Reading Journals
Throughout the school year, you will be required to complete a reading journal while striving to meet the 25 book goal. Using notebook paper, you will write down your responses to the given questions and place them in your notebooks. When you place your papers in the notebooks, cross off the questions used and write down the title of your book on the title page. These notebooks will be specific to the reading journals and will stay in class. Every fifth day (every fifth A-day and every fifth B-day), Mrs. Fifield will check the journals to make sure they are being updated and will check you off. At this time, there should be at least 2 new entries (these entries may be from the same book).
For each entry, you are to choose one question from the following list and answer in at least one page. For each question, create a brief graphic organizer to help you answer the question (this does not count as part of your 1 page!). You may not use a question more than once, unless otherwise stated. Some questions may be specific to certain kinds of books, so choose carefully. Not all of the questions will be answered during the year (more than likely), but challenge yourself to get to as many as possible. The more you read, the better you become!
1. What kind of person is ___________________________? How do you know? Support your answer with facts from your book.
2. In real life, events and people can change a character. Trace how an important event or person changed the character by the end of the book.
3. Who is the narrator of this story? Support why do you think the author chose this narrator.
4. Finish this sentence: I like the way the author _____. Be sure to use support for something you like about the way the author wrote the story.
5. Have you read any other books by this author? How does this one compare?
6. Write a brief interview with the main character of your book. (An interview means the questions and the answers.)
7. Critique the setting. How does the setting make the story more interesting?
8. Predict what do you think will happen next in this story? What evidence from what you have already read helps you prove your prediction?
9. Write a letter to a friend advising him/her to read your book. Explain why he/she should read it.
10. Explain why your book should be included in the class’s list of TOP TEN BOOKS.
11. Write a letter to a friend advising him/her to read your book. Explain why he/she should read it.
12. What did the author have to know about to write this book? What kinds of research did he/she have to do? Use evidence from the book to explain what the author researched.
13. Predict what will happen to one of the characters after this book ends. What will the rest of his/her life be like? What evidence from the book makes you think this will happen?
14. Assume the role of an interesting character in your book and write a monologue in that character’s voice.
15. Choose a quotation from your book. Discuss what it means and why it is memorable. (Be sure to list the page number where it can be found.)
16. If you have read another book with a similar theme or subject, compare the two.
17. Choose actors/actresses to portray the main characters in a movie version of your book and support your choices.
18. Make up five interview questions (with answers) for a minor character in your book.
19. Explain where and how you think the main character will die. What evidence from the book makes you think so?
20. Explain what the main character wants more than anything. What evidence from the book makes you think so?
21. Explain where the main character would most want to travel. What evidence from the book makes you think so?
22. Compare and contrast where you live with the neighborhood or town in the book. (You may want to use a Venn diagram.)
23. Draw the setting of your book and explain it.
24. Interpret the title of the book. Is it appropriate? Why or why not? If not suggest a better one and defend it.
25. Explain what you think happened before the story began. What evidence from the book makes you think so?
26. Draw a portrait of your main character and describe it.
27. Create a poster for your book. Include 1) a reference to the plot. 2). a quote from the book. 3). a review or statement about its quality.
28. Make a drawing of an object from your book that you think would symbolize one of the characters. Tell why you chose this object and what it says about the character.
29. Design an award for the main character. Tell why the character is to receive it and who will present it to him/her.
30. You are a psychologist offering advice to the main character in your book. Identify the problem the character faces and explain the advice you would give.
31. If your main character is a student, write a progress report or note from his/her teacher. What evidence from the book makes you think a teacher would evaluate him/her this way?
32. Describe an experience you’ve had that was like an experience of your main character.
33. Create and interpret a bookmark featuring your book.
34. Make a TV script for one scene from your book. Include stage and camera directions.
35. Write a poem about a character in your book. Be sure to use literary techniques in your poem.
36. Quote at least two passages of good description or good dialogue from your book and interpret them. Be sure to list the pages where these can be found.
37. Find and write down 20 similes and/or metaphors from your book. List the page numbers. This takes time so plan to do this over the reading of the whole book. Don’t save this until last or you will have trouble doing it.
