Responding to Reading

Reader response activities encourage students to clarify and extend their thinking about what they read. Readers construct individual and personal meanings in light of their backgrounds, experiences, prior knowledge of the topic, and the language of the reading material. As well, readers' responses will depend upon their purposes for reading, and upon the social and cultural contexts in which the reading occurs.

When opportunities are provided for students to respond, they begin to make sense of what they read and make connections between what they read and their own life experiences. Through reader response activities, students get a sense of how a particular reading selection affects and changes their lives.

Teachers can encourage Middle Level students to respond to what they read by offering them a variety of means of expressing their understanding. Students should be allowed to choose their means of expression some of the time. They need opportunities to talk, draw, write, construct, or dramatize in response to what they read. It is important for them to have the freedom to respond in the way that they believe is most appropriate to what they are reading. However, students need to learn about the various response possibilities so that they have a repertoire from which to choose. Developmental stages of reader response are shown on the chart on the following page.

Throughout the school year, teachers should model a variety of ways of responding while reading aloud to the class. Teachers should also respond in a variety of ways to their own personal reading selections. The following steps may be used to initiate reader response:

• Set goals, with the students if possible, for the minimum number and types of responses required each week, but encourage students to respond as frequently as they wish.
  
• Explain to the students how often they can expect to have their journals read and responded to by the teacher.
  
• Encourage students to respond personally and genuinely in such ways as:
  • writing down a quote and responding to it
    
  • writing down their questions and wonderings as they read
    
  • writing down predictions about what might happen to characters or incidents that might occur, and explaining why they think that
    
  • writing their reactions to an incident or the actions of a character(s)
    
  • commenting on the writer's craft (e.g., how the author captured interest, created images, created suspense, developed believable characters).
• Model a variety of response formats for students.
  
• When introducing reading response journals, teachers may give each student a letter, such as the one that follows, to attach to the first page of his/her journals.

Dear (student's name)

This is your Reading Response Journal! It is the place where you and I can talk about books, authors, reading, and writing. We will chat in writing about the books, stories, and poetry that we read and our letters will stay in this notebook, as a record of all the reading and thinking we did about literature this year.

In your letters, tell me about what you have read. Tell me about more than the plot or the facts. Tell me what you thought and felt as you were reading. Tell me what you liked and did not like, and what made sense and what did not, and why. Tell me how what you have read connects with what you already know or have heard. Ask questions. I will do the same.

Be sure to date each letter and to state the title and author of the selection to which you are responding. You must write at least twice each week, but you may write more often if you wish. I will write back to you once each week. This collection of letters will provide _____% of your mark each term.

I am looking forward to your letters!

Your teacher,

Developmental Stage	Characteristics of Each Stage Students in this stage:	Level of Questions to which Readers in Each Stage Respond
Stage 1 unconscious enjoyment of imaginary entry into what they read	are uncritical, subjective readers relate to what they read, but can not say why they like it or dislike it respond to literal factual questions	What happened? To whom did it happen? When did it happen? What is the sequence of events?
Stage 2 self-conscious appreciation or perception of text purpose and meaning	begin to become objective about the work and their responses to it compare their own knowledge, experiences, and values to the work being read begin to read between the lines and describe their evaluative responses	Why did the events occur as they did? How are you like the main character? How are you different? Why do you think the author wrote this?
Stage 3 conscious appreciation and perception of text unity, purpose, and ideas	choose their own reading material with increasing insight and discretion respond with pleasure to an increasing range and variety of text examine critically and reflect on their own response after reading	What is the significance of this section/selection in terms of what we are studying or have studied? What is distinctive about the author's style/craft? How does the setting contribute to the overall effect of the work? Do you agree with the author? Why or why not?

These stages are not necessarily linear and are most likely to be recursive in nature. Students will move into and out of these stages at different rates, depending upon the type of reading material and their reading experiences.

(Based on Early, 1960.)

Dialogue Journals

Dialogue Journals are interactive written conversations between students and teachers or peers. The participants share their responses and observations, collaboratively negotiating and clarifying meaning as they extend and elaborate on the initial entry. Middle Level students benefit from socializing with their peers, learning about others' personal thoughts and opinions, and sharing their own.

Students gain a sense of ownership when they are able to make choices about what they read, and when they are encouraged to respond in ways that are appropriate for them as individuals. The students and the teacher, through reader response, have opportunities to use language in order to share ideas and opinions with each other. When students have authentic audiences, they are more likely to see the point of the task beyond pleasing the teacher.

