Reading Responses

Hi Everyone,

For the very first time our students were assigned a reading response. On reading response days nightly jotting is not required.

We have been working hard this year to organically make the transition from jotting to creating a response. Now that our students have gone through the process of creating a big bold claim to support a baby literary essay and then come up with supporting reasons, they are ready to make this transition. They should reflect on a previous jot that represents a big idea, and then write long about this idea.

Please let students do this work independently, and I recommend that they take no more than a half hour to complete their response. Setting a timer might help pace them. I would also recommend encouraging the students to "lead a conference" with you after, so they can explain their thinking and review their work. I want students to feel empowered sharing their ideas!

Here is an example of an exemplary reading response. I am not expecting this quality work with their first attempt, and it does not have to be two pages. However, I am sharing this with you to give you an idea of what we are hoping to move towards.

Thanks for your ongoing support!