38. Describe a field trip you would like to take because of your book. Discuss how it relates to the book.
39. Finish this sentence: “I wonder why…” Analyze an event or events from the story to show why you wonder.
40. What did a character do to surprise you? Explain why that action surprised you.
41. What part of the book made you stop and think? Explain why.
42. If this book has a movie version and you have seen it, compare and contrast the two.
43. If you were to make a movie of this book, argue which scenes you would be sure to include and scenes you would leave out.
44. If you have finished your book, interpret what you think the author’s message (theme) is.
45. What parts of the book seem most believable? What parts seem most unbelievable? Explain why.
46. Evaluate the author’s vocabulary. Does your book contain several big words? Foreign words? Technical language? Slang? Old-fashioned words? Why do you think the author made this choice of vocabulary? Use evidence from your book to show why.
47. Critique your book. What are the best parts of this book? What are the worst parts? Explain why.
48. What characters would you like to be in this novel? Explain why. What personality traits of this character would you like to have? Explain why.
49. Support what you consider to be the most important decision made in this book? How does it affect the character? How does it affect the outcome of the book?
50. Do any of the characters remind you of friends, family members, classmates, teachers, etc? Demonstrate how they are similar (be nice!).
51. Compare and contrast yourself and any of the characters in your book. Support how your personality is the same or different.
52. Do you like the end of your book? Explain why or why not. If you don’t like it, explain how would you end it?
53. Make a timeline of at least eight events in the life of the main character in your book.
54. Pretend you are your favorite character in your book. Write a diary entry about something in the story.
55. Make a dictionary (ABC order) of at least twenty-five words for the subject of your book. This takes time so be sure to do this while you read the book. It will make your work easier.
56. Find a quotation (not from your book) and argue why a character in your book would like it. Why would he/she think this quote is meaningful? Tell where the quote is from.
57. Explain 3 to 5 facts, theories, or incidents that you found particularly interesting. Be sure to define why you think they are interesting.
58. Write a newspaper article about something in the story. Be sure to follow the characteristics of a newspaper article.
59. Design an ad for a product that is in the story or would be useful to a character in the story. In a paragraph, demonstrate why the character would buy/use this product. (You may use the computer to produce your ad.)
60. Write an editorial about an issue important to your main character. Be sure to follow the characteristics of an editorial.
61. Write a letter to your senator about an issue your main character would find important.
62. Create a brochure about a topic from your book. You may use a computer to create a brochure.
63. Create a Power Point presentation featuring the highlights of your book. Be sure not to give away the ending of your story. Print out the presentation and place in your notebook.
64. Explain a lesson you learned from reading your book. Evaluate why that is an important lesson to you.
65. Identify some new information you learned from this book.
66. When does this story take place? Was it long ago, in the future, or the present? What did you learn about this time period?
67. Analyze a conflict between two characteristics. How was it resolved? What did you learn about these characteristics?
68. Were there problems characters could not solve? Identify one or two and explain why you think they were not resolved.
69. What is the genre of your book? Demonstrate places that support your decision using your book.
70. What literary techniques did you find? Flashback? Foreshowing? Figurative language? Find and describe examples of two of these techniques.
71. Did the author create different moods? Critique passages in the text that reveal two different moods, and share. Point out the words, phrases, and actions that helped create the mood.
72. Discuss some points that the author is making about family, friends, feelings, nature, life experiences, or an historical period. Use details from the story that back up a point you are making.
73. Discuss what the author might have been saying about family relationships and offer support from the story to back up your position.
The following questions are specific for biography, autobiography, and memoir:
74. Discuss three to four personality traits that helped make this person achieve his/her goal.
75. Analyze two problems this person had to overcome.
76. Interpret what you feel enabled this person to realize personal hopes and dreams.
77. Were there people and/or events that helped this person realize his/her dream? Select two and identify how each influenced the person.
