language to
express individual perspectives drawn from personal or related experience.
1.02:� Explore expressive materials that are read,
heard, and view by:
�
generating a learning log or journal.
Purpose of Mini-Lesson:
The purpose of this
mini-lesson is to stress the importance of reflecting on what one is reading,
sharing those reflections, and reading others ideas and thoughts in their
reflections.� This lesson will teach
students how to reflect on their reading and what the components are of keeping
a reading response journal.� This
mini-lesson should be taught at the beginning of the school year when reading
workshop is introduced.� Once this lesson
is completed, students will be better able to write their feeling about the
texts they are reading, both print and non-print, in journal entry form.
Activity:
The mini-lesson will discuss
what students need in order to create a reading response journal, what should
be included in a reading response journal, and the audience the students will
be writing to in their journals.� I will
list on the overhead what components are necessary and have them take notes in
the �Reading Procedures� section of their class notebook.� I will also share an example of a journal
entry of my own or a past student�s.�
After this mini-lesson, student should be able to know what to reflect
on and how to write in their journals.
Script:
����������� Today we are going to begin a reading response journal
that we will be keeping throughout the year and sharing with classmates.
����������� Any ideas on what a reading response journal is?� (Give students a chance to answer.� Make sure answer includes that it is a
reflective process about what you are reading, allows you to make personal
connections to what you are reading, and influences those who read your
journal.)
����������� Okay, please take out your classroom notebook and turn to
the �Reading Procedures� section.� You
will need to take notes on the components of a reading response journal.
����������� First of all, you will need a spiral bound notebook that
is used only for journal entries.� The
notebook will be entitled �Reading Response Journal�.� It is very important that this notebook stays
separate from all of your other class work.�
You will be able to take it home, so you will need to make sure that you
keep up with it.� If for some reason you
cannot get a notebook, please let me know.�
I was included in your supply list that I gave your parents at the
beginning of the year.
����������� Okay, please take notes as I write them on the overhead
about what I would like for you to think about when you are writing in your
reading response journal.� First of all,
tell what you felt when you read and why you felt that way.� Maybe you identified with a particular
character and understood what he/she was going through.� Tell why you identified with the character
and use personal experiences or feelings to make the connection.� Also include what you noticed about how the
author wrote.� For example, did he or she
use foreshadowing, flashbacks, descriptive words that make you see the scene in
you head, etc.� Then include what you
liked, what you didn�t like, and why.�
The object of the reading response journal is to get you to think about
what you�ve read and make connections to the material.
����������� I have an example that I am going to show you of an entry
in a reading response journal. (Choose a past entry or create one of your own
to show that class that contains all of the components given to the class on the
overhead.)
����������� Please come to class tomorrow with your reading response
journal notebooks and we will get started with making entries.� I will take up a few journals at the end of
each week to see what reactions you have to your reading.
Related Lessons
*Why an author uses the
sequence of events in his/her novel
*Reading others� reading
response journal