ELC 151

PERSONAL READING LOG

Puan Razanawati Nordin

◦SHORT STORY
◦ It’s a work of fiction, so it involves the
imagination
◦ A short story tells of one event in a very
concentrated way.
◦ It’s about people who don’t really exist Definitions of
◦ It describes something at a moment of crisis short stories:
◦ It has a plot and characters who are somehow
connected with each other.
 A short story…

◦involves chronology, or sequence of

events, and connection

◦ the fact that events are somehow

connected with each other, and that one
event may result from another.
 THE
STRUCTUR
E OF A
STORY -
PLOT
 Types of Conflict

1 2 3 4 5
Man vs. Man Man vs. Man vs. Man vs. Man vs.
Nature Obstacle or Supernatural Himself
Society Being
◦LITERARY
ELEMENTS
 Setting Style
+l
Literary Writing
Location &
time Elements techniques

Characters Plot/ Theme

Main or
story line recurrent idea
The people &
their relationships (could also be a
Actions and
lesson to learn)
events
Common Literary Elements
◦ 1. Plot:
◦ It is the logical sequence of events that develops a story.

◦ 2. Setting:
◦ It refers to the time and place in which a story takes place. It also refers to the MODE and TONE of the
story

◦ 3. Protagonist:
◦ It is the main character of story, novel or a play
Common Literary Elements
◦ 4. Antagonist:
◦ It is the character in conflict with the Protagonist

◦ 5. Narrator: A person who tells the story.

◦ 6. Narrative method:
◦ The manner in which a narrative is presented comprising plot and setting.

◦ 7. Dialogue:
◦ Where characters of a narrative speak to one another.
Common Literary Elements
◦ 8. Conflict.
◦ It is an issue in a narrative around which the whole story revolves.

◦ 9. Mood:
◦ A general atmosphere of a narrative.

◦ 10. Theme:
◦ It is central idea or concept of a story.
◦PERSONAL
READING LOG
Extensive Reading Project
◦ Objectives:

• foster love for reading 

• build reading fluency and vocabulary

• promote confidence, motivation, enjoyment 

• make students more effective language users

• lower any anxieties about language learning 

Extensive Reading Project
◦ A continuous project which involves the recording of entries into personal reading logs (PRL).

◦ These entries will be made based on selected short stories.

◦ Degree of difficulties
◦ Easy
◦ Moderate
◦ Difficult
Personal Reading Log (PRL)
◦
Students use reading logs to maintain a written record of their personal reactions based on their selected
short stories.

◦ The logs are an opportunity for students to express their attitudes towards a text, reflect on their discoveries,
and make connections between what they know and what they are learning.

◦ The reading log is a place to speculate, ask questions, express opinions, and build knowledge, giving
students the ability to grow as strategic readers and independent learners.

◦ It offers you a chance to respond personally to short stories and to ask questions, ponder, predict, , reflect , analyze,
interpret and give opinion on plot, setting, characters, events, themes, language etc.
The PRL Approach
◦ Step 1-  Lecturers recommend 4 short stories

◦ Step 2-  Students select 2 stories to complete two PRL commentaries

◦ Step 3-  Students respond to a specific prompt for each commentary (short story)

◦ Step 4-  Students write the entries in class and submit them to the lecturers on
weeks  6 and 9  

◦ Step 5-  Lecturers grade the entries based on the suggested criteria
◦SCORING
GUIDE
 Grading Criteria
The grading criteria for PRL. 
Each entry will be awarded a total of 10 marks (X 2 entries = 20 marks) .

EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE FAIR WEAK

9-10 7-8 5-6 3-4 1-2

•Responses are very •Responses are adequately •Responses seldom •Responses offer NO insight •Responses are NOT
insightful, showing an insightful showing adequate insightful, showing below into the reading.  complete.
excellent comprehension of comprehension of the average comprehension of
the reading. reading.  the reading.  •Responses DO NOT •Responses show no
demonstrate comprehension indication of having read the
•All responses refer to •Several responses refer to •Few responses refer to of the reading.  material.
specific text details.  specific text details.  specific text details. 
  •Responses DO NOT refer to •Responses are incoherent. 
specific details. 
◦HOW TO TACKLE
THE STORY
 1. Understand the stages of analyzing the
SHORT STORY
Study the ending,
values & lessons!
Integrating and
applying
Look for the plot.
Understanding the
details
Scan & skim the important
words!
Building up knowledge of Post-reading
the topic
While-reading
Pre- reading
2. Arrange your points to

Topic sentence (Stand)

Elaboration1 Elaboration 2

Link to Link to short Link to

short story story short story
How to
elaborate
your main
point(s)
during PRL?

◦ Use
◦ the PEEL method

◦ & use
CONNECTORS to
link your points,
sentences clearly.
◦LOG TO ASSIST
Sample 1: Reading log (simple)
ELC 151: READING LOG
Title : Author :

Date Started : Date Finish :

MAIN SETTING/ CONFLICTS ENDING RATE THIS STORY

CHARACTERS
VENUE/ YEAR
         
       

 
Sample 2: Reading log (page 1)
CHARACTERS SETTING CONFLICTS / ENDING RATE THIS STORY

WHO & DESCRIBE   ISSUES

         
PROTAGONIST: VENUE: 1. 1. LIKE:

         

         

         

    2. 2.  

         

  YEAR:      

ANTAGONIST: 3. 3. DISLIKE:

       

       

     

   

   

 
Sample 2: Reading log (page 2)
THEME VALUES / IF YOU COULD STRENGTH WEAKNESS

LESSONS LEARNT CHANGE OF SHORT OF SHORT STORY

STORY
THE SHORT STORY
1. 1. 1. 1. 1.

         

         

         

2. 2. 2. 2. 2.

         

         

3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

         

         

   

 
◦POSSIBLE
QUESTIONS ON
PRL
Proposed Tasks
◦ 1. Comment on a passage or sentence from the text.
◦ As a during-reading activity, encourage the students to write down part of the text that contains
an intriguing idea or puzzling situation, whether it is a sentence or a longer passage, and then
allow them to interpret the idea or situation by writing extended comments in class.

◦ 2. Speculate about information gaps.

• If the story does not say where or when events happened, the reader can speculate on the
answers.
• This can also be done for clothes the characters might be wearing, the food they might
consume, or the houses where they might reside.
Proposed Tasks
• 3. Write a letter.
• The student, acting on behalf of a character in the story, writes a letter to the editor of a
newspaper or to an advice columnist like “Dear Thelma” regarding an issue that is relevant to
the story.
• If another student in class is reading the same story, he or she can write a reply.

• 4. Imagine filming the story.

• Students reflect on what scenes from the story they would include in a film if they were the
director.
• They write down how they would film special scenes and explain why they would choose certain
actors for the film.
Proposed Tasks
• 5. Provide your own ending.
• Students provide alternate endings for the story.

• 6. Give opinions about the story.

• Students write comments in two columns labelled “What I did not like about the story” and “What I
liked about the story.”

• 7. Write down aspects of the culture reflected in the story.

• Students compare and contrast cultural aspects in the story with their own society.
• After describing them, the students can predict potential misunderstandings that might occur between
their culture and that in the short story.
Proposed Tasks
◦  In addition to this list, the lecturers can devise their own questions. For example, if students
have started reading a short story, and halfway through it they realize they do not find it exciting
any longer, they can put it away and begin another one. They might then compose an entry that
would explain what prevented them from finishing the story.
◦TO SUM UP
 Read & Read & understand the short story
understand

Jot Jot notes

Refer Refer to dictionary

To conclude
Learn Learn words to describe

Discuss 5. * Discuss with friends

Take Take the PRL assessment

◦Get ready!
◦ WEEK 6 & WEEK 9
◦ ONE HOUR