Engaging students in literacy is one of my favorite
things to do! I love talking about books with agents. I do trust your student
is reading at home (and at school) during the week. Click here if you want to learn more about why not to skip the 20 minutes of
reading a night. Every other week students will have a reading letter due where
we converse about the books (any type of text) or magazines or newspapers they
are reading. Over the course of the years I have watched students develop a
love of reading and an enjoyment for discussing books, as well as grow as
thinkers just from these letters! Read this end of the year sample from Lulu! Many agents will start the year giving me a
summary of their book and within weeks are sharing their thinking and questions
about the books they are reading. This helps me get to know your agent in a
more meaningful way.
Students should use the same letter document for
each letter. Each letter should begin with the date, a greeting (Dear Ms.
Freedman,) and then introduce the book the student is reading with a brief
summary of what happened. If I ask any questions of the student from the
previous week those should be answered next. Then students will want to share
with me their THINKING about the book using evidence from the text. I am not
looking for a list of events that happened in the story, rather if something
was funny they should tell me what it was and why it was funny to them. Maybe
there were words or figurative language that caught their eye! Why is this good
writing? Some students have written alternative endings or imagined what would
happen if the setting changed, and then they explained how that could change
the story. These letters might be challenging at first, but over time the
student growth that occurs is unbelievable. Students are also welcome to ask me
questions about what I am reading, though I cannot promise it will be exciting
if it is for Northeastern.
Questions we use in class for reader response might
be helpful:
1) I
especially like/dislike this character because…
2) I
especially like/dislike this text because…
3) I
learned an unbelievable amount of new information from this text. For example…
4) The
chapter I read was mainly about_____________________. In the beginning…in the middle…at the end…
5) This
character reminds me of myself because…
6) This
part was very realistic/unrealistic because…
7) The
character I most admire is ________________ because…
8)
Give an opinion: Tell what you think or
feel about a certain part, and why. Be specific.
9)
Ask a question: This can be a basic
question about something you don’t understand in the text or a larger question
(about life, literature, or anything) that the text made you consider.
10)
Make a connection: As you read, a
certain point in the text reminds you of another story, poem, movie, song, or
something from real life. How are the two alike?
11)
Significant passage: You realize a
certain part of the text is important. Why do you think it’s important? What
does it mean? What does it tell you about the entire book, story, or poem?
12)
Language recognition: You notice some
appropriate sensory details, or figurative language such as a simile,
onomatopoeia, or personification, and so on. What is the language, and how does
it add to the piece?
13)
Find foreshadowing: You read something
that seems like a hint of what will come later. Explain you think this, and
make a prediction.
14)
Prove a character trait: Think of a word
that describes your character and prove it with examples from the text.
15)
Spot the setting: Describe your book’s
setting using images that form in your mind as you read.
I am looking forward to
sharing books with our students! They are always welcome to get their letter
done early. Due dates for the year are posted on the classroom calendar. I hope your agent can find some time to read outside the school
day! Here is a list of tips!
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