Request that students acquire a notebook in which to write responses regularly and in which to record ideas for other types of responses. The collection of each student's entries remains together in his/her notebook for future reference and further discussion. The entries provide evidence of the students' growth as interpretive and critical readers and thinkers.

Split-page Journals: Extending Reader Response

It is important to help students move their responses beyond an initial, personal reaction toward a more reflective, critical response. One way to do this is to have them create a split-page journal by drawing a line down the middle of each page, making two columns. Have them entitle the left-hand column First Impressions and explain that this column is for initial, personal responses to what they read (their first thoughts and feelings). Then have them entitle the right-hand column Second Thoughts and explain that this column is used following discussion or reflection about what they read and about their first impressions. Second thoughts are usually more interpretive, critical, or evaluative because students have had the opportunity to rethink or discuss their initial reactions. Encourage them to make connections between their own and others' ideas as well.

Teachers can provide scaffolds that move students beyond first impressions to more critical thought by providing open-ended thinking prompts (e.g., Think about Nobby's reaction to Zilla when they first meet as compared to her reactions when Uncle Chad arrives), rather than questions that may appear to have right or wrong answers (e.g., What was Nobby's reactions to Zilla after Uncle Chad arrives?). "Think about ..." statements move students beyond retelling what they have read and encourage them to be critical thinkers.

Using self-monitoring record sheets such as the one on the following page encourages students to respond in a variety of ways. Teachers may adapt these record sheets to include other methods of response.

Reading Logs and Reading Conferences

A briefer means of responding to reading is the use of Reading Logs. Encourage students to keep a record of all of their reading selections, both guided and independent. A Reading Log is valuable because it shows what students are reading and how long it takes them to read each selection. Reading Log comments help teachers to determine if students are practising what they learn during guided reading time and may draw attention to areas of need. Comments also indicate students' reading preferences.

Teachers may find the students' Reading Logs useful as a starting point for Reading Conferences. During Reading Conferences, teachers can inquire about students' reading preferences and suggest other titles of a similar nature or that are more challenging. During the reading conference students become involved in self-assessment and set new goals for themselves. Teachers may simply record comments directly beneath those made by the student in the Reading Log. This record of student reading can become part of the student's assessment portfolio. A Sample Student Reading Log is included in the following pages.

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud to students provides opportunities for teachers to:

• demonstrate that reading is important
  
• provide enjoyment (for both teacher and students)
  
• motivate students to read on their own by creating a love for books and reading in general
  
• introduce students to quality literature
  
• increase students' awareness of issues and ideas in the world around them
  
• establish a community of readers by sharing thoughts and feelings about a variety of topics, authors, and selections
  
• introduce students to literature, authors, and topics they may not otherwise enjoy or experience on their own
  
• demonstrate ways that readers can make connections, using their own experiences, to become more reflective and critical thinkers
  
• give students perspectives from which to evaluate books that they choose on their own
  
• improve student comprehension by modelling a variety of comprehension strategies and increasing their information about the world (expanding their schemas)
  
• provide opportunities for students to develop listening abilities
  
• expand students' vocabulary
  
• enhance understanding of narrative and other written structures
  
• reveal the differences between oral and written language
  
• affect student writing by exposing them to a wide variety of literary styles and forms of writing
  
• present various ideas, purposes, and structures students might use for their own writing
  
• model fluent and effective spoken English.

Students as well as the teacher should be given opportunities to read aloud. However, because Middle Level students are often self-conscious about how they appear to their peers, it is important that they be allowed time to prepare prior to reading to the whole class. They can prepare by reading the selection silently or aloud to themselves, aloud to a friend, or aloud to the teacher. Teachers should model the read-aloud strategies (e.g., expression, logical phrasing) before expecting students to read aloud. Reading aloud within familiar groups or with a close friend is less threatening and may be the place where impromptu read-alouds take place.

Reading aloud by students provides students with opportunities to:

• entertain and share information and favourite selections with their peers
  
• demonstrate that they value reading
  
• practise and improve reading and speaking abilities (e.g., logical pauses, volume, enunciation).

