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©Carolyn Gabb
Students can use a range of
writing possibilities when "interacting" with text --notebook paper,
some kind of journal for writing
reflections, or "bookmarking".
Keep a spiral notebook for your responses…in which you take notes on the books
you are reading --
utilizing both genre criteria and general issues of literary elements.
The level of detail in your journal will indicate the depth with which you are reading. Start a new
page for EACH book. At the top of the entry, always put the full bibliographic entry for
the book (which you will need when you type your response).
The purpose of the journal
is for you to record your responses to the books and articles you read,
to dig deeper, to make connections with the literature, to "make meaning"
for yourself.
Your journal will also serve
as a point of departure for class and small group discussion.
The primary emphasis should
be on you as a reader of children's literature. If you are the
teacher, do not try
anticipate the responses of unknown children; write as the adult reader.
And remember, readers can only "interpret" an author or illustrator; the deepest
meanings reside in the heart
of the creators. Use the following format:
AUTHOR: (or editors)
TITLE: (underlined)
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER:
DATE:
Dedication:
Voice (lst person, 3rd person ...):
First line: Do not spend more than a
sentence or two retelling the plot.
What do you THINK about what you are reading? There is o need to
re-write the story in the response. You are writing to
yourself to discover what
you are thinking as you read. The result should
be that you become both more
aware of yourself as a reader and more
aware of how you read
Avoid beginning sentences with
the following:
*The purpose of this book is....
*I think the author's intention was..
*I wanted to keep reading because..
*This book is important to use in the classroom
because...
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