About Reading Journal Responses
Reading journals are where you share your thoughts about the books that you are reading. These thoughts may include opinions, connections, predictions, and deep questions about the book (questions which don't have easy answers).
You may respond to any books which you read during silent reading, in literature circles, or at home. You may even respond to books that the teacher reads aloud to the entire class. In other words, there will always be plenty of material to respond to.
A response to a book is different from a summary. When you write a summary, you tell what happened in the book, or you share some of the information that it contained. When you respond to a book, you share your own personal experience of the book. In this class, our reading journals will be a collection of responses. Each reading of a book is a unique journey, and no two students experience it in the same way. The reading journal is the place where you will record the highlights of your own journey.