Selection of appropriate material is crucial to the read-aloud program. Knowing the students' interests and what they have already read helps the teacher choose effective reading material. It is also very important that teachers read the books with which they themselves are familiar and which they enjoy because listeners will be captivated by the teacher's enthusiasm for the material. Select read-aloud materials that introduce, enhance, and complement units of study, and those that are relevant to the lives of the students at the moment. It is also important to read a variety of written forms. Some suggestions for kinds of material to read include the following:

• fiction - short stories, novels
  
• poetry
  
• nonfiction - newspaper/magazine articles, editorials, creative nonfiction, biographies, autobiographies
  
• anecdotes
  
• jokes and riddles
  
• letters - business, friendly, to the editor
  
• reviews of movies, books, television programs, plays
  
• picture books
  
• myths and legends
  
• tall tales
  
• fables and fairytales.

Sample Reader Response Record Sheet
Sample Student Reading Log

Independent Reading

While much of students' reading will consist of guided reading experiences, it is important that students have independent reading time in which to practise what they learn during guided reading experiences. Independent reading time provides opportunities for students and the teacher to engage in sustained silent reading, which develops their reading abilities and provides enjoyment.

During independent reading time, students select their own reading material. They may choose from the library or classroom collection, bring a selection from home, or continue reading the book being read during guided reading. Students should be encouraged to read a variety of genres. For example, readers who tend to read only magazines can be introduced to short stories and novels through student and teacher Book Talks.

Every student in the classroom should be expected to read silently and independently during the designated time. This may be the time for teachers to demonstrate their own commitment to recreational reading. When teachers participate in sustained silent reading they demonstrate that they value reading for pleasure. Teachers can read adult books and articles or they may choose to catch up on some of the literature that the students are reading. By recommending the books they themselves enjoy, teachers often motivate students to read a greater variety of genres and authors.

Book Talks

During Book Talks, readers present the books they have read and describe their responses to these books. Book Talks may be given by students as well as teachers and other adults (e.g., resource centre personnel, other teachers, administrators, parents, and other community members). A reader's enthusiasm about a particular book will be communicated by tone of voice and nonverbal expression, as much as by what he or she says about the book. Book Talks by students may be scheduled for specific days and times or they may occur informally and voluntarily, and may be given in pairs, small groups, or large groups. In some classrooms, students and teachers give short Book Talks prior to sustained silent reading sessions.

Purposes of Book Talks include the following:

• to focus attention on enjoyable and informative reading experiences
  
• to provide opportunity for students to share responses to a book and exchange ideas with peers
  
• to entice students to read peer-recommended selections
  
• to develop students' skills of reflection, discussion, and evaluation
  
• to provide opportunities for students' understanding of their reading to be extended through talk
  
• to recognize that authors use language in unique ways
  
• to encourage readers' individual preferences for kinds of materials, authors' styles, and genres
  
• to recognize that there are recurring themes and topics in literature that help make sense of our lives and the world around us.

Some guidelines for Book Talks follow:

• Teachers can model this strategy before asking students to talk about books they are reading.
  
• Teachers should model the procedure enthusiastically, demonstrating the rewards of reading.
  
• It is important to share fiction and nonfiction selections.
  
• It is important for teachers to discuss books that they have begun but never finished reading. Students should be aware that all readers do this occasionally for a variety of reasons. Discuss these reasons with students.
  
• Encourage students to justify their choices of reading materials and to support their evaluations.
  
• Display the books discussed to entice other students to read them.
  
• Encourage students to share the following kinds of information and insights about their books:
  • reason(s) the book was chosen
    
  • something about the author
    
  • who might enjoy the book
    
  • reason(s) for thinking that the book is worth reading
    
  • general theme of the book
    
  • a particularly interesting part and why it is interesting
    
  • use of effective or unique language
    
  • some personal or world knowledge gained from reading.
• Encourage students to summarize briefly their books for peers.
  
• Some students may choose to say little about the book, but may want to read aloud some passages that peers will enjoy.
  
• Encourage listeners to ask questions about the books or the authors.
  
• Sharing sessions should be brief. The student's goal is to interest others in the book by giving a short summary, and by expressing personal and critical responses to the book, not by retelling the entire story. Most often, three to five minutes per book will be sufficient for each Book Talk.
  
• Students who are reluctant to discuss reading materials with peers because of nervousness or embarrassment may, at first, write their comments in Reading Logs, then read those entries aloud. This method provides a scaffold for students and soon they should feel more comfortable about sharing informally, without having to read their responses.
  
