Hi! I’m R.J.! That’s Reading Journal to you!

Each week you’re supposed to read at home for an

WHAT’S MY PURPOSE ?
half hour each night. Record the time you read on
your Reading Log bookmark. After you read, I want my student readers to . . .
write responses to your book in me! Use the • read, read, and read some more
following heading for each of your responses: • develop a habit of reflecting and thinking
about what they read.
Title of the book: Whirligig Date: 8/19/00 • practice making specific connections to
the books they are reading.
• practice strategies we may have used in
Each week you’ll write a response to your
class, on their own (e.g.: double entry
reading. Your response may be about the book, a
diaries, visualizing, predicting, questioning).
memory sparked by the book, or something that
• practice writing about what they read as
strikes you about the character. You may write
this is a major component of English 2-4
several short responses or one long one.
and beyond.
You can choose to:
• copy a quotation from the book and comment on How Do I Assess Students?
it
• discuss what confuses you about the book
When I look at students’ journals I . . .
• discuss what you would do differently from one of
the characters in the books
• notice what they do spontaneously.
• compare the book to other books you have read
Do they spontaneously relate the text to
• compare the characters in the book to people you
themselves? the world? other texts?
know
Do I need to do a making connections
• predict what will happen next in the book
mini-lesson?
• draw a picture in response to what you read and
Do they spontaneously give specific
write a description/explanation of your picture (one
examples from the reading to prove their
picture per week for credit)
points?
• create a collage of magazine pictures that relate to
Do I need to model how to incorporate
the book and write a description/explanation of
specific examples (that don’t digress
your collage (one per week)
into plot summary) into writing?
• write a poem in response to the novel (one per
week)
• look for patterns.
• find a poem that reminds you of something from
Do they read the same types of books?
the novel, copy the poem into your journal •write a
Do I need to do a mini-lesson on genres
paragraph explaining how you connect the poem to
and introduce high-interest pieces from
the book you’re reading.
a variety of genres? Do I need to book-
talk more books?
Grade EnglishI EnglishI Do they always respond in the same way
Honors to what they read?
Reading/ Writing Reading/ Writing Do I need to model how you respond
2.5 hours/ 2.5 pages 2 hrs / 2 pages differently (e.g.: respond to a quote, write
A a poem about your reading, draw and
B 2 hours/ 2 pages 1.5 hrs/ 1.5 pages
write about significant scene, etc.)
C 1.5 hours/ 1.5 pages 1 hr. / 1 page
Do they use what we do in class?
© Adapted from Linda Reif, Seeking Diversity by Lee Ann Spillane