Week 14: Reading Response Journal
Due Sunday, 11/22, 11:59pm
Rationale:
We will complete reading response journals throughout the class (if not weekly). The reason for keeping reading response journals is because effective readers are active participants in making meaning from texts, in constructing personal interpretations of texts, and in expanding and refining those ideas within an interpretive community of readers. It is well documented that writing while you read is an effective thinking and learning strategy. The contents of your journal responses also represent a record of your reactions to the reading of each of the texts. Since you will be likely using these texts to help you craft your own papers, this record of your thoughts and reactions will be valuable when it comes time to develop those papers.
Reading response journals should:
Be first draft writing. Do your best work, proofread and spellcheck, but don’t consider these essays. These are merely thoughtful responses.
Include your comments, questions, and reactions, quotes from the text with commentary and your conclusions about the reading.
Contain questions and comments that reflect your real thinking as a college reader. That is, don’t just say what you think the instructor or the class wants to hear.
Avoid retelling the text. We’ve all read it. Don’t merely summarize it.
Illustrate clearly that you have read the whole text. Responses which only reflect the first few pages will be suspect.
If you’re stuck and don’t know what types of comments to make about a text, consider the following prompts:
Briefly summarize the significant claims. Use conventional attributions like “The author claims,” “The
author argues,” and/or “The authors contends” to help you stay focused on the arguments or claims. Be as concise as possible here.
Synthesize the authors’ key claims. For example, what concepts in the chapter(s) and points of view are
similar or different? How do they build on each other? The key is emphasizing the connections and relationships among the chapter(s) or points of view and their ideas.
Reflect on how the reading affirms or challenges your own ideas about an experience with the topic or
concepts. Do you have any personal reactions to the authors’ claims?
Work out the assumptions that underlie the claims and evidence. Do you feel the arguments made by the
authors are made fairly and honestly? Are they based on reliable, reputable ideas?
Identify parts of the argument that are strongly supported, or parts that are weakly supported, or both.
Can you identify weaknesses or poke holes in the authors’ arguments?
Demonstrate how different parts of the argument may conflict with each other or reinforce each other.
Show how the writers’ selection of evidence, sources, or authorities either strengthens or undermines the
case.
Evaluation:
Quality and quantity count. Your reading response journal allows me to evaluate your understanding and interpretation of a text. You will receive a “C” if you meet the requirements, a “B” if you fulfill and exceed the requirements or an “A” if you clearly exceed all of the requirements.
Length:
Your journal should be at least 300 words, typed, 12-point Times New Roman, double spaced. Submit your response on time. Late reading response journals will not be accepted for any credit.
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