• Use checklists and anecdotal notes to record students' interest in reading and their preference of genres and topics.
  
• Schedule reading conferences with students who do not voluntarily participate in Book Talks. They may be interested in reading but may not feel comfortable discussing their reading materials with peers. Encourage them to discuss their books with you first; this gives them practice sharing their ideas and helps them to overcome nervousness or embarrassment when talking to others.
  
• Students can excite younger readers about reading by talking about books to other classes.
  
• Teachers and teacher-librarians could use this strategy to introduce theme-related selections.
  
• Students and teachers could review books for specific content such as stereotyping, bias, and character development.
  
• Films, videos, and newspaper and magazine articles could also be the subjects of Book Talks.

Paper Bag Book Talk

A procedure for Paper Bag Book Talks follows.

• Students decorate a paper bag with representations of ideas and topics from the book to be discussed.
  
• Inside the bag, the students place the book and a variety of objects that reflect the ideas in the book and their understanding of and responses to the ideas.
  
• During the Book Talk students first explain the ideas reflected by the decorated bag.
  
• Following that, they select one item at a time out of the bag and talk about it in relation to the story, making clear how it represents their responses to the book.
  
• Teachers can model this technique for students prior to asking them to do one. Remind students not to give away everything about the book; leave some things for other readers to discover.

Literature Circles

Literature Circles are small discussion groups in which three to five students who are reading the same selection collaborate to construct meaning from what they read and their responses to the reading material. Group members extend their understanding of what they read by exchanging perceptions and interpretations, and by asking questions about the selection and about their own and others' responses. Literature Circles are often structured around novels with common themes or authors, but other genres and forms of communication may be used.

Because Literature Circles consist of students who have chosen the same reading selection, they are heterogeneous groups based on common interest. The groups will change each time students make new reading selections, providing students with opportunities to work with a variety of peers.

Each group meets regularly and sets its own goals for how much to read prior to each meeting, the topics for discussion, and the role each individual will take in the group discussion. Upon completion of their reading selections, groups conclude with a presentation or activity through which they share with the entire class what they have learned. Culminating presentations may be visual, oral, dramatic, written, or a combination of all four. Initially, the teacher may assign or suggest culminating activities, but students should be encouraged to be creative so that eventually they can decide how to celebrate and share their Literature Circle experiences.

The teacher's role is that of facilitator, as he or she provides support in the form of models and instruction. By circulating among the groups and observing, teachers can determine the instruction required and build scaffolds for individuals and groups, as needed. Using checklists or anecdotal notes, teachers also record assessment information and monitor student progress.

Purposes of Literature Circles include the following:

• promote personal and critical response to literature and other forms of communication
  
• to promote thoughtful discussion which affirms, challenges, and extends each reader's understanding of the text and of himself/herself
  
• to extend students' respect for individual differences, perspectives, and choices
  
• to encourage students to collaborate in order to make meaning from what they read
  
• to encourage acceptance of varied personal responses and understanding
  
• to demonstrate that all students have the right to their interpretations and opinions
  
• to extend reading abilities and comprehension through the social act of discussion
  
• to extend students' knowledge of language structures, vocabulary, a variety of genres, and ideas, as well as authors' techniques.

The teacher's role is to:

• identify a number of selections that have a common theme, author, or genre and provide multiple copies of each
  
• present brief Book Talks about each selection
  
• guide students in choosing selections that match their reading abilities and interests
  
• model and instruct students in strategies for reading and discussing what they read
  
• facilitate discussion by providing scaffolds (e.g., role information sheets) to assist students as they learn how to function successfully in literature discussion groups
  
• observe individuals and groups and keep assessment records.

  The student's role is to:

• choose the reading selection based on reading ability and interest
  
• meet regularly with those reading the same selection
  
• read according to the schedule set by the group and complete a record of that reading in a notebook or on a form such as the Sample Individual Reading Schedule included in the following pages
  
• participate in group decisions (e.g., to determine the focus and topics of discussion; to decide how many pages or chapters will be read prior to each Literature Circle meeting)
  
• participate in group discussions (e.g., take turns in various group roles; keep to the reading schedule; prepare for the discussion topic)
  
• participate in the culminating presentation or activity
  
• engage in self-assessment on a regular basis.

Role information sheets, such as the samples in the following pages, are useful scaffolds that assist students as they are learning the procedures and expectations for each role during Literature Circles.