"A book, too, can be a star, 'explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,' a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." - from Madeleine L'Engle's Newberry Medal Acceptance Speech

Friday, November 8, 2013

Reading and Annotating Thoughtfully + Critical Thinking Questions + Reading Log


Reading and Annotating Thoughtfully
To help you analyze the layers of meaning in a text: 1) Read and reread and reread thoughtfully; take time to reflect on what you read; 2) Annotate (v.) – to write explanatory or critical notes
How to annotate:
·         As you read, underline important details
·         After reading a few paragraphs or stanzas, go back to what you underlined and write in the margins, on post-its, strips of paper, or your notebook; write page numbers on your notes to help you refer back to the parts of the text that you are noting
·         At the end of a chapter, go back and list what they text made you think, know, and feel

What to annotate:
·         Include inferences, interpretations, opinions, thoughts, feelings, connections, questions and/or predictions on:
o    Character conflict, change, feelings
o    Setting
o    Theme
o    Writing style, interesting words, parts that make you in awe of the writer and makes you want to be a writer
o    Author’s purpose
o    New facts and information
o    What you like/dislike
o    Connections to other parts of the text, a different text, your life, the real world
·         Sentence starters:
o    I notice
o    I wonder
o    I think

o    I like/dislike
o    This reminds me of
o    This makes me feel

As you read, annotate important details. Challenge yourselves to notice and think deeply about the text.  

Critical Thinking Questions: As you read, choose a question to focus on, and take notes to help you answer it.
1.       Is this story fair? Why/why not?
2.       How does this text address the points of view (perspectives) of other groups, especially those who usually don’t get to tell their side?
3.       How does this text make you think about justice in the world?
4.       Whose perspective is missing in this text? What would it be like if we put it back?
5.       How does this text deal with individuals and groups? Are the people acting alone and in competition with one another, or does the text help us imagine people working together?
6.       How does money figure in this text?
7.       Are there groups you belong to in this text? What do they look like here? If your own groups are missing, what would they say if they were in the book?
8.       What really hard things are happening in this text? Are these things happening in the world now? Where?
9.       How different are people allowed to be in this text? Does it assume everyone is happy and good in the same ways?
10.    If the character in your book has problems, can you see how those problems are about having or not having money, struggling with others for power, or being cheated or helped by society’s rules?
11.    Who has “power” in your text? How does that power get shown?
12.    At what points do you notice yourself resisting the book, characters, or author? What does your resistance say about the book, and what does it say about you?
13.    How does this book help you to think about social issues you care about or causes you are committed to?
 From For a Better World: Reading and Writing for Social Action by Randy Bomer and Katherine Bomer

Name: __________________________________________  Class: __________  Reading Reflection and Log
Books I want to read:

Reading goals:
o    read a particular genre:

o    take better notes:

o    read more pages a week:

o    read more challenging texts

o    other:

Ideas and goals for writing reading responses:
o    develop stronger thesis/focus
o    write a better introduction by

o    write a better conclusion by

o    include and elaborate on relevant quotations

o    other:



Please keep a log of your independent reading at home and in school.
Reading challenge: for this marking period, the students who read the greatest number of pages will be rewarded (in brain power)!
Date
Title and author
Beginning – end pages (ex. p. 3-36)
Most thought-provoking note/idea



















































Date

Title and author
Beginning – end pages (ex. p. 3-36)
Most thought-provoking note/idea























































































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