78. What do you admire or dislike about this person? Explain your position.
79. Discuss how you and this person are alike or different. Give specific examples in your discussions.
80. Explain how this person affected the lives of other people during his/her time or during our time.
The following questions are specific for historical fiction:
81. Identify clues you used to determine the time and place of the book.
82. Demonstrate what this book teaches you about the role of men and women during these times.
83. Would you enjoy living during the time of this book? Explain why or why not.
84. Analyze how people coped with economic problems such as scarcity of food, money, and jobs.
85. Evaluate how minorities are portrayed. Are they stereotyped? Identify examples.
The following questions are specific for fantasy:
86. What are the settings? Explain the elements of fantasy that you see in the setting.
87. How does the author enable you, the reader, to enter the fantasy world? Are they realistic elements? Discuss some of these and how they affect the story.
88. Describe special powers the hero possesses. For what purpose does he/she use these powers?
89. Is there a struggle between forces of light and dark? Who wins? Offer support for the victory.
90. Does the story deal with values and themes about death? Support your opinion with events from the story.
91. Demonstrate how this book changes your thinking.
The following questions are specific for science fiction:
92. Identify scientific advances you see in the society. How do these advances in technology affect the characters’ decisions and actions?
93. Are problems characters face in the story similar to or different from those people face today? Explain with two examples.
94. Does the author deal with present-day issues such as population, food supplies, ecology, and/or technological advances?
95. Does the story offer hope for humanity or is it a warning? Explain your conclusion.
96. How do people fit into this futuristic society? Are they subordinate to machines? Has democracy vanished? See if you can identify the changes and offer some reasons for each one.
97. Would you like to live in this society? Are there advantages and disadvantages? Argue reasons from the text to support your decisions.
The following questions are specific for mystery:
98. Trace how the author builds suspense and excitement. Find three passages and discuss how the author accomplishes this. Was it through description, characters’ thoughts, and characters’ actions?
99. Identify the mystery that must be solved. Discuss how the setting affects the mystery.
100. Trace the clues that the author includes to lead you away from solving the mystery.
101. Define the traits the main character possesses that enable him/her to solve the mystery.
102. Explain why the main character became involved in the mystery.
103. Interpret how danger affects the decisions and actions of the main character/detective.
104. At what point in the book were you able to solve the mystery? Support why you could do so.
105. Discuss the part you consider most suspenseful. Explain why you feel this way.
The following questions are specific for nonfiction:
106. Explain why you selected this nonfiction book.
107. Identify and discuss what you learned from two of the following: photographs, charts, diagrams, or illustrations.
108. Explain whether or not this book changed your thinking on this topic. If so, how? If not, why not?
109. Demonstrate how the author wove opinions into facts. Find examples of each.
The following questions are specific for folk and fairy tales:
110. Can you classify your fairy/folktale and explain why you selected the category? Was it a cumulative, circular, realistic, wonder, beast, numskull, giant, or quest tale? Support your answer with facts from the story.
111. Does the tale revolve around magic numbers? If so, critique the role of these magic numbers in the story and how they affected the adventures and characters.
112. Support why heroic tasks or deeds must be accomplished.
113. Trace how the adventures, the magic, and other characters change the life of the hero or heroine.
114. Demonstrate any human characteristics animals, flowers, and toys have. Explain how their qualities are similar to yours.
115. What is the clash or struggle between good and evil? Who wins? Offer support for your opinion on the victory.
116. Who is the hero? The heroine? Evaluate the qualities that make him/her heroic.
These next questions you can use more than once but no more than three times per school year.
117. Reading this piece made me think about …
118. The most important idea in the piece for me was ____________ because …
119. I was surprised by ____________ because ...
120. This piece helped me understand …
121. One thing that made me stop and think was …
122. Here are some questions the piece raised in my mind …
123. Here are some questions I would like to ask the authors of this piece …
124. One “ah-ha” I had when I read was …
125. I learned something new when I read this piece. This is what I learned…
126. I agree (do not agree) with ____________ because…
127. I would like to discuss ______ with my peers because …
128. I want to know more about __________ because …
Adapted from N. Atwell, Mrs. Debbie Parsons, Nelson County High School and Judy Hopkins, Bernheim Middle School
