A literature response journal – sometimes called a reading response journal – is a tool for communicating thoughts and ideas about books, poems, plays and other written media a student encounters. This communication strategy is effective for students of all ages, kindergarten though college. What makes a reading response journal especially powerful is the potential for teacher feedback and interaction as well as the flexibility of the medium.
The actual journal can be something as simple as a a composition notebook or even a spiral notebook. It can take the form of a personal reflection journal, or it can be a dialogue journal in which student and teacher communicate back and forth. For classrooms with access to technology, the literature response journal could also take the form of a shared blog on an in-school server.
Reading Response Journals Help Improve Reading Comprehension
Traditional book reports tend to be formulaic, asking the student to supply summary information about the book. In contrast, a response journal is open-ended, inviting the student to think deeper about characters, plot and themes. Literature response journaling provides a unique way to deepen comprehension skills.
Response journaling can help students express what they understand about a book. Students can make connections, ask probing questions, show evidence that they are determining importance, inferring characters motivations or the author’s meaning, or predicting, leading to a synthesis of their ideas.
Literature Response Journals Help Improve Writing Skills
Journaling is a medium that allows students to experiment with a variety of writing skills and genres. They can do more than simply write reactions to a book. For instance, students can write an alternate ending, a poem, or a mini-play all in response to what they’ve read. They can illustrate a favorite part of the book. Perhaps they would like to write a list of interview questions and then write other students’ responses. They can carry on a question and answer correspondence with the teacher or another student. All of these activities are ways in which reading response journals can deepen a student’s understanding of both fiction an non-fiction while stretching their writing skills.
However, the key to a successful writing experience is to engage students in a thorough group discussion about the book beforehand. This will provide a natural opportunity for the teacher and the other students to model ways to express ideas about the story. The most productive time to write about literature is immediately following a dynamic discussion. If the discussion lacks energy or stays on the surface, it might be a time to pass on the writing, or to focus on a specific sub-skill such as summarizing. But when the discussion is dynamic and deep, that is the time to put aside whatever is next on the schedule and say, “Let’s get out our response journals.”
Teachers can then pose a question for students to respond to, or they can ask, "Does anyone know what they want to write about this book?" By asking students to briefly state what they plan to focus on in their journaling, teachers provide an open-ended experience that allows each student to focus on what is important to him or her, while modeling for others potential topics for further independent exploration via the journals.
Adapting Literature Response Journals to Meet Differentiated Needs
Literature response journals can easily be adapted to work with students in any grade. Kindergartners, for instance, can draw as their primary medium. They can label their pictures or write simple sentences to express their ideas. High school age students can be expected to cite specific words or paragraphs in the book that support their statements or ideas. They can compare the book in question to others they have read.
Regardless of their age or ability, primary grade, intermediate, middle school and high school students can all be appropriately challenged depending on their writing skills. Literature response journals can also be adapted for and become a powerful medium for English language learners and those with learning disabilities.
Students of all ages can deepen their reading comprehension, expand their writing skills, and connect reading and speaking to writing through the use of literature response journals.
Learn how to adapt literature response journals for English language learners:
Margaret M. Williams - Margaret M. Williams (Peggy) has been a teacher for over 25 years. She currently teaches first grade in a classroom that combines native ...
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