How to Create Good Questions for a Fiction Reading Assignment

A List Of Reading Response Questions That Work With Near Texts
by Terry Heick
Though I've been busy with TeachThought over the last decade or and then, my original 'merchandise' was instruction English (literature, writing, digital media, etc.)
I was recently going through an quondam binder of reading reflection prompts and forms, and found a reading log that I called a 'Self-Guided Reading Response Log' (whatever that means). It's a few years old, but I call back using information technology get-go as a way for students to get 'points' in a reading program we were doing at the time.
I thought it might be useful to share the pupil-centered arroyo it takes, and its usefulness beyond content areas (depending on what yous want them to analyze). Information technology'south primarily virtually the craft of writing and elements of style, but 1, 2, three, five, 6, seven, and several others would work later on reading most annihilation.
Run across also our TeachThought Curricula: 15 Reading Responses To Non-Fiction Texts
How I Used Information technology
Someday students read whatsoever text, they'd have this form and select a certain number of prompts to respond to. If they had trouble selecting the prompts that were most appropriate to their text, I'd assign them by merely circling the ones I wanted them to focus on.
Ideally, though, they'd somewhen learn to choose the ones that made sense to their brain based on their reading of their book. In fact, if they couldn't do and so, that was 'data' and helped me come across where they were as readers.
And that was the point. I didn't want to school up' everything single thing they read, but I did want to help them understand the relationship between reading and writing–between craft and purpose. I wanted them to think, on their own, I read this, and I picked these questions to use to guide my writing.
And eventually guide their reading, too.
By Jan, they had it downward and would just mitt me their responses labeled accordingly. Mr. Heick, I left a reading response on your desk-bound somewhere.I used it that year with 8th-graders and it worked well once they got used to each prompt, what they meant, and what 'exemplar' models of each looked similar.
This was important–they needed to see what a 'quality' response looked like. I modeled a few using think-alouds, shared a few of the meliorate examples from students, etc. I was also sure to include some quality responses that weren't necessarily from the wordsmiths in the classroom and was certain to include those that used diagrams, concept maps, and drawings as well. In one case these questions were demystified a bit, it was all downhill.
I'd score the response, as with all writing, out of iv in one-half-betoken increments. I used a universal rubric to score–1 point each for textual evidence, clarity, creativity, and overall quality. Easy to form, and like shooting fish in a barrel to differentiate for all reading levels, text forms, etc.
Today, this would probably make more than sense as a Google Class (one of the many ways to apply Google Forms in the classroom). No forms to make copies of, aught to lose, simple to document, so if you're feeling industrious, let us know in the comments that you've done then and then we tin can apply it too. I included a slightly modified version of the questions beneath.
In summary, these reading response questions are universal, academic, standards-based, differentiation-friendly, and permit for some degree of student choice.
1. Why did you lot decide to read this material?
2. Compare and contrast this text or media with related text/media.
Be specific–what text or media, what are the similarities and dissimilarities, etc.
three. What did the author's purpose seem to be?
What seemed to be the Author's Purpose in creating this text? Why do you think they might've written it? What were they hoping this text would accomplish? Why do yous think so?
iv. What can you say about the theme?
What was the theme? What were some of the theme topics (dearest lost, overcoming adversity, civic responsibility, etc.)? What is the author's overall bulletin to their audition? Is there a judgement you can choose from the text that captures that? What supporting details let y'all to brand this inference?
5. What is the author'due south position on any relevant theme or issue?
As a event of this reading, what can you lot infer is the author's position on any relevant theme or event? This will often exist a social issue–poverty, love, war, courage, race, etc. As with almost any reading or writing, this is differentiation-friendly and tin can help students develop practiced reading skills–which, in part, involves thinking like an author instead of similar a 'student.'
If you have a educatee who reads iv grade levels above their current grade and is highly motivated, they can infer what the author is implying or assuming about–well, about anything. What does E.B. White seem to believe about the role of loyalty in friendship from the reading of "Charlotte's Web"? What about death and loss? Agrarianism? This probable is worthy of a longer post. Hopefully, it makes sense enough to begin using in your classroom.
6. Who seems to be the audience?
Who wants or needs to know this information? Does there seem to be a specific audience the writer is trying to reach? Why do you call up so? If not, what makes you recollect there is not a specific audience?
TeachThought Curricula: 15 Reading Responses To Non-Fiction Texts
7.What is the overall tone of the work?
What does the author's full general mental attitude towards their audience? How exercise the language, content, imagery, and allusions combine to give the reading a 'experience,' or tone? What details help y'all to understand this? What can you infer nearly the author's position on of import themes or bug because of that tone?
8. What point of view does the writer write from?
What point of view was the volume written from? What does the author seem to assume is true? Is the author biased in any manner? Does the writer seem to exist aware of this bias? Might it be done on purpose to further the theme? Is it satirical? Ironic?
9. What are the most relevant supporting details?
What is the relationship between the writer'southward purpose, thesis or theme, and supporting details?
10. How is the book structured?
What structural elements did you lot notice in the book? How did these elements impact your understanding of the content? Were there whatsoever text features that were super helpful—or just plainly annoying? What could they have done differently, and what upshot would that change take had?
eleven. How would you draw the author'southward writing style?
What elements of the writer'south writing way did you discover? How do these elements impact your understanding or enjoyment of the text?
12. Does the author have brownie to write virtually this discipline or topic?
Why or why non? Exist specific.
13. What is the general mood of the text?
What is the author'southward full general attitude toward their topic? What details make you think so? How would this text make near people 'feel'? What is the relationship between the tone, mood, and purpose?
14. How is the plot, argument, or data organized?
Crusade/upshot? Chronological lodge? Compare/contrast? Question/answer? Lots of options here–be specific, and defend your reply.
fifteen. What would y'all change?
Choose ane of import part of this reading that the author could've made a different choice—the construction, system, purpose, audience, label, pacing, supporting details, mood, etc.—and so explain how they could've done it differently, and what effect it would've had on the reading.
16. Open
Create your ain response. Exist creative, playful, and fun. If it'due south not any of the three, I'll hand it back.
FICTION ONLY
17. Alphabetize the characters
List the full proper noun of all characters yous'd consider important (be prepared why yous included someone or left them out). For each character, include 1 line from the text characterizing them; as well, label each grapheme as major/pocket-sized, flat/circular, and static/dynamic grapheme.
xviii. Could you connect with whatever of the characters?
Could you see yourself in this character at all, in any major or minor way? How did this bear upon your reading?
19. What were the (significant) characters motivated by?
What were the significant characters motivated past? What was the protagonist motivated most by? How did this affect their feel in the story? Was their source of motivation something that you could relate to?
twenty. What other stories does this remind you of?
21. What do you think influenced the author in 'conceiving' and writing this volume? Think near books, movies, social events, etc. What makes y'all think so?
21 Reading Response Questions For Self-Guided Response (That Work With Most Texts)
Source: https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/reading-response/
Enregistrer un commentaire for "How to Create Good Questions for a Fiction Reading Assignment"