Dear Parents/Students:
Tomorrow, we will be starting a new phase of our language arts curriculum: journal writing. These journals will be used to write about the many things you are reading outside of class time. Additionally, you can use these journals as a tool to apply the skills and the knowledge you are learning in class to your own reading and writing. Here is how it will work:
1. Each night you are required to read 20 minutes. Sometimes this is assigned reading (such as in Health, Science or Social Studies) and other times it is free choice reading. Regardless of the book selection, you should by now be reading 20 minutes every night of the week including weekends!
2. Twice a week, on any nights you want, you will be asked to make a journal entry based on what you have been reading at home. These entries should be at least one page long, skipping lines. They should contain thoughtful and complete sentences that answer at least one or more of the journal prompt questions already provided or those included in the chart on the back of this sheet.
3. Each Friday I will collect a portion of our class journals to read and review. Your work will be graded based on neatness, completeness, and thoughtfulness. Prompt questions will be updated at least once a month. You may also choose to write to me about your own question or idea. Try to select a new question each time you write.
4. These journal entries should be your own, best work. You should try to apply rules of grammar and spelling that we are learning in the classroom. You will not lose credit for sharing thoughtful comments that may be wrong as this is YOUR journal and it should contain YOUR true thoughts. You will, however, lose points for work that is not your best work. At this stage, you should all be able to complete this assignment with little stress. My goal is that this will become something enjoyable for you to do each week as well as enjoyable for me to read each week.
5. I will post a schedule of what journals I will be collecting each week. Be sure your journal is with you on that day to turn in for my review. Good luck and have fun!!
Ms. Coffman ☺
Reader’s Response Journals
Writing Prompt Chart #1
January 31, 2012
| Strategy One: Visualizing What pictures did you have in your head as you were reading? Describe one or more. Does your book have illustrations? Do these add to your understanding? Why or why not? What is your favorite illustration? Why did you choose it? Could you picture what was happening when there was no illustration? Explain. | Strategy Two: Making Connections How did the story make you feel? What emotions did you experience? Explain. Did you share a common experience with a character in the book? What was it? Do any of the characters remind you of someone in your life? Who? Why? How is this story like another story that you know? How are these stories alike? How are they different? |
| Strategy Three: Questioning What questions did you have as you looked at the book title or cover? List them; were they answered as you started to read? What questions did you have as you were reading? List them; were they answered? If you were a character in the book, what questions would you have for another character? What surprised by any of the answers to your questions? What question are you most eager to answer as you come close to the end of the story? | Other: Story Elements Who is the most interesting character? Why? Where and when does the story take place? Is the setting of the story important? Why or why not? Who is telling or narrating the story? Is it one of the characters in the book? How did the story end? Were you able to predict the ending? What clues did you have or what clues were missing? Why do you think the author wanted to write this story? What was his or her purpose? |
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