Reading Response Logs: Inviting Students to Explore Novels, Short Stories, Plays, Poetry and More

Renée B. Meloche is an instructional consultant with the Halton Board
of Education.

The “reading response log” is an interactive teaching/learning
strategy. In this “how to” book for teachers, a clear and concise
explanation of the strategy is enhanced with lesson descriptions and
authentic student work.

Basically, students are given reading material and then a chance to
respond to it—to ask questions; to predict the plot; to reflect on the
characters, events, or language; and so on. The teacher keeps a journal
of the students’ reactions to the material.

Kooy and Wells apply the reading response log strategy to short
stories, novels, poetry, and plays, and suggest an integrated theme.
They also offer practical tips for logistics and evaluation, and suggest
readily available resources. Teachers would do well to follow the
approaches presented